| National Collegiate Wrestling Association | |
| Mcaption: | Basketball |
| Abbreviation: | NCWA |
| Status: | Association |
| Headquarters: | Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Membership: | 162 (schools, conferences or other associations) |
| Leader Title: | Executive Director |
| Leader Name: | Jim Giunta |
| Main Organ: | Executive Committee |
| Website: | NCWA official website |
The National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) is a nonprofit association of 162 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organize the wrestling programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. It is led by founder and executive director Jim Giunta headquartered in Dallas, Texas and built to help the promotion of collegiate wrestling.
Many teams were formerly NCAA programs displaced by Title IX legislation and/or are preparing to join the NCAA, NAIA, or NJCAA. Teams in transition to a higher division not eligible for the NCAA postseason also compete in the NCWA. Notable wrestling programs to have started or competed in the NCWA and are now in other associations include: Bellarmine, California Baptist, Lindenwood - St. Charles, McKendree, Notre Dame College, Queens, and Southern Illinois Edwardsville.
A post-secondary athletic association built to help the promotion of collegiate wrestling, the NCWA was founded in 1997 as a 501c3 non-profit by the current executive director, Jim Giunta, after resigning as executive director of the Texas Interscholastic Wrestling Association (TIWA). At its founding the association had 13 member teams, but today the NCWA is composed of over 150 wrestling teams and clubs from across the United States and Canada. Many of these programs were formerly NCAA scholarship programs which were affected by Title IX legislation, which has resulted in many colleges being forced to give up their wrestling programs in the name of gender equality. The variety of institutions competing in the NCWA is wide and unrestricted as junior colleges, trade schools and post-secondary prep institutions compete in the same national championship as four-year colleges and universities.
Source:[1]
| Season |
| |
|---|---|---|
| 1997-1998 | 26 | |
| 1998-1999 | 35 | |
| 1999-2000 | 44 | |
| 2000-2001 | 56 | |
| 2001-2002 | 68 | |
| 2002-2003 | 80 | |
| 2003-2004 | 95 | |
| 2004-2005 | 109 | |
| 2005-2006 | 122 | |
| 2006-2007 | 134 | |
| 2007-2008 | 142 | |
| 2008-2009 | 154 | |
| 2009-2010 | 163 | |
| 2010-2011 | 170 | |
| 2011-2012 | 156 | |
| 2012-2013 | ||
| 2013-2014 | ||
| 2014-2015 | ||
| 2015-2016 | ||
| 2016-2017 | 170 | |
| 2017-2020 | ||
| 2018-2020 | ||
| 2019-2020 | 154 | |
| 2020-2021 | No season (COVID-19) | |
| 2021-2022 | 151 | |
| 2022-2023 | 155 | |
| 2023-2024 | 116 |
| Season |
| |
|---|---|---|
| 2007-2008 | 7 | |
| 2008-2009 | ||
| 2009-2010 | ||
| 2010-2011 | 16 | |
| 2011-2012 | 18 | |
| 2012-2013 | 15 | |
| 2013-2014 | 10 | |
| 2014-2015 | 15 | |
| 2015-2016 | 22 | |
| 2016-2017 | 24 | |
| 2017-2018 | 35 | |
| 2018-2019 | ||
| 2019-2020 | 54 | |
| 2020-2021 | No season (COVID-19) | |
| 2021-2022 | 68 | |
| 2022-2023 | 60 | |
| 2023-2024 | 62 |
| Season |
| |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 8 | |
| 2018 | 8 | |
| 2019 | 10 | |
| 2020 | No season (COVID-19) | |
| 2021 | No season (COVID-19) |
While the NCWA currently has over 100 schools in competition, a few programs have distinguished themselves as top-tier programs.
| Institution | Year Entered NCWA | Conference | All-Americans and National Champions | Team Championships | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Mid-Atlantic |
|
| Transitioning from NAIA to Division II, completing transition in 2024[2] [3] | |
| 2000 | Mid-Atlantic |
|
| ||
| 1997 | Southeast |
|
| One of the original NCWA teams | |
| 2022 | Great Lakes |
| Transitioning from NCAA Division II to Division I, completing transition in 2024[8] | ||
| 2003 | Southeast |
|
| Train out of Southeast Olympic Regional Training Center | |
| 2021 | Mid-Atlantic |
|
| Transitioning from NCAA Division III to Division II, completing transition in 2024[9] [10] | |
| 2000 | Great Lakes |
|
|
| |
| 2015 | Northwest |
|
| ||
| 2011 | Mid-Atlantic |
|
| Competed as an NCAA D-I program prior to joining the NCWA in 2011 | |
| 2011-2013, 2023 | Southwest |
|
|
| |
| 2023 | Southwest |
| Started transition from NAIA to NCAA Division III in 2022-2023 school year, full membership expected in 2026[22] | ||
| 1999 | Mid-Atlantic |
|
| Coached by Steven Smith | |
| 2022 | Puerto Rico |
| |||
| 2022 | Puerto Rico |
|
|
| |
| 2023 | Great Lakes |
|
| Started transition from NAIA to NCAA Division III in 2022-2023 school year, full membership expected in 2026[25] | |
| 1997 | West Coast |
|
| Head Coach Corey AndersonFormerly Dixie State University | |
| 1997 | Northeast |
|
| Won the inaugural NCWA National Championships | |
| Institution | Year Entered NCWA | Conference | All-Americans and National Champions | Team Championships | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | West Coast |
|
| Head Coach Corey Anderson Formerly Dixie State University | ||
| 2022 | Northwest |
| 2022 National Champions | Also compete in NJCAA | ||
| Florida State | 2010 | Southeast | 6 All-Americans | 3 top-10 finishes at National Championships | ||
| Grays Harbor | 2018 | Northwest |
|
| Also compete in NJCAA | |
| North Texas | 2014 | Southwest |
|
| ||
| 2018 | West Coast |
|
| |||
| 2014 | Northeast |
|
|
While the NCWA currently has over 100 schools in competition, it has also been home to many programs that transitioned from one association to another or that originated as an NCWA program and later changed associations.
