🏆NCWA National Championship Series

7.1 NCWA Championship Series

The NCWA Board of Directors has the authority to hold an NCWA National Championship Series. The series may include a National Dual Tournament (“National Duals”), a Regional Dual Tournament (“Regional Duals”), a Conference tournament in each conference, and a National Collegiate Championships (“National Championships”), which is an individual tournament with team scoring. These four events will be considered the National Championship Series (NCS). A team may compete in only one of the dual portions of the NCS in a season.

The National Commissioner is charged with oversight and implementation of all NCS duals and tournaments.

Teams competing in the National Duals or the Regional Duals may earn points that will be awarded after the conclusion of the National Tournament in March to crown a “Collegiate Cup Champion” Team. (see Article 7.4.3)

7.2 National Duals / Regional Duals

All NCWA programs in good standing are eligible to apply to the National Duals and Regional Duals Selection Committee which is overseen by the Board of Directors (“NDSC”) for inclusion in the dual tournaments. The NCWA Board of Directors have final authority on selection of programs to compete in all National and Regional Dual tournaments.

NCWA Men’s and Women’s National Duals Contracts will be handled exclusively by the National Commissioner as given authority by the NCWA Board of Directors. Failure to compete in National Duals after completed contract may result in fines. Failure to fill at least eight (8) weight classes at the weigh-ins for the duals or complete competition in National Duals tournament will result in forfeiture of National Duals points towards the Collegiate Cup.

The NCWA Regional Duals Contract will be made available on www.ncwa.net by the beginning of the competition season. The Regional Duals Contracts will include the following which are enforceable by the National Commissioner:

1. Entry fee for the Regional Duals will be determined by the host and due by the posted deadline. A late fee may be accessed by the host. School purchase orders are acceptable in lieu of immediate payment.

2. All fees are non-refundable.

3. Failure to compete in the Regional Duals after being accepted may result in an additional fine by the host.

4. Failure to fill at least eight (8) weight classes at the weigh-ins for the Regional Duals will result in forfeiture of any points earned towards the Collegiate Cup point system at the end of the season.

5. Failure to have eight (8) teams meet the minimum weight class criteria (#4 above) and compete in the event representing at least two (2) conferences will result in the event not being awarded points towards the Collegiate Cup.

   Awards for the National Duals will be provided by the NCWA to the top-3 teams in both the Men’s and Women’s Divisions. The host for each respective Regional Duals must provide the awards for a minimum of the top-2 teams from their tournament finances.

7.3 NCWA Conference Championship Tournaments

Conference Championships will include a Men’s and Women’s Division.

The NCWA Conference Championships will be contested on the weekend 11 to 12 days prior to the start of the NCWA National Championships.

The Conference Board is responsible for selecting the tournament host and for approving the venue. Bids for hosting the following season’s Conference Championships should be submitted to their Conference Board at the Conference Championships of the current season.

All teams must join a Conference to be eligible for postseason competition. Each Conference will charge a Conference Membership Fee to join that Conference according to the following scale: Conference Fees may range from $100 to $250 per member school.

Each Conference is responsible for assigning entry fees for wrestlers and/or teams into the Conference Championship tournament with a nominal fee from each entry going to the NCWA for awards.

Conferences may hold Regional Championships to qualify for their Conference Championships as deemed necessary by their Conference Board. Any pre-conference requirements must be published to each Conference Team no later than October 15th of each season.

Team awards for these events are the responsibility of the host Conference.

Athletes or teams that do not intend to compete in the National Championships should not compete in their Conference Championship tournament. Athletes that earn a National Qualifying bid that do not intend to advance to the National Championship may be subject to disciplinary action by the NCWA Compliance Officer and the Judicial Council.

7.3.1 Conference Tournament Committee

The “Conference Tournament Committee” must be established prior to the start of the event. It is typically made up of the following 3 individuals (Primary Responsibility listed below):

1. Host Institution Coach: Facility, Venue set-up, tear-down, Medical Staff, Tournament Staff.

2. Conference Chairman: Obtaining officials and reporting results and National Qualifiers to the NCWA.

3. Conference Commissioner: Athlete check-in, Academic and Eligibility Compliance, collecting fees & fines.

   The Conference Board is to set deadlines for submitting all forms.

   The Tournament Committee will be jointly responsible for:

4. Set the Conference Seeding Meeting date, time and location and conduct the meeting. This information must be shared a minimum of 10 days prior to the meeting.

5. Resolve any disputes or official protests during the event, using the NCAA Rulebook where applicable.

6. Conducting a meeting after the Conference Championships to address:

   -- Men’s Wildcard selections to Nationals

   -- Discussing rule change proposals to be brought to the NCWA at the Vision Forum by the Conference Chairman or appointed Representative.

   -- Determining the host of the following year’s Conference Championships

   -- Changing any guidelines of their Conference

   -- Voting on new Conference leadership (Conference Board Members)

   -- Newly elected leadership will take office at the conclusion of that year’s National Championships Tournament

7.3.2 Conference Eligibility

To be eligible to compete in the Conference Championships, an athlete must have competed in a minimum of two (2) separate collegiate wrestling events.

