🎓Eligibility of Wrestlers

2.1 NCWA Requirements for Wrestlers

NCWA wrestlers are limited to a total of 4 years of competition (consecutive or not) in the NCWA, NCAA, NAIA or NJCAA and any combination thereof, while the wrestler is enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program.

Student-wrestlers must be enrolled in a minimum of 9 credit hours each semester while competing (6 hours for Graduate students) and maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA after their first year of eligibility in order to be eligible to compete.

Graduating seniors are exempt from the 9-unit requirement if they will complete their graduation requirements at the end of the current semester.

Only NCWA athletes who have not entered any NCAA, NAIA, or NJCAA recognized collegiate postseason championship series during the current season shall be eligible to compete in the current NCWA Championship Series. The CCCAA’s season ending championships are not recognized by the NCWA as a national championship. If an athlete participates in a collegiate wrestling program other than the NCWA and loses eligibility in that program, they are not eligible to participate with the NCWA during the same season.

A student who is enrolled at an NCWA member institution and participates in an open tournament or team competition (dual or individual tournament) after the start of the NCWA season, without being properly registered and cleared for competition with the NCWA, will be subject to immediate suspension from the NCWA UP TO a time period of the remainder of the season and retroactive to the date of infraction OR a calendar year suspension depending upon the timing of the infraction. Team fines for this violation SHALL also apply. The suspension of the athlete may be challenged utilizing Section 6 of this document. The final determination of suspension/eligibility of the athlete if challenged will be adjudicated by the NCWA Judicial Council as set forth in this document and is based upon the pertinent facts of each individual case.

An institution shall not permit any wrestler to represent their team in collegiate competition within the NCWA unless that wrestler maintains the minimum academic eligibility requirements of that institution. It is the responsibility of the individual wrestler, and his coach, to monitor academic status. The NCWA does not track individual academic performance, however, will uphold the academic institution’s decisions regarding eligibility if the standards are higher than that set forth by the NCWA.

To compete in the Conference Championships, a wrestler must have a Cumulative Overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 or better after 1 year of eligibility, as verified by the school’s Registrar on the Conference Academic Eligibility Form**.**

To certify eligibility, all Student-Athletes must register online with the NCWA Clearinghouse. Only properly registered athletes are eligible to compete on, or for, any NCWA member institution during the competition season. No wrestler may practice, compete, or travel in any NCWA event until their online Individual Wrestler Registration and their Waiver and Release of Liability Form have been properly completed, submitted, and received by the NCWA. The deadline for submitting the online Individual Wrestler Registration is January 25th of each season.

Any NCWA team that enters an ineligible wrestler in a competitive event during the season will be sanctioned according to their Conference Board. Additional penalties may be determined for the Head Coach and/or coaching staff for the violating team including but not limited to suspension for a time period determined by the Judicial Council. Additional violations may result in additional sanctions and fines above and beyond that written in Section 6, including but not limited to, a team being banned from competition within the NCWA for a calendar year or longer as determined by the Judicial Council.

2.2 Individual Wrestler Registration

Step # 1: “Individual Waiver and Release of Liability” Form

This form is available on the NCWA website. The wrestler must add their signature to the form, and then deliver the completed form to their Head Coach who must co-sign the form and then upload the form in PDF format to the website from their team page.

Digital signatures are only permitted if through a recognized commercial digital signature company (eg DocuSign, AdobeSign, etc).

The form should be uploaded within 48 hours of the signature. The Coach is to keep the original form for their team’s permanent file.

No wrestler may participate in any practice, competition, nor travel as part of an NCWA team before the completion of the Clearinghouse process. Only after the online registration, dues, and Waiver and Release of Liability Form are received, and the athlete has progressed through their 10-day practice window will the athlete’s name appear on the official team roster as “cleared for competition.”

Step # 2: Online Wrestler Registration

September 15th through January 25th

Before the beginning of any practice, competition, or travel, all athletes are required to be registered online with the NCWA Clearinghouse on the Official NCWA website. (www.ncwa.net).