| Institution | Year Entered NCWA | Previous Association | Year Left NCWA | Next Association | Current Association | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Started in NCWA | 2017 | ! colspan=2 | No association |
| |
| 2013 | 2018 | ! colspan=2 |
| |||
| 2008 | Started in NCWA | 2014 | ! colspan=2 | No association |
| |
| 1998 | Started in NCWA | 2006 | ! colspan=2 |
| ||
| 2010 | 2013 | NCAA Division II |
| |||
| 1999 | 2003 | ! colspan=2 | Dropped program |
| ||
| 2002 | Program restarted in the NCWA | 2008 | ! colspan=2 | NCAA Division II |
| |
| 2006 | Started in NCWA | 2008 | NJCAA | Program dropped |
| |
| 2014 | Started in NCWA | 2015 | NAIA | NCAA Division II |
| |
| 2001 | Started in NCWA | 2014 | ! colspan=2 | Dropped program |
| |
| 2015 | Started in NCWA | 2018 | ! colspan=2 | NCAA Division II |
| |
| 2014 | Program restarted in the NCWA | 2017 | ! colspan=2 | NCAA Division I |
| |
| 2013 | NCAA Division II | 2014 | NCAA Division I | Program dropped |
| |
| 2013 | Started in NCWA | 2017 | ! colspan=2 | NJCAA |
| |
| 1999 | Restarted program in NCWA | 2012 | ! colspan=2 | Dropped program |
| |
| 2021 | Started in NCWA | 2022 | ! colspan=2 | Division II |
| |
| 2011 | Started in NCWA | 2013 | NAIA | Program dropped |
| |
| 2021 | Started in NCWA | 2022 | ! colspan=2 | Division II |
| |
| 1998 | NCCAA | 1999 | ! colspan=2 | Program dropped |
| |
| 2003 | Started in NCWA | 2016 | ! colspan=2 | Program dropped |
| |
| 2011 | NAIA | 2013 | ! colspan=2 | NCAA Division II |
| |
| 2000 | NCAA Division I | 2009 | ! colspan=2 | Dropped program |
| |
| 2011 | NAIA | 2012 | ! colspan=2 | NCAA Division II |
| |
| 2003 | Started in NCWA | 2020 | ! colspan=2 | Dropped program |
| |
| 2008 | Started in NCWA | 2015 | ! colspan=2 | No association |
| |
| 2001 | Program restarted in the NCWA | 2003 | ! colspan=2 | Program dropped |
| |
| 2007 | NAIA | 2008 | ! colspan=2 | NCAA Division II |
| |
| 2004 | Started in NCWA | 2010 | Program dropped | NCAA Division II |
| |
| 2012 | NAIA | 2013 | ! colspan=2 | NCAA Division II |
| |
| 2010 | Started in NCWA[28] | 2014 | ! colspan=2 | NCAA Division III |
| |
| 1998 | NCCAA | 2006 | ! colspan=2 | Program dropped |
| |
| 2014 | NJCAA | 2015 | NJCAA | NAIA |
| |
| 2011 | NCAA Division II | 2012 | ! colspan=2 | NAIA |
| |
| 2018 | Started in NCWA | 2021 | ! colspan=2 | NCAA Division III |
| |
| 2013 | NAIA | 2014 | NCAA Division II | Program dropped |
| |
| 2011 | NAIA | 2012 | ! colspan=2 | NCAA Division II |
| |
| 2009 | NCAA Division II | 2012 | ! colspan=2 | NCAA Division I |
| |
| 2000 | Started in the NCWA | 2014 | ! colspan=2 | NCAA Division III |
| |
| 1998 | Started in NCWA | 2009 | NJCAA | Program dropped |
| |
| Institution | Year Entered NCWA | Conference | All-Americans and National Champions | Team Championships | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Southwest |
|
| Inaugural GoGreco National Champions. Coached by Andre Metzger | |
| 2017 | Southwest |
|
| Hosted inaugural GoGreco National Championships in 2017. Coached by Bill Neal | |
| 2017 | West Coast |
| |||
| 2017 | Southwest |
| |||
| Institution | Year Entered NCWWA | Previous Association | Year Left NCWWA | Next Association | Current Association | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lindenwood - Belleville | 2011 | Started in NCWA | 2013 | WCWA | NCAA |
| |
| 2014 | Started in NCWA | 2019 | ! colspan=2 | Program dropped |
| ||
| 2012 | Started in NCWA | 2018 | ! colspan=2 | Active - No Athletes Currently Competing |
| ||
| 2015 | Started in NCWA | 2019 | ! colspan=2 | Program dropped |
| ||
| 2015 | WCWA | 2016 | ! colspan=2 | WCWA |
| ||
| 2014 | Started in NCWA | 2017 | ! colspan=2 | WCWA |
| ||
| 2007 | Started in NCWA | 2012 | WCWA | NCAA |
| ||
| 2010 | Started in NCWA | 2013 | ! colspan=2 | Program dropped |
| ||
| 2018 | Started in NCWA | 2021 | ! colspan=2 | NCAA Division III |
| ||
| 2007 | WCWA (competed in both) | 2009 | ! colspan=2 | WCWA |
| ||
| 2010 | Started in NCWA | 2016 | ! colspan=2 | Program dropped |
| ||
| 2010 | Started in NCWA | 2018 | WCWA | NJCAA |
| ||
| 2008 | Started in NCWA | 2011 | ! colspan=2 | WCWA |
|
As mentioned before, the NCWA allows many types of funding to its wrestling programs that might not be allowed by the NCAA. This can allow the wrestling team to grow at its own rate.
The NCWA is the only association with collegiate wrestling to offer an 11th weight class: 235 lbs. There are a number of benefits from this:
Starting in the 2013–2014 season, the National Championships in March and the Collegiate Cup Duals (previously known as the National Dual Meet Championship) directly related to each other in a team's point total. A team's finish at the Collegiate Cup Duals transferred to additional points being awarded at the National Championships.
The National Wrestling Coaches Association (or "NWCA") have a National Duals tournament for NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA, NJCAA, and NCWA teams, but all do not tie into their respective National Championships point totals. Penn State University (NCAA D-I) won four straight National Championships from 2011 to 2014 – without ever competing in the NCAA D-I entry of the National Duals. The NCWA's National Championship Series is the first of any of the college divisions to have a true champion that is indicative of both its team's as well as its individuals' success.
Starting in 2016, the NCWA launched the GoGreco Program with USA Wrestling.[29] While USA Wrestling's Freestyle and Greco-Roman season and procedures are separate from the wrestling teams and individuals that participate in them, the NCWA owns and operates the GoGreco Program within their domain and directly controls and promotes another wrestling opportunity. This is the first collegiate-level Greco-Roman wrestling national championship. The inaugural championships will take place on June 3, 2017, in Dallas, Texas on the campus of Richland College.