An ‘event’ is defined as a separate weigh-in at SCRATCH weight and the match must be contested. A ‘forfeit’ is considered as a contested match. A waiver to this rule may be granted by the Conference Board. Only NCWA athletes who have not entered any NCWA recognized collegiate postseason championship series during the current season shall be eligible to compete in the current NCWA Championship Series

7.3.3 Conference Entry Forms

FORM # 1: Conference Championship - Official Entry Forms Forms are available on the NCWA website, and the information must be submitted before entering the seeding meeting of the Conference Championship. The form will supply the tournament committee with the following information: wrestler’s name, school, academic class, year of eligibility, and overall record at all weight classes during the current season for each entrant.

FORM # 2: NCWA Conference Championship - Academic Verification Form In order to verify that a wrestler is an active student at the represented school, the NCWA requires that the school’s Registrar verify enrollment data, attendance, and cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of each wrestler by means of the Registrar’s signature and affixing their official school seal to the NCWA Academic Verification Form. The Academic Form hardcopy must be brought to the NCWA National Championships by a Conference Board member..

Note: Every Conference entrant must be listed on an Academic Verification Form. Each wrestler must have a GPA entered regardless of their academic eligibility. Failure to provide administrative (Registrar’s) verification will disqualify a wrestler(s) from participation in the Conference event.

Failure to submit the two forms listed above by the seeding meeting deadline may result in a wrestler not being allowed to compete. The Conference tournament committee has the authority to fine teams for late entries. The “late fee” is to be deposited into their Conference treasury.

The number of entrants per team, per weight class, is limited by the local Conference Board. However, the number of Conference Qualifiers in the Men’s Division that may advance to the National Championships is limited to two per team, per weight class, with the exception of Transition Teams that must comply with their respective transitioning NGB rules.

For the NCWA Women’s Division, there is no limit to the number of entries for Conference and there is currently no limit to the number of bids to advance to the NCWA National Championships. Participants in the NCWA Women’s Division must participate in the conference tournament by submitting the proper paperwork and weighing in at the conference tournament even if they are the only participant in the weight class at the conference.

7.3.4 Protocol for Teammates Competing in Postseason Match

In both the NCWA Conference Championships and the NCWA National Championships, when wrestlers from the same team meet “head-to-head” during the event, two (2) “bonus points” will be awarded to the winner regardless of if the match ended in a decision or technical fall. This eliminates the potential moral hazard of one of the teammates intentionally getting pinned.

7.3.5 Wildcard Entries to Bypass Conference

If a competitor in the NCWA Men’s Division is unable to compete in the Conference Championship due to injury or illness, they may submit an NCWA-provided waiver (‘Conference Medical Waiver Form’), in writing, to their Conference Board to waive normal national qualification procedures. This request must be presented, in writing, at least 48 hours before the seeding meeting for the Conference Championship. The team of the wrestler must present medical documentation to support the injury or illness which prevents the wrestler from competing in the Conference Championship. The Conference Board may grant a medical waiver and award the athlete one of their allotted wildcard entries to the National Championships. The approved Conference Medical Waiver Form(s) are to be submitted to the NCWA National Compliance Officer prior to the National Championships. If the waiver is accepted by the Conference Board, and a wildcard bid is granted, the team must present medical documentation clearing the athlete to compete in the National Championships (‘NCWA Medical Release to Participate’ form). This documentation must be presented to the NCWA National Compliance Officer prior to weigh-ins at the National Championships.

If any wrestler is unable to qualify for the National Championships through their Conference Championship due to extraordinary and unforeseeable circumstances, they may petition their Conference Board for a bid into the National Championships. If the Conference Board accepts that the petition has merit, the Conference Board shall present the petition to the NCWA Board of Directors for consideration. By a simple majority vote of the NCWA Board of Directors, a Wildcard berth may be granted, provided that the petitioner has met the weigh-in procedures as set forth in the NCWA Rules and Regulations. In addition, if the wrestler is not able to be present at their Conference weigh-in site at the posted time, they may be granted permission to weigh-in ‘off-site’ at the same time as the Conference weigh-ins, have the weigh-in witnessed and verified by at least two individuals. This weigh-in sheet must be submitted to the Conference Board within 24-hours of the completion of the Conference Championship.

7.3.6 Conference Championship Awards

For the Conference Championships, the NCWA will supply each Conference with individual medals as directed by the NCWA Board of Directors each season.

The local host and/or Conference Board will be responsible for all team awards and any special awards deemed appropriate, and must pay for the additional awards.

7.3.7 Required Post-Conference Championship Protocol

1) All allotted Conference Qualifying Bids (both automatic and wild card which are allotted by the NCWA National Commissioner) must be selected at the conclusion of the Conference Championships by the Conference Board. No additional berths will be allotted after the conclusion of the submitted entries to the National Championships. Further, no additional bids will be granted or awarded for automatic bids not used at a weight class. CLARIFICATION: For example, if a Conference receives 4 automatic bids at a specific weight class and only 3 of the spots are used, the remaining unused spot is forfeited, it cannot be used for another weight class.

