History

The team was branded East Kansas Eagles and over the next 5 years, the team continued to compete at local and national events across the country. East Kansas Eagles was officially formed as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in June of 2024.  The club was chartered as a USAWKS club for the first time in March of 2025.

On May 7, 2026 our Board of Directors held a meeting. The meeting was called to order at 8:03 PM by Shawn Crossley. In attendance in person were Shawn Crossley, Kendall Crossley, and Maigan Crossley. Attending via Microsoft Teams were Adam Parker, Karlie Parker, Brian Hendrickson, Amanda Moore, Brandon Moore, and Shea Cox. 

The meeting began with a review of bylaws, conflict of interest and compensation policy, followed by the approval minutes from our last board meeting. 

Shawn Crossley presented the President's report which included our financial statements and operations report. 

The Treasurer's report was then presented. 

During the Nominating Committee Report/Election of Board of Directors, we had 4 positions up for re-election.

Shawn Crossley - Position 1, President
Adam Parker - Position 2, Vice-President
Maigan Crossley - Position 3, Treasurer
Kelli Woolsey - Position 4, Secretary

All positions were re-elected unanimously.

Shawn Crossley nominated for election the following to fill vacant board seats:

Brett Ross - Position 8, At-Large
Shea Cox - Position 9, At-Large
Brian Hendrickson - Position 10, At-Large

The above nominations were approved and elected to the vacant board positions unanimously.

Our Board of Directors now sits at a full 10.

Shawn Crossley - Position 1, President
Adam Parker - Position 2, Vice-President
Maigan Crossley - Position 3, Treasurer
Kelli Woolsey - Position 4, Secretary
Amanda Moore - Position 5, At-Large
Kendall Crossley - Position 6, At-Large
Matt Byerley - Position 7, At-Large
Brett Ross - Position 8, At-Large
Shea Cox - Position 9, At-Large
Brian Hendrickson - Position 10, At-Large

Other items for consideration were discussed.

Shawn Crossley proposed a rebrand and presented the pros and cons. Several names and logos were presented. The topic was opened for discussion. The board voted unanimously on a rebrand. The board then voted to rebrand our club as Heartland Eagles.

We started this club in 2020 with the idea of giving wrestlers in East Kansas as many opportunities to compete at as many high level/national events as possible. Over the past 6 years, we have welcomed wrestlers and families from over 14 states to our team. Yes they've come from Kansas...Missouri, Oklahoma, Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, Illinois, as well as Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Texas, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. What do most of these states have in common? They are considered "Heartland States".  As the dynamics of teams change, and the sport of wrestling evolves, we wanted to be proactive and ensure that our team reflects our wrestlers and families who have chosen us time and time again as their team. Thank you for taking this journey with us and for your continued support. We are very excited for the future!