The first tournament, the Texas GoGreco Championships, took place on Saturday, May 6, 2017, at Richland College. The University of North Texas won the tournament with six of seven wrestlers winning in the finals. Richland College and University of Houston–Downtown finished second and third, respectively.[30]
Whereas the WCWA has athletes compete in freestyle, the NCWA has its women's division compete in collegiate folkstyle wrestling. There are a number of teams that compete in both the WCWA and NCWA to give their athletes more competitive opportunity.
The NCWA sponsors nine types national events:
From 2010 to 2011, the Champions Challenge was formed by the NAIA and NCWA to bring more highlight matches to the wrestling community by pitting NAIA All-Stars against NCWA All-Stars at each weight class in a dual meet (except for 235 lbs since the NAIA does not recognize that weight class in competition). The All-Stars were usually the highest returning All-American at each weight class barring injury; the coaching staffs were one or two coaches for each school represented in the dual. The NCAA Division II is slated to join in the next event.
| Champions Challenge series history | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host city (Host location) | Dual Meet | Series Record (Streak) | ||||||
| Winner | Points | Runner-up | Points | ||||||
| 2010 | Orlando, Florida (University of Central Florida) | NAIA(1/2) | 39 | NCWA | 3 | NAIA 1-0 (1-0) | |||
| 2011 | Orlando, Florida (University of Central Florida) | NAIA(2/2) | 23 | NCWA | 15 | NAIA 2-0 (2-0) | |||
In 2008, the NCWA approved the National Dual Meet Championship where the top teams in the country would compete against one another to crown a true team champion starting in 2009. No other association had an official dual-based team champion at the time and that is still the case except in the NCWA. The current structure has 24 teams competing in a bracketed format down to 24 places.
In its thirteenth season, the NCWA hosted its first National Dual Meet Championship. Whereas the National Championships focuses more on individual success and teams can depend on one or a few exceptional wrestlers, the National Duals highlights teams with solid line-ups and good wrestlers at each weight class. It is common for teams that win or place highly in the National Duals to do so at the National Championships later. The National Duals usually take place in late January before the National Championships.
Starting in the 2013–2014 season, two changes took place: 1) the National Dual Meet Championship was now renamed as the Collegiate Cup Duals and 2) a team's finish at the Collegiate Cup Duals would earn it a certain number of team points at the National Championships and aid them in winning it. Two major reasons for this change were to 1) encourage more teams to want to wrestle in the Collegiate Cup Duals and, 2) while still recognizing up to two different champions at the two different tournaments, one team could be determined as the best true overall team and individual wrestling champion that year.
During the 2017 Vision Forum, the NCWA ruled that the National Dual Meet Championship will be held on the eastern side of the United States during even-numbered years and on the western side of the United States during odd-numbered years.
Starting with the 2019-2020 season, the NCWA would have a women's division of the National Dual Meet Championship. Previously, the National Dual Meet Championship would host some individual matches, dual meets, and/or an "All Star" event for women's wrestlers and teams invited, but this would be the first formal women's division to take place.
| NCWA National Dual Meet Championships series history | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host city (Host location) | Finals match | Notes | ||||||
| Winner | Points | Runner-up | Points | ||||||
| 2009 | Murfreesboro, Tennessee (Middle Tennessee State University) | Grand Valley(1/1)[31] [32] | 33 | Central Florida | 18 | Inaugural event. | |||
| 2010 | Shelbyville, Tennessee (Middle Tennessee State University and University of Georgia) | Marion Military(1/1) | 27 | Apprentice | 15 | ||||
| 2011 | Dalton, Georgia (Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center) | California Baptist (1/1)[33] [34] | 42 | Central Florida | 4 | First team to win event while in transition to another association. | |||
| 2012 | Dalton, Georgia (Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center) | Liberty (1/6)[35] [36] | 25 | Lindenwood | 15 | ||||
| 2013 | Dalton, Georgia (Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center) | Lindenwood (1/1)[37] [38] | 30 | Liberty | 19 | First time the event was a rematch of the previous year's finals. | |||
| 2014 | Dalton, Georgia (Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center) | Grand Canyon(1/1)[39] | 23 | Shorter | 19 | First time the event became the Collegiate Cup Duals and team points were a factor for the overall Collegiate Cup championship. | |||
| 2015 | Dalton, Georgia (Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center) | Liberty (2/6)[40] | 37 | Apprentice | 9 | First team to win event more than once. | |||
| 2016 | Dalton, Georgia (Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center) | Central Florida (1/1)[41] | 32 | Grand Valley State | 18 | ||||
| 2017 | Lynchburg, Virginia (Liberty University) | Emmanuel (1/1)[42] | 33 | Liberty | 13 | ||||
| 2018 | Lynchburg, Virginia (Liberty University) | Liberty (3/6)[43] | 30 | Emmanuel | 15 | ||||
| 2019 | Mesquite, Nevada (CasaBlanca Resort Event Center) | Liberty (4/6)[44] | 28 | Apprentice | 18 | First school to win back-to-back titles. | |||
| 2020 | Lynchburg, Virginia (Liberty University) | Men's: Liberty (5/6)[45] [46] | 43 | Men's: Apprentice | 13 | ||||
| Women's: Schreiner (1/1) | 48 | Women's: Liberty | 6 | First ever Women's National Dual Meet Championship. | |||||
| 2021 | N/A | No 2021 season took place due to the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. | |||||||
| 2022 | Lynchburg, Virginia (Liberty University) | Men's: Liberty (6/6)[47] | 39 | Men's: Apprentice | 7 | ||||
| Women's: Ottawa - Arizona (1/1)[48] | 57 | Women's: Grand Canyon | 0 | ||||||
| 2023 | Louisville, Kentucky (Kentucky Exposition Center) | Men's: Bellarmine (1/2)[49] | 29 | Men's: Liberty | 21 | NWCA National Dual Meet Championship - NCWA Division | |||
| 2024 | Cedar Falls, Iowa (University of Northern Iowa) | Men's: Bellarmine (1/2)[50] | 44 | Men's: Liberty | 12 | ||||
| Hoquiam, Washington (Hoquiam High School) | Women's: Grays Harbor (1/1)[51] | 36 | Women's: Ottawa - Arizona | 29 | |||||
The 6:12 Project is a community outreach program created by the NCWA for its wrestlers, coaches, officials, volunteers, and staff to help the city hosting the NCWA National Duals. NCWA wrestling programs serve food to those in need and hold canned and non-perishable food drives. They later donate those goods, as well as clothes (especially jackets), to one of the city's organizations.
The name "6:12 Project" comes from the Biblical quote Ephesians chapter 6, verse 12 from the New Testament:
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against power, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."
