PHOENIX, AZ - Utica University men's wrestling head coach Pankil Chander has officially brought the Pioneer brand to the national stage… and his first season is still over three months away.

Coach Chander was selected to attend the NCAA's prestigious Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute, a program that, in the NCAA's words, "aims to elevate participants' leadership skills to accelerate their professional growth while enhancing their ability to excel within their current roles." He was selected to attend this great gathering alongside 17 other athletics administrators, who were chosen from a pool of applicants across all NCAA divisions. 
 
The program takes place in two-year cycles, with the selected group of participants engaging in professional development for two total weeks across the two-year timeframe, one week occurring the first year, and the next week occurring the following summer. Coach Chander just completed the first week of the program, held in Phoenix, Arizona, from July 11-16. Chander spoke highly of his time at the Institute, "I'm grateful for the opportunity to contribute and engage in this renowned transformational experience and have meaningful deliberations on how to define and execute forward-thinking and effective leadership in what is currently an unprecedented era in intercollegiate athletics. This institute is an impactful shared space for personal and professional collaboration and growth with many leaders making a positive difference in the industry."
 

First-year program participants began with days of activities and learning focused on exploring career aspirations and enhancing essential skills. Attendees spent time exploring goals, clarifying values and looking closer at their behavioral styles, as well as those of their peers. Administrators also participated in an intensive budgeting activity, which allowed them to engage with fellow learners and refine their problem-solving skills.

Additionally, those in year one engaged with a variety of subject-matter experts and gained knowledge across several areas, including the challenges of leadership in college athletics, student-athlete welfare issues, strategic planning, budget management, fundraising, compliance, human resources, and performance management.
 
More than 400 administrators have graduated from the Leadership Institute since its inception in 2002, and more than 60% of them have gone on to hold senior leadership positions in college athletics. 

Below is the 2025-26 cohort, of which Coach Chander was a member:
Pankil Chander, Utica University, Division III
Claudia Anderson, University of Tennessee, Division I
James Bullock, NCAA
Sebastian Bush, City College of New York, Division III
Anna Butzlaff, CIAA, Division II
Dale Codrington, University of Nevada, Division I
Stanley Frazier, University of Cincinnati, Division I
Christina Hardman, Florida Institute of Technology, Division II
Leashia Lewis, Villanova University, Division I
Melissa Marchini, Conference USA, Division I
Shaquana Miller, Anderson University (SC), Division II
Quenton Moore, University of Arkansas - Pine Bluff, Division I
Christal Peterson, NCAA
Sailer Sinclair, University of Texas at San Antonio, Division I
Candace Smith, Ohio University, Division I
Marquise Stancil, U.S. Military Academy, Division I
Taylor Stewart, Grambling State, Division I
Dr. Chartice Wyatt-Thermil, Georgia Tech, Division I

For more information about the Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute, you can visit the program's official website by heading to the following link: Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute - NCAA.org - The Official Website of the NCAA 

Chander was named the head coach of the Utica University men's wrestling program in May of 2026, ahead of the 2026-2027 academic year. Chander made the move over from his alma mater, Wilkes University, where he served as the men's wrestling program's associate head coach during the prior two seasons. He became the third head coach in the history of the program and brought a resume of proven success as both a competitor and coach at the Division III level.
 
Throughout his career as an athlete and coach, Chander has been actively involved in the intercollegiate athletics and wrestling community. He volunteered as a social content writer for the 2019 Division I NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh. While volunteering at the championships, Chander assisted the digital team with identifying significant storylines and producing real-time coverage. Additionally, he has been invited to be a guest speaker at the 2021 NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar, 2019 MARCA Ethnic Minority Careers in Athletics Symposium, 2023 Springfield College Athletic Leadership Speaker Series, and more.

He has also served on the host event committee for the Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling Association from 2015 - 2017 for the Youth State Championships held inside Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre. While on the event committee, he was instrumental in advocating for women's wrestling by spearheading the initiative to host U.S. Olympian Adeline Gray as a dignitary and medal award distributor.

Chander has been a scholarship recipient of the NWCA Leadership Academy and was selected to attend the 2018 NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar and the 2025 NCAA Division III Institute for Administrative Advancement.

Chander has also held secondary duties as the Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Designee at Penn College and Wilkes University, spearheading initiatives to enhance departmental infrastructure by securing new full-time positions in Athletic Communications at each institution through the successful implementation of NCAA Grants.

He currently serves on the Association-Wide NCAA Committee of Access, Opportunity, and Impact and the Division III Pathway to Excellence Grant selection committee.
 

The Utica University men's wrestling team will officially begin the Chander era this winter. Head to Uticapioneers.com and follow the team's social media to stay up to date with all things Utica wrestling!

Utica Wrestling Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uticauniversitywrestling/

Utica Pioneers Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/utica_pioneers/?hl=en