2) All National Entry fees must be paid by credit or debit card to the NCWA (using established and published procedures) prior to leaving the Conference tournament.

3) All collected fees for the Conference entries must be paid by credit or debit card to the NCWA as required by the Conference Board and/or host by 7 days prior to the beginning of the National Championships.

4) The Conference Chairman of each Conference is responsible for submitting the Conference Championship Results to the NCWA National Commissioner.

7.3.8 Withdrawal from NCWA National Championships

An athlete who has qualified for the NCWA National Championships may scratch (withdraw) from the National Championships, without competition penalty, up to 7 days prior to the beginning of the National Championships. The wrestler must notify the NCWA National Commissioner of the withdrawal from the tournament by email as provided on NCWA website. However, the entry fee is non-refundable. An individual that withdraws from the tournament as described above will be removed from the National Championship bracket.

Any athlete who, for any reason, scratches from the National Championships after the deadline may be ineligible for postseason competition for one year as enforced by each individual Conference. A ruled ineligible athlete may apply for a ‘NCWA Waiver to Compete in Postseason’ in the following year’s Conference Championship by submitting the proper form and waiver fee to Conference Board at least 30-days prior to the Conference Championship seeding meeting.

7.4 – NCWA National Championships

7.4.1 National Championship Protocols

The NCWA will host an annual National Championship for all Conference Qualifiers with published dates and location announced each season by the NCWA Board of Directors.

No wrestler’s eligibility shall be called into question after they have been submitted by their Conference Board and accepted by the NCWA National Compliance Officer. All eligibility questions must be settled before the Conference Championships. However, athletes declared ineligible after the National Championships will be subject to all applicable NCWA fines and penalties.

Weigh-ins at the National Championships will use at least 4 certified scales. The scheduled time for all weigh-ins will be established by the NCWA National Commissioner and enforced by the NCWA National Compliance Officer.

Weigh-ins for the NCWA National Championships start at the posted time for skin check (as per NCAA rule), which is 15-minutes prior to the Official Weigh-in times at the same location.

A National Tournament Committee will be established by the NCWA National Commissioner under the direction of the NCWA Board of Directors.

NCWA All-American Awards in the NCWA Men’s Division will be presented to the top 8 placers in each of the 11 weight classes. NCWA All-American Awards in the NCWA Women’s Division will be presented to the top 6 placers in each of the 11 weight classes.

7.4.2 Clarification for NCWA Women’s National Championships

For the NCWA Women’s National Championships, all wrestlers must be entered at the same weight class for which they qualified at the Conference Championships.

Note: As of the 2024-2025 competition season, the NCWA Women’s National Championships shall be held as a 3-day tournament to align with the NCWA Men’s Championships.

Women weigh-in attire: singlet and optional bra. All weigh-ins for the NCWA Women’s Division should be performed by female staff or personnel. Hair must be in a net or braided.

7.4.3 NCWA Collegiate Cup

The Collegiate Cup is the responsibility of the NCWA National Commissioner. The NCWA National Commissioner may alter point values as the Collegiate Cup Champion award evolves. The points calculation process being used as of the 2022-2023 season is as follows:

Calculating Team Scores for the Collegiate Cup Trophy will include the following components:

1. Men’s Team Scores - Place Point Values

2. Women’s Team Scores - Place Point Values

3. National Duals Place Points Values *

4. Regional Duals Place Points Values*

* Scoring Place points values: All NCWA Programs, in good standing, are eligible to score points from their National & Regional Duals. Placement in the top-8 at the National/Regional Duals will earn each team that is eligible, points towards winning the Collegiate Cup Trophy to be awarded after the NCWA Nationals in March. Teams will not be awarded Nationals Team Points with less than 8 weight classes filled at the beginning of the National/Regional Duals tournament. Teams leaving before fulfilling their contractual obligations will also forfeit Nationals Team Points.

After all the National Championship Matches are completed the various team scores will be calculated to include the National and Regional Place Point Values (as shown in the following table).

The Collegiate Cup (large traveling trophy). The Collegiate Cup Champion Team will also be presented a “take home” plaque. Teams placing 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th will also be presented place plaques.

Table 7.4.3.1 NCWA Collegiate Cup Placement Points

Placement	Men’s Nationals Placement (Overall)	Women’s Nationals Placement	Men’s National Duals Placement	Men’s Regional Duals Placement **	Women’s National Duals Placement	Women’s Regional Duals Placement
1	60	60	20	11	20	11
2	56	56	17	9	17	9
3	52	52	14	7	14	7
4	48	48	11	6	11	6
5	44	44	8	5	8	5
6	40	40	7	4	7	4
7	36	36	6	3	6	3
8	32	32	5	2	5	2
9	28	28
10	24	24
11	20	20
12	16	16
13	12	12
14	8	8
15	4	4

**Listed Men’s Regional Duals Points are based on 8 teams meeting the 8-weight class minimum criteria competing in the event. If 8 teams do not compete meeting the minimum criteria, Collegiate Cup Placement Points will not be awarded. A minimum of two (2) conferences must be represented for the event to be considered a NCWA Regional Dual.