The first 6:12 Project took place at the 2012 National Duals in Dalton, Georgia and repeated for the 2013 and 2014 events which were also held in Dalton. It is scheduled to continue at the 2015 Collegiate Cup Duals in Dalton again.
Initially created as the Western Regional Duals, this event was created in order to give teams in the western and central part of North America the opportunity to compete in a national dual meet event like the National Dual Meet Championship.
Historically, the National Dual Meet Championship has been hosted on the eastern side of the United States in Georgia, Tennessee, or Virginia. When the Collegiate Cup was passed in 2013, questions and concerns were raised as to whether teams closer to the physical location of the National Dual Meet Championship would have an unfair competitive advantage in terms of championship points calculated for the Collegiate Cup series.
At the 2017 Vision Forum, the NCWA passed a resolution stating that in even-numbered years the National Duals would take place on the eastern side and the Regional Duals on the western side; in odd-numbered years, the National Duals would take place at a western location and the Regional Duals an eastern location.
Starting in the 2022-2023 season with the NCWA accepting the NWCA's offer to compete in the NCWA division of the NWCA Duals, the NCWA would host up to two Regional Duals Championship events - one designated in the East and/or one in the West.
| Regional Duals Championship series history | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host city (Host location) | Finals match | Notes | ||||||
| Winner | Points | Runner-up | Points | ||||||
| 2017 | St. George, Utah (Dixie State University) | Grays Harbor (1/1)[52] | 33 | BYU | 23 | Inaugural event. | |||
| 2018 | Las Vegas, Nevada (Western High School) | Brigham Young(1/1)[53] | 38 | Colorado State | 10 | First time a team appeared in consecutive finals matches. | |||
| 2019 | Akron, Ohio (Springfield High School) | Mott(1/1) | 38 | East Carolina | 18James Madison University | First Regional Dual Championship to take place in the East. | |||
| 2020 | Surprise, Arizona (Ottawa University Surprise) | UNLV(1/1)[54] | 39 | Wayne State | 24 | Round-robin format was used. | |||
| 2021 | N/A | No 2021 season took place due to the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. | |||||||
| 2022 | N/A | ||||||||
| 2023 | Surprise, Arizona (Ottawa University) | Washington State(1/1)[55] | 39 | Grays Harbor | 18 | Western Regional Duals. Round-robin format was used. | |||
| Harrisonburg, Virginia (James Madison University) | Springfield Tech(1/1)[56] [57] | 40 | Virginia Tech (NCWA) | 6 | Eastern Regional Duals. Round-robin format was used. | ||||
| 2024 | Hoquiam, Washington (Hoquiam High School) | Menlo College (NCWA)(1/1)[58] | 53 | Colorado State | 9 | Western Regional Duals. Round-robin format was used. | |||
Following the inaugural season, the NCWA approved a five-conference format where wrestlers would compete for advancement into the National Championships as well as seeding if they qualified. The number of conferences has fluctuated throughout the years including reaching a record high of 9 and currently set at 8. Additionally, some conferences have been renamed over the years. These conferences are geographically-based and are similar to the National Championships tournament where Division I and II programs wrestle in one bracket, but differ in that team scores are kept as one tournament (unlike the National Championships having a Division I team score and Division II team score).
| Year | Northeastern | Northern | Southeastern | Southwestern | Western | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Apprentice | No tournament | Pensacola Christian | Texas A&M | No tournament | |
| 2000 | Williamson | Pensacola Christian | Kansas | No tournament | ||
| 2001 | Delaware | Grand Valley State | Pensacola Christian | Kansas State | No tournament | |
| Year | Mid-Atlantic | North Central | Northeast | Northwest | Southeast | Southwest | West | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Apprentice | Grand Valley State | New Hampshire | No tournament | Central Florida | Texas Tech | Cal - Davis | |
| 2005 | Apprentice | Grand Valley State | New Hampshire | No tournament | Central Florida | Kansas State | San Jose State |
| Year | Mid-Atlantic | North Central | Northeast | Northwest | Southeast | Southwest | West Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Apprentice | Grand Valley State | New Hampshire | No tournament | Pensacola Christian | Colorado State | No tournament | |
| 2007 | Apprentice | Grand Valley State | New Hampshire | No tournament | Central Florida | Colorado State | San Jose State | |
| 2008 | Apprentice | Grand Valley State | Northampton | No tournament | Central Florida | Newman | San Jose State | |
| 2009 | Apprentice | Grand Valley State | Navy Prep | No tournament | Marion Military | Kansas State | San Jose State |
| Year | Mid-Atlantic | Mid-East | North Central | Northeast | Southeast | Southwest | West Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Apprentice[59] | West Chester | Southern Illinois - Edwardsville[60] | Navy Prep | Central Florida | Colorado State | San Jose State | |
| 2011 | Apprentice[61] | West Chester | Southern Illinois - Edwardsville[62] | Navy Prep | Central Florida | Northwest Missouri State | Cal Baptist | |
| 2012 | Liberty[63] | West Chester | Notre Dame[64] | New Hampshire[65] | Marion Military | Northwest Missouri State | Cal Baptist[66] |
| Year | Great Lakes | Great Plains | Mid-Atlantic | Mid-East | Northeast | Northwest | Southeast | Southwest | West Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | McKendree[67] | Liberty[68] | Cal Baptist[69] | |||||||
| 2014 | Grand Valley State[70] | Air Force Prep[71] | Liberty[72] | Maryland - Baltimore County[73] | Alfred State[74] | Shorter[75] | Grand Canyon[76] | |||
| 2015 | Grand Valley State[77] | Rochester[78] | Liberty[79] | Penn State - DuBois[80] | Central Florida[81] | Texas - Arlington[82] | Glendale[83] | |||
| 2016 | Grand Valley State[84] | Wayne State[85] | Liberty[86] | Penn State - DuBois[87] | Alfred State[88] | Emmanuel[89] | Arizona[90] | |||
| 2017 | Grand Valley State[91] | Iowa State (NCWA)[92] | Liberty[93] | Penn State (NCWA)[94] | Springfield Tech[95] | Grays Harbor[96] | Emmanuel[97] | Texas A&M<ref>Web site: Floarena. | Brigham Young[98] | |
| 2018 | Grand Valley State[99] | Colorado State[100] | Liberty[101] | Maryland - Baltimore County[102] | Springfield Tech[103] | Grays Harbor[104] | Emmanuel[105] | Richland[106] | Brigham Young[107] |
| Year | Great Lakes | Mid-Atlantic | Mid-East | Northeast | Northwest | Southeast | Southwest | West Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Mott[108] | Liberty[109] | West Chester[110] | Springfield Tech[111] | Grays Harbor[112] | Central Florida[113] | Schreiner[114] | Nevada - Las Vegas[115] | |
| 2020 | Akron[116] | Liberty[117] | Penn State - Mont Alto[118] | Springfield Tech[119] | Grays Harbor[120] | Central Florida[121] | Schreiner[122] | Nevada - Las Vegas[123] | |
| 2021 | No 2021 season took place due to the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. | ||||||||
| 2022 | Grand Valley State[124] | Liberty[125] | Penn State (NCWA)[126] | Springfield Tech[127] | Grays Harbor[128] | Central Florida[129] | Texas A&M<ref>Web site: Print Team Scores . 2024-02-08 . www.trackwrestling.com. | Ottawa - Arizona[130] | |
| Year | Great Lakes | Mid-Atlantic | Mid-East | Northeast | Northwest | Puerto Rico | Southeast | Southwest | West Coast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Grand Valley State[131] | Liberty[132] [133] | Rowan[134] | Springfield Tech[135] | Grays Harbor[136] | Puerto Rico - Mayagüez[137] | Central Florida[138] | Texas A&M<ref>Web site: Floarena . | Ottawa - Arizona[139] | |
| 2024 | Bellarmine[140] | Liberty[141] | Rutgers (NCWA)[142] | Springfield Tech[143] | Washington State[144] | Puerto Rico - Mayagüez[145] | Central Florida[146] | Lindenwood[147] | UNLV[148] |
The day before competition starts at the National Championships, the NCWA hosts a wrestling combine for athletes to showcase their talents to observing college coaches. Most athletes are high school student-athletes which is the primary focus, however students at a post-secondary institution without a wrestling program may also attend. The event also allows students to ask questions about collegiate competition to college coaches.
The first major event the NCWA hosted took place in 1998 was the inaugural National Championships with 26 teams in one division in the 10 then-standard weight classes. Since then, the event has grown to include approximately 340 qualifiers among 150+ teams within the 11 NCWA weight classes where two champions are crowned (Division I and Division II).
Here, individuals are recognized for their outstanding individual achievement. They can earn team points (unless they are the non-scorer on their team) by advancing through the tournament, scoring bonus points in matches, and placing in the top 8. Teams accumulate points from all of their scoring wrestlers. The National Championships have traditionally been held in the middle of March. Division I and Division II teams compete in one bracketed tournament where the overall team points are separated at the end between the two.
In 1998, the NCWA approved an eleventh weight class, the 235 lb weight class.
In 2007, the NCWA approved All-American status for wrestlers placing in top 8. Previously, only the top 6 wrestlers in each weight class were named All-Americans.
In 2010, the NCWA approved a two-division classification system - the Division I level composed of established teams meeting specific criteria and the Division II tier where up-start teams as well as teams aiming to join Division I would compete.
Since the 2013–2014 season when the Collegiate Cup championship series was passed, teams' National Championships points are added with their National Dual Meet Championship finish points to determine the overall team champion.
In 2020, multiple teams and individual wrestlers withdrew from the tournament before or during the tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| National championships series history | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host city (Host location) | Team championship | Most Outstanding Wrestler (Team) | ||||||
| Winner | Points | Runner-up | Points | ||||||
| 1998 | Dallas, Texas (Richland College) | Yale(1/1)[149] [150] | 114.0 | Georgia | 99.0 | Alex Tucker (Georgia) | |||
| 1999 | Dallas, Texas (Richland College) | Pensacola Christian(1/2) | 196.0 | Apprentice | 167.5 | Justin Bellman (Valley Forge Military) | |||
| 2000 | Dallas, Texas (Richland College) | Pensacola Christian(2/2) | 110.0 | Apprentice | 97.5 | Mike Collins (Delaware) | |||
| 2001 | Dallas, Texas (Richland College) | Grand Valley State(1/5) | 196.0 | Delaware | 112.5 | Nate Thoreson (Pensacola Christian) | |||
| 2002 | Easton, Pennsylvania (Lafayette College) | Grand Valley State(2/5) | 199.5 | Nevada | 165.0 | Travis Cross (Douglas) | |||
| 2003 | Easton, Pennsylvania (Lafayette College) | Nevada(1/1)[151] | 154.5 | Apprentice | 138.0 | Jason Meister (Baptist Bible) | |||
| 2004 | Dallas, Texas (University of Texas at Dallas) | Central Florida(1/3) | 166.0 | Grand Valley State | 163.5 | Willie Hosch (Catawba) | |||
| 2005 | Dallas, Texas (University of Texas at Dallas) | Central Florida (2/3) | 171.0 | Grand Valley State | 159.0 | Steve McGettrick (Pensacola Christian) | |||
| 2006 | Grand Rapids, Michigan (Grand Valley State University) | Grand Valley State(3/5) | 188.0 | Apprentice | 114.5 | ||||
| 2007 | Dallas, Texas (Garland Events Center) | Grand Valley State(4/5) | 184.5 | Central Florida | 139.5 | Cee-Jay Hamilton (Marion Military) | |||
| 2008 | Lakeland, Florida (Lakeland Center) | Grand Valley State(5/5)[152] | 135.5 | Newman | 124.0 | Adam Murray (University of Toledo) | |||
| 2009 | Hampton, Virginia (Hampton University) | Apprentice(1/1)[153] [154] | 118.5 | Grand Valley State | 109.0 | Cole VonOhlen (Air Force Prep) | |||
| 2010 | Hampton, Virginia (Hampton University) | Central Florida(3/3)[155] [156] | 128.0 | Apprentice | 111.5 | John Aikens (Grand Valley State) | |||
| 2011 | Macon, Georgia (Mercer University) | Division I: California Baptist(1/2)[157] [158] Division II: Northwest Missouri State(1/1)[159] | 156.5 45.0 | Division I: Grand Valley State Division II: Cincinnati | 121.0 33.0 | Herman Gillum (Mott) | |||
| 2012 | Daytona Beach, Florida (Ocean Center) | Division I: Notre Dame College (1/1)[160] [161] [162] Division II: Wichita State(1/1)[163] [164] | 168.0 57.5 | Division I: California Baptist Division II: Northwest Missouri State | 161.0 27.0 | Matthew Miller (Navy Prep) | |||
| 2013 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Division I: California Baptist(2/2)[165] [166] [167] Division II: Massachusetts Institute of Technology(1/1)[168] | 145.5 50.5 | Division I: McKendree Division II: South Carolina | 137.0 41.0 | ||||
| 2014 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Division I: Grand Canyon (1/1)[169] Division II: Florida Gulf Coast(1/1) | 254.5 67.5 | Division I: Liberty Division II: Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 171.5 60.5 | Ryan Diehl (Liberty) | |||
| 2015 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Division I: Liberty (1/4)[170] Division II: Washington State(1/1) | 194.0 66.5 | Division I: Middle Tennessee State Division II: Montana Western | 127.5 59.5 | Ryan Diehl (Liberty) | |||
| 2016 | Kissimmee, Florida (Silver Spurs Arena) | Division I: Emmanuel(1/2)[171] Division II: Florida(1/1) | 213.0 72.0 | Division I: Central Florida Division II: | 191.0 59.5 | Zachary Cooper (Grand Valley State) | |||
| 2017 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Division I: Emmanuel(2/2)[172] [173] Division II: Maine(1/1) | 233.5 61.5 | Division I: Liberty Division II: Connecticut | 155.5 57.0 | ||||
| 2018 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Division I: Liberty(2/4)[174] Division II: Penn State (NCWA)(1/3) | 157.0 50.0 | Division I: Apprentice Division II: Akron | 156.5 48.0 | George Van Valen (Alfred State)[175] | |||
| 2019 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Division I: Liberty(3/4)[176] Division II: Penn State (NCWA)(2/3) | 201.5 62.0 | Division I: Apprentice Division II: Connecticut | 164.0 61.0 | Ty'Rae Carter (Texas A&M) | |||
