Takedown Report

Wrestling community applauds NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics decision

USA Wrestling, Wrestle Like a Girl, NWCA, NWHOF, NCWA, USOC 6/3/2019
The U.S. wrestling community, including its leading organizations, is celebrating today’s announcement from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) concerning women’s wrestling. The NCAA’s Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) has “recommended that all three divisions of the NCAA governance structure add women’s wrestling as an NCAA emerging sport, effective August 1, 2020.” Each NCAA division (Division I, Division II and Division III) will address this recommendation separately, and will determine independently if women’s wrestling is added to the division’s Emerging Sports list.

Beginning in August 2017, a coalition of wrestling organizations, including Wrestle Like A Girl, the National Wrestling Coaches Association, USA Wrestling, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and expanding to include the National Collegiate Wrestling Association, worked together to submit an application to the NCAA CWA for women’s wrestling to attain Emerging Sport Status. All of the national leaders in wrestling have supported this effort and supplied information for the bid that was sent to the NCAA CWA, in compliance with all of the requirements of Emerging Sport Status.

The wrestling community applauds and thanks the NCAA’s Committee on Women’s Athletics for its governance and vision in reviewing the women’s wrestling application and recommending wrestling for NCAA Emerging Sport Status.  The wrestling community celebrates the role Title IX has played in developing women’s wrestling opportunities, and pledges to continue to build the sport with that spirit of inclusion until it achieves official Championship status within the NCAA, and thereafter. “This is a great day for wrestling. The recommendation from the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics could impact the lives of thousands of women student-athlete wrestlers for generations to come. We thank the efforts of all the wrestling organizations who have led the charge seeking Emerging Sport Status. USA Wrestling is fully committed to supporting wrestling for women and girls at all levels and is excited about the future. We are encouraged by today’s decision, and fully expect it to help accelerate the growth of women’s wrestling,” said Rich Bender, Executive Director of USA Wrestling. Rest of this great story at https://intermatwrestle.com/articles/21987

June 4, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized