MANHEIM, Pa. -- On Thursday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the creation of the NWCA Division III Coaches Association National Wrestling Championships presented by ARMS Software, FloWrestling, and Reese's. The Xtream Arena (Coralville, IA) will play host on March 12-13 and will be allowing spectators. Tickets will go on-sale this Friday, February 26th at 10:00am through the Xtream Arena Box Office. Tickets may be purchased by visiting xtreamarena.com. All-session and single-day tickets will be available for $41 and $24, respectively. Fans not able to attend will be able to watch each match live on FloWrestling.
On February 3, the NCAA announced the cancellation of the Division III winter championships for wrestling as well as basketball, indoor track and field, swimming and diving, and ice hockey. Following the NCAA's announcement, the NWCA Division III Leadership Group, led by Chairman Lonnie Morris, Head Coach at Johnson & Wales, began working to provide a championship experience for athletes who had just had their championship tournament canceled for the second year in a row. Morris shared, "It is an honor to be part of the leadership group that helped create this opportunity for our student-athletes."
USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, announced on February 5 that it would host a tournament for Div. III wrestlers. With the assurance from the NWCA that this event will be held, USA Wrestling will help publicize the NWCA Division III Coaches Association National Wrestling Championships. The most important thing for the wrestling community is that these Div. III student-athletes have one season-ending event.
The championships will place the top eight wrestlers, and each will earn NWCA All-America honors. There will be no team points kept and no team awards given. Athletes competing must be on their school's official roster and entered into the OPC, the NCAA's weight management program.
Those interested in helping offset the estimated $100,000 cost of hosting the event may donate to the crowdfunding page set up by the NWCA by clicking here. All donations received will be put into a restricted NWCA Division III Wrestling Coaches Association account (administered by the NWCA) and used to defray costs associated with this championship.
"The Division III Coaches Association stepped up tremendously and is providing their student-athletes an exciting season-ending opportunity when less than a month ago none existed. This group of highly dedicated coaches has spent long hours to make this event a possibility," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "We couldn't have put all the pieces together without so many stakeholders pitching in and joining forces. Our Presenting sponsors, ARMS Software, FloWrestling, and Reese's a division The Hershey Company, have been rock stars and have committed much-needed resources. I would be remiss if I didn't extend a heartfelt thanks to USA Wrestling, especially Executive Director Rich Bender, for all the support during the planning stages."
This event will be conducted following the requirements of the state and local health authorities. The local organizing committee is in regular communication with its partners at Johnson County public health and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Masks are required to be worn at all times throughout this event and guests are asked to please adhere to all health and safety guidelines while inside Xtream Arena.
EVENT DETAILS
Date: March 12-13
Starting Times: Friday - 12 pm | Saturday - 10 am
Location: Coralville, IA
Venue: Xtream Arena
Tickets: $41 All Sessions | $24 Single Day - Link
How to Watch: FloWrestling - Link
Presenting Sponsors: ARMS Software, FloWrestling, and Reese's
Event Sponsors: USA Wrestling, Defense Soap, AAU Wrestling, and Resilite
ABOUT THE NWCA
The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with a primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, Student-Athlete Welfare, and the Promotion of Wrestling.
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