| 2020 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Division I: Liberty(4/4)[177] [178] Division II: East Carolina(2/2) | 228.0 96.0 | Division I: Grays Harbor Division II: Penn State (NCWA) | 141.0 71.5 | Ty'Rae Carter (Texas A&M) | |||
| 2021 | No 2021 season took place due to the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. | ||||||||
| 2022 | Allen, Texas (Credit Union of Texas Event Center) | Division I: Liberty(5/5)[179] Division II: Penn State (NCWA)(3/3) | 229.0 106.0 | Division I: Apprentice Division II: Ohio State (NCWA) | 133.5 96.0 | Ty'Rae Carter (Texas A&M) | |||
| 2023 | San Juan, Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Convention Center) | Division I: Bellarmine(1/2)[180] Division II: Ohio State State (NCWA)(1/1) | 206.5 94.0 | Division I: Liberty Division II: Rowan | 189.5 63.0 | Devan Hendricks (Bellarmine)[181] | |||
| 2024 | Shreveport, Louisiana] (Brookshire Grocery Arena) | Division I: Bellarmine(2/2)[182] Division II: West Chester(1/1)< | 245.5 57.5 | Division I: Liberty Division II: Ohio State (NCWA) | 182.0 56.0 | ||||
The first NCWA-sponsored Women's Collegiate Wrestling Championships took place at the 2008 National Championships. The NCWA sponsored this event under their new banner organization, the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Association (NCWWA). The weight classes have been designed to closely resemble most female athletes' natural weight ranges as well as let programs that also compete in women's collegiate freestyle to acclimate to folkstyle competition. Whereas before matches were done using freestyle rules, as was the norm with associations like the WCWA, the NCWWA uses collegiate/folkstyle rules like in the NCWA, NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA.
Team scores were unofficial at the inaugural 2008 tournament, and Simon Fraser University finished with the most team points.[183] Bo Icalia and Josh White are tied for head coaches to have won the most titles; Icalia won the 2010 and 2011 titles as head coach of Yakima Valley Community College and the 2012 and 2013 titles as head coach of Southwestern Oregon Community College. White has won the 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 titles all with Southwestern Oregon Community College.
The top 3 wrestlers in each weight class are recognized as All-Americans. University of South Florida's Jasmine Grant is the NCWWA's first and only 4x All-American (2011–2014) so far. University of Maine's Samantha Frank has won 3 national titles going into the 2017–2018 season.
The Women's College Wrestling Championships has traditionally been dominated by northern and northwestern teams.
In 2020, multiple teams and individual wrestlers withdrew from the tournament before or after it had started in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Women's Collegiate National Championships series history | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host city (Host location) | Team championship | Most Outstanding Wrestler (Team) | ||||||
| Winner | Points | Runner-up | Points | ||||||
| 2008 | Lakeland, Florida (Lakeland Center) | Simon Fraser (unofficial) | Pacific | 50.0 | |||||
| 2009 | Hampton, Virginia (Hampton University) | Yakima Valley[184] | 73.0 | Simon Fraser | 58.0 | Ashlee Phy (Yakima Valley) | |||
| 2010 | Hampton, Virginia (Hampton University) | Yakima Valley[185] | Mercer | ||||||
| 2011 | Macon, Georgia (Mercer University) | Yakima Valley[186] | 124.0 | Mercer | 45.0 | ||||
| 2012 | Daytona Beach, Florida (Ocean Center) | Southwestern Oregon[187] | 83.5 | Pacific | 61.5 | Erica Poe (Southwestern Oregon) | |||
| 2013 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Southwestern Oregon[188] | 100.0 | Lindenwood – Belleville | 53.0 | Sonia Beri (San Jose) | |||
| 2014 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Southwestern Oregon | 77.0 | West Chester | 31.0 | ||||
| 2015 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Southwestern Oregon | 128.0 | Ottawa | 98.0 | Samantha Frank (Maine) | |||
| 2016 | Kissimmee, Florida (Silver Spurs Arena) | Southwestern Oregon | 127.0 | Ottawa | 83.5 | Samantha Frank (Maine) | |||
| 2017 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Southwestern Oregon | 97.5 | Ottawa | 69.5 | Samantha Frank (Maine) | |||
| 2018 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Southwestern Oregon | 134.0 | Midland | 52.5 | Samantha Frank (Maine) | |||
| 2019 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Grays Harbor | 65.5 | Schreiner | 63.0 | ||||
| 2020 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Schreiner | 170.5 | Umpqua | 119.5 | Cendall Manley (Liberty) | |||
| 2021 | No 2021 season took place due to the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. | ||||||||
| 2022 | Allen, Texas (Credit Union of Texas Event Center) | Big Bend[189] | 115.5 | Ottawa - Arizona | 73.5 | ||||
| 2023 | San Juan, Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Convention Center) | Ottawa - Arizona | 120.0 | Grays Harbor | 80.0 | Veloria Pannell (MIT)[190] | |||
| 2024 | Shreveport, Louisiana (Brookshire Grocery Arena) | Grays Harbor[191] | 158.0 | Ottawa - Arizona | 148.0 | ||||
Approved in 2016, the GoGreco Program was launched with USA Wrestling in order to improve the U.S.A.'s performance in Junior- and Senior-level Greco-Roman competition. The GoGreco season starts on the last weekend of March and concludes with the GoGreco Collegiate National Championships on the first weekend of June.[29]
GoGreco Nationals is an open-entry event to any NCWA Member institution. NCAA, NAIA & NJCAA institutions that are not currently a member of the NCWA are encouraged to join the NCWA for the GoGreco Season and to send athletes to the Nationals. Student-athletes must maintain the same academic standards that are required of the NCWA and their member institutions in order to compete.
