The push to add wrestling to the GLVC's roster of sponsored sports had gained momentum in the past year, with Drury University's announcement in November it would add wrestling for the 2016-17 school year… then, last month, Bellarmine University's move to absorb the former Saint Catharine College mat program which had been competing in the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), effective this fall.
With the new programs at Drury and Bellarmine, there are now seven schools in the GLVC now offering wrestling, exceeding the minimum six programs required by the NCAA for a conference to sponsor a sport, and conduct a conference championship. In addition to the two new mat programs, other GLVC schools that will be competing for the inaugural GLVC conference title include University of Indianapolis, Maryville University, McKendree University, Truman State University and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
The 2016-17 schedule will be announced at a later date. GLVC competition is expected to take place over a three-week period in January and February. The GLVC team title winner shall be decided upon by winning percentage of league matches only; there will not be a postseason tournament.
"The Great Lakes Valley Conference is pleased to expand our sports sponsorship with the addition of men's wrestling for the upcoming 2016-17 academic year," said GLVC Commissioner Jim Naumovich. "We are excited to provide the wrestling student-athletes in the league the opportunity to compete for a GLVC Championship and provide a conference home for the seven institutions that sponsor the sport."
Wrestling programs that are now part of the GLVC have performed well on the mat in the past. At the 2016 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, Maryville paced conference members with a fifth-place finish, followed by UW-Parkside and McKendree in seventh and eighth, respectively, while Indianapolis placed 13th. Additionally, GLVC wrestlers claimed two of the 10 individual titles at the 2016 NCAAs: McKendree sophomore Darren Wynn, 141-pound champ, and UW-Parkside redshirt sophomore Nick Becker, 174-pound title winner.
Founded in 1978, the Great Lakes Valley Conference consists of sixteen member schools located in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin. Conference headquarters are located in Indianapolis.
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