Individual Wrestler Online Registration opens September 15th and ends January 25th of each season. Online registration fees apply for each individual wrestler.

The Individual Wrestler Registration Process:

1. Each athlete must first complete the NCWA Waiver and Release of Liability Form and provide it to their coach to be signed. This will later be uploaded by the Head Coach along with an approved head shot to the NCWA website.

2. On the online registration portal, the individual wrestler must enter their first and last name onto the registration as they want it to appear on all brackets, awards, and rosters. Do not enter names in all CAPS. Use upper/lower case letters. Note that if the wrestler is a returning athlete, this step does not have to occur a second time. The athlete can be paid for and all information uploaded onto the existing roster.

3. All athletes must have a head shot photo wearing the school uniform, logo shirt or warmup. All apparel should be consistent. Photo must be uploaded by their Head Coach from the Team’s web page.

4. Individual athlete dues payment may be made at the time of the registration, or later by the wrestler, the coach or the sponsoring school and will only be payable by credit/debit card on the NCWA website.

Once ALL STEPS provided above have been completed, the wrestler enters their required “10-day practice” window, during which time it is recommended that each wrestler participates in a minimum of 10 days of mat practice. Coaches can view the athletes progress through the 10-day competition blackout period in their password protected roster webpage.

Only wrestlers who have submitted their online individual Wrestler Registration, have submitted their signed Waiver and Release of Liability Form, and have progressed through the 10-day practice window, will appear on the team’s public roster.

NCWA member institutions may assume that wrestlers who appear on a team’s public roster within the NCWA website have met all the proper Clearinghouse requirements and are eligible for competition.

As new members join a team, they may not practice, travel, or compete in any NCWA event until their on-line Individual Wrestler Registration, Dues Payment and Waiver and Release of Liability Form have been properly completed and submitted to the NCWA.

2.3 Team and Athlete Information

Contact Information: Each member team must always maintain its contact information on the official NCWA website (www.ncwa.net). It is the responsibility of the Head Coach, or in the absence of a Head Coach, the Team President, to keep all email addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses current. This will include accurate, up-to-date contact information, current athlete records and biographical information including an appropriate individual photo, a schedule of events and competition results. Failure to do so could result in fines from the NCWA enforced by the National Compliance Officer.

The NCWA is not responsible to communicate with any individual Coach, Athlete or Team who is not properly listed on the NCWA website.

Athlete & Coach Photo – All athletes, and all Coaches, are REQUIRED to upload an appropriate head shot photograph in team uniform, shirt, or warm-up for each season.

Head shots only – no group photos. Coach’s head shot is required at the coach’s registration at the National Championships. An appropriate athlete’s photo is required before an athlete satisfies all Clearinghouse requirements to become eligible.

Athlete Photos and Videos: All athlete photos and video images captured by the NCWA or its representatives during competition at any NCWA event are the property of the NCWA and may be used in any way deemed appropriate by the NCWA without compensation to the athlete or the school they represent.

2.4 Roster Separation Between National Governing Bodies

Teams competing in the NCWA must be separate from other recognized wrestling teams on campus governed by other NGBs (NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, etc...). Rosters in these situations must be separated by December 1st each season (i.e. if on NCAA roster, the individual cannot be on the NCWA roster). By rule, NCWA programs with another recognized governing body wrestling team must be NCWA-D2 and have Wrestling Club (WC) added to the name. Individuals rostered with the NCWA WCs can be moved to the other governing body roster (i.e. NCAA, NAIA, NJCAA, etc..); however, after December 1st, if they are moved from the NCWA roster to the other roster, they are no longer eligible to compete within the NCWA the remainder of the season (including postseason).

Should a school or university field both a Transition program and a NCWA-D2 program, both teams shall follow the transition team’s rules as it applies to roster limitations, national championship bid eligibility, etc.