The inaugural championships took place on June 3, 2017, in Dallas, Texas on the campus of Richland College.
| GoGreco National Championships series history | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host city (Host team) | Team championship | Notes | ||||||
| Winner | Points | Runner-up | Points | ||||||
| 2017 | Dallas, Texas (Richland College) | North Texas(1/3)[192] | 55.0 | Richland | 34.0 | Inaugural championships | |||
| 2018 | Dallas, Texas (Richland College) | North Texas(2/3)[193] | 49.0 | Richland | 37.0 | Most Outstanding Wrestler: Dominic Vazquez (Toledo) | |||
| 2019 | Dallas, Texas (Richland College) | North Texas(3/3) | 83.0 | Richland | 42.0 | ||||
| 2020 | No 2020 season took place due to the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. | ||||||||
| 2021 | No 2021 season took place due to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. | ||||||||
Every year since 1997, the NCWA's Vision Forum convenes during the wrestling off-season in the summer and is held at about the same location as and set a few days before the National Wrestling Coaches Association Convention. The Vision Forum focuses on the NCWA rule changes, policies, and procedures from the previous season and if any modifications need to be made or new topics need to be discussed. The 2017 Vision Forum will be held from Wednesday, August 2 to Sunday, August 6 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Some important changes and events that have come from the Vision Forum:
| NCWA Championships | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Host city (Host team) | Division | School | Championship format | |||||
| 1998 | Dallas, Texas (Richland College) | Men's | Yale | national championships team score | |||||
| 1999 | Dallas, Texas (Richland College) | Men's | Pensacola Christian | ||||||
| 2000 | Dallas, Texas (Richland College) | Men's | Pensacola Christian | ||||||
| 2001 | Dallas, Texas (Richland College) | Men's | Grand Valley State | ||||||
| 2002 | Easton, Pennsylvania (Lafayette College) | Men's | Grand Valley State | ||||||
| 2003 | Easton, Pennsylvania (Lafayette College) | Men's | Nevada | ||||||
| 2004 | Dallas, Texas (University of Texas at Dallas) | Men's | Central Florida | ||||||
| 2005 | Dallas, Texas (University of Texas at Dallas) | Men's | Central Florida | ||||||
| 2006 | Grand Rapids, Michigan (Grand Valley State University) | Men's | Grand Valley State | ||||||
| 2007 | Dallas, Texas (Garland Events Center) | Men's | Grand Valley State | ||||||
| 2008 | Lakeland, Florida (Lakeland Center) | Men's | Grand Valley State | ||||||
| Women's | Simon Fraser (unofficial) | ||||||||
| 2009 | Hampton, Virginia (Hampton University) | Men's | Apprentice | • Men's division: National Championships team score • Women's division: National Championships team score | |||||
| Women's | Yakima Valley[197] | ||||||||
| 2010 | Hampton, Virginia (Hampton University) | Men's | Central Florida | ||||||
| Women's | Yakima Valley | ||||||||
| 2011 | Macon, Georgia (Mercer University) | Men's Division I | California Baptist | • Men's division I: National Championships team score • Men's division II: National Championships team score • Women's division: | |||||
| Men's Division II | Northwest Missouri State | ||||||||
| Women's | Yakima Valley | ||||||||
| 2012 | Daytona Beach, Florida (Ocean Center) | Men's Division I: | Notre Dame College | ||||||
| Men's Division II | Wichita State | ||||||||
| Women's | Southwestern Oregon | ||||||||
| 2013 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Men's Division I | California Baptist | ||||||
| Men's Division II | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | ||||||||
| Women's | Southwestern Oregon | ||||||||
| 2014 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Men's Division I | Grand Canyon | • Men's division I: Collegiate Cup scoring system • Men's division II: National Championships team score • Women's division: | |||||
| Men's Division II | Florida Gulf Coast | ||||||||
| Women's | Southwestern Oregon | ||||||||
| 2015 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Men's Division I | Liberty | ||||||
| Men's Division II | Washington State | ||||||||
| Women's | Southwestern Oregon | ||||||||
| 2016 | Kissimmee, Florida (Silver Spurs Arena) | Men's Division I | Central Florida | ||||||
| Men's Division II | Florida | ||||||||
| Women's | Southwestern Oregon | ||||||||
| 2017 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Men's Division I | Emmanuel | • Men's division I: Collegiate Cup scoring system • Men's division II: National Championships team score • Women's division: • GoGreco: | |||||
| Men's Division II | Maine | ||||||||
| Women's | Southwestern Oregon | ||||||||
| Dallas, Texas (Richland College) | GoGreco | North Texas | |||||||
| 2018 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Men's Division I | Liberty | ||||||
| Men's Division II | Penn State (NCWA) | ||||||||
| Women's | Southwestern Oregon | ||||||||
| Dallas, Texas (Richland College) | GoGreco | North Texas | |||||||
| 2019 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Men's Division I | Liberty[198] | ||||||
| Men's Division II | Penn State (NCWA) | ||||||||
| Women's | Grays Harbor | ||||||||
| Dallas, Texas (Richland College) | GoGreco | North Texas[199] | |||||||
| 2020 | Allen, Texas (Allen Event Center) | Men's Division I | Liberty | ||||||
| Men's Division II | East Carolina | ||||||||
| Women's | Schreiner | ||||||||
| N/A | GoGreco | No season took place due to the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. | |||||||
| 2021 | Men's Division I | ||||||||
| Men's Division II | |||||||||
| Women's | |||||||||
| GoGreco | |||||||||
| 2022 | Allen, Texas (Credit Union of Texas Event Center) | Men's Division I | Liberty | • Men's division I: Collegiate Cup scoring system • Men's division II: National Championships team score • Women's division: | |||||
| Men's Division II | Penn State (NCWA) | ||||||||
| Women's | Big Bend | ||||||||
| 2023 | San Juan, Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Convention Center) | Men's Division I | Bellarmine | ||||||
| Men's Division II | Ohio State (NCWA) | ||||||||
| Women's | Ottawa - Arizona | ||||||||
| 2024 | Bossier City, Louisiana (Brookshire Grocery Arena) | Men's Division I | Bellarmine[200] | ||||||
| Men's Division II | West Chester[201] | ||||||||
| Women's | Grays Harbor[202] | ||||||||
| School | Total Championships | Year(s) won/Championship type |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 2012W • 2013W • 2014W • 2015W • 2016W • 2017W • 2018W | |
| 5 | 2001M • 2002M • 2006M • 2007M • 2008M | |
| 2015D1 • 2018D1 • 2019D1 • 2020D1 • 2022D1 | ||
| 4 | 2004M • 2005M • 2010 M • 2016D1 | |
| 3 | 2017GG • 2018GG • 2019GG | |
| 2018D2 • 2019D2 • 2022D2 | ||
| 2009W • 2010W • 2011W | ||
| 2 | 2023D1 • 2024D1 | |
| 2011D1 • 2013D1 | ||
| 2019W • 2024D1 | ||
| 1999M • 2000M | ||
| 1 | 2009M | |
| 2022W | ||
| 2020D2 | ||
| 2017D1 | ||
| 2016D2 | ||
| 2014D2 | ||
| 2014D1 | ||
| 2017D2 | ||
| 2013D2 | ||
| 2003M | ||
| 2011D2 | ||
| 2023D2 | ||
| 2023W | ||
| 2012D1 | ||
| 2020W | ||
| 2015D2 | ||
| 2024D2 | ||
| 2012D2 | ||
| 1998M |
At the 2013 Vision Forum, the NCWA approved a new National Championships Series to crown a true National Team Champion. With the National Dual Meet Championship, the team that wins the Collegiate Cup will earn 24 team points. The runner-up will receive 23, third-place 22, and so forth until the 23rd-place team receives 2 points. All other teams that participated, but did not place in the top 23 will receive 1 point. Those points will be carried over to the individual-based National Championships where teams will continue to score points based on their individual athletes' performances.
The winner of the Collegiate Cup will have accrued the most total points between both events and be presented with the College Cup as the overall NCWA National Champions. Grand Canyon University was the first champion of the new format in 2014.
| Championship Year | Champion School | National Dual Meet Championship finish | National Championships finish | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Grand Canyon | 1st | 1st - Division I |
| |
| 2015 | Liberty | 1st | 1st - Division I | ||
| 2016 | Central Florida | 1st | 2nd - Division I |
| |
| 2017 | Emmanuel | 1st | 1st - Division I | ||
| 2018 | Liberty | 1st | 1st - Division I |
| |
| 2019 | Liberty | 1st | 1st - Division I |
| |
| 2020 | Liberty | 1st | 1st - Division I |
| |
| 2021 | No 2021 season took place due to the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States. | ||||
| 2022 | Liberty | 1st | 1st - Division I | ||
| 2023 | Bellarmine | 1st | 1st - Division I | ||
| 2024 | Bellarmine | 1st | 1st - Division I | ||
The NCWA is divided into eight regional conferences and four divisions. Men's Division I programs are athletic department funded or have met the NCWA's D-I criteria. Many of the Division I programs also offer athletic scholarships. Men's Division II teams are broken into categories; Emerging Programs, that are developing into Division I teams, and Clubs that operate on campuses where there are established NCAA/NCAA/NJCAA Teams; few Division II schools are of the latter circumstance. Schools whose wrestling teams are competing in the NCWA during their school's transitional period are placed into Division I. Women's programs are any collegiate/post-secondary scholastic programs who also compete in the collegiate folkstyle ruleset. GoGreco programs have most of the same set-up as the men's and women's divisions with the exception that it is under a Greco-Roman ruleset.
In August 2010, the current two-division system was passed at that year's Vision Forum and implemented for the 2011 National Championships.
| Conference | Year Founded | States/region | Automatic Qualifiers per weight class | Allocated Wild Cards | Notable teams | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Lakes | 2012 |
| 5 | 15 |
| |
| Mid-Atlantic | 2003 |
| 6 | 14 |
| |
| Mid-East | 2009 |
| 6 | 14 |
| |
| Northeast | 1998 |
| 6 | 14 |
| |
| Northwest | 2001–2009, 2012 |
| 5 | 15 |
| |
| Puerto Rico | 2022 |
| 2 | 11 |
| |
| Southeast | 1998 |
| 3 | 11 |
| |
| Southwest | 1998 |
| 3 | 11 |
| |
| West Coast | 1998 |
| 5 | 15 |
|
| Former Conference | Years Active | Region | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Plains Conference | 2012-2018 | Mid-west, northern, central, western | Teams dispersed into Great Lakes, Northwest, Southwest, and West Coast conferences | |
| North Central Conference | 2002-2012 | Mid-west, northern, central, northwestern | Split into Great Lake and Great Plains conferences due to large size | |
| Northeastern Conference | 1998-2001 | Northeast, northern, Atlantic | Renamed "Northeast Conference" | |
| Northern Conference | 1998-2002 | Mid-west, northern | Renamed "North Central Conference" | |
| Northwestern Conference | 2001-2002 | Mountain, northwest, Pacific | Renamed "Northwest Conference" | |
| Southeastern Conference | 1998-2002 | Atlantic, southern, southeastern | Renamed "Southeast Conference" | |
| Southwestern Conference | 1998-2002 | Central, Mid-west, southern | Renamed "Southwest Conference" | |
| West Conference | 2003-2005 | Pacific, northwest, southwest, west | Renamed "West Coast Conference" | |
| Western Conference | 1998-2001 | Pacific, northwest, southwest, west | Renamed "West Conference" |
Wrestling clubs in the NCWA: Bloomsburg University, Edinboro University, Ferrum College, Fresno State University, Iowa State University, Lehigh University, Michigan State University, Northern Illinois University, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Rutgers University, Sacred Heart University, State University of New York - Cortland, University of Buffalo, University of Iowa, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, University of Northern Colorado, University of Pittsburgh, University of Wisconsin, Virginia Military Institute, Virginia Tech University.
The NCWA has had thousands of alumni since it began in 1997. Notable alumni include:
NCWA Gear is the official apparel of the National Collegiate Wrestling Association.[222] Based out of Orlando, Florida, the business sells sublimated athletic apparel designed for wrestling and mixed martial arts practice and competition for both men and women of all ages. NCWA Gear also offers full customization on its products.
In 2015, USA Wrestling named NCWA Gear's Florida National Team Uniforms for Fargo as the "Best Uniform Package." Mixed martial artists Josh "The Goods" Woods and Daniel "The Animal" Martinez both wore NCWA Gear while fighting.