National Collegiate Wrestling Association


The National Collegiate Wrestling Association is a nonprofit association of 162 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organize the wrestling programs of many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. It is led by founder and executive director Jim Giunta headquartered in Dallas, Texas and built to help the promotion of collegiate wrestling.
Many teams were formerly NCAA programs displaced by Title IX legislation and/or are preparing to join the NCAA, NAIA, or NJCAA. Teams in transition to a higher division not eligible for the NCAA postseason also compete in the NCWA. Notable wrestling programs to have started or competed in the NCWA and are now in other associations include: Bellarmine, California Baptist, Lindenwood - St. Charles, McKendree, Notre Dame College, Queens, and Southern Illinois Edwardsville.

History

A post-secondary athletic association built to help the promotion of collegiate wrestling, the NCWA was founded in 1997 as a 501c3 non-profit by the current executive director, Jim Giunta, after resigning as executive director of the Texas Interscholastic Wrestling Association. At its founding the association had 13 member teams, but today the NCWA is composed of over 150 wrestling teams and clubs from across the United States and Canada. Many of these programs were formerly NCAA scholarship programs which were affected by Title IX legislation, which has resulted in many colleges being forced to give up their wrestling programs in the name of gender equality. The variety of institutions competing in the NCWA is wide and unrestricted as junior colleges, trade schools and post-secondary prep institutions compete in the same national championship as four-year colleges and universities.

NCWA Growth

Source:
Season# of Men's Teams
1997-199826
1998-199935
1999-200044
2000-200156
2001-200268
2002-200380
2003-200495
2004-2005109
2005-2006122
2006-2007134
2007-2008142
2008-2009154
2009-2010163
2010-2011170
2011-2012156
2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
2015-2016
2016-2017170
2017-2020
2018-2020
2019-2020154
2020-2021No season
2021-2022151
2022-2023155
2023-2024116

Season# of Women's Teams
2007-20087
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-201116
2011-201218
2012-201315
2013-201410
2014-201515
2015-201622
2016-201724
2017-201835
2018-2019
2019-202054
2020-2021No season
2021-202268
2022-202360
2023-202462

Season# of GoGreco Teams
20178
20188
201910
2020No season
2021No season

Notable current teams

While the NCWA currently has over 100 schools in competition, a few programs have distinguished themselves as top-tier programs.

Men's folkstyle


InstitutionYear Entered NCWAConferenceAll-Americans and National ChampionsTeam ChampionshipsNotes
Apprentice2000Mid-Atlantic
  • 131 All-Americans
  • 13 National Champions
  • 3x Northeast Conference champions
  • 8x Mid-Atlantic Conference champions
  • 12 top-8 finishes at National Dual Meet Championship
  • 24 top-10 finishes at Division I National Championships
  • 2009 National Champions
    • Auburn1997Southeast
  • 26 All-Americans
  • 1 National Champion
  • 6 top-10 finishes at Division I National Championships
  • 15th at 2013 National Dual Meet Championship
    		• One of the original NCWA teams
    UCF2003Southeast
  • 127 All-Americans
  • 14 National Champions
  • 15x Southeast Conference champions
  • 3x National Championships titles
  • 10 top-5 finishes at National Dual Meet Championship
  • 2016 National Dual Meet Champions
  • 21 top-10 finishes at Division I National Championships
  • 2016 Collegiate Cup champions
    		• Train out of Southeast Olympic Regional Training Center
    Grand Valley State2000Great Lakes
    • 160 All-Americans
    • 23 National Champions
    • Most individual All-Americans in NCWA history
  • 2x Northern Conference champions
  • 8x North Central Conference champions
  • 2010 North Central Conference Co-Champions
  • 7x Great Lakes Conference champions
  • 11 top-6 finishes at National Dual Meet Championship
  • 2009 National Dual Meet Champions
  • 17 top-5 finishes at National Championships
  • 5x National Championships titles
  • Wrestling program had competed in NCAA D-I, D-II, D-III, and NAIA until 1992
  • Added men's and women's wrestling at NCAA Division II level in 2023
  • NCWA program is Division II as of 2023-2024 season
    • Grays Harbor2015Northwest
  • 26 All-Americans
  • 2 National Champions
  • 2023 Northwest Conference champions
  • 6 top-10 finishes at Division I National Championships
  • 2020 Division I National Championship runner-ups
    • Liberty2011Mid-Atlantic
  • 108 All-Americans
  • 30 National Champions
  • Most individual champions in NCWA history
  • 12x Mid-Atlantic Conference champions
  • 10 top-3 finishes at National Dual Meet Championship
  • 6x National Dual Meet Champions
  • 12 top-4 finishes at Division I National Championships
  • 5x Division I National Champions
  • 5x Collegiate Cup champions
    		• Competed as an NCAA D-I program prior to joining the NCWA in 2011
    Lindenwood2011-2013, 2023Southwest
    • 21 All-Americans
    • 3 National Champions
  • 2 top-2 finishes at Great Plains Conference Championships
  • 2012 Great Plains Conference champions
  • 2024 Southwest Conference champions
  • 2 top-2 finishes at National Dual Meet Championship
  • 2013 National Dual Meet Champions
  • 3 top-5 finishes at Division I National Championships
  • 2013 Division I National Championships Runner-up
  • Previously competed in NCWA from 2011 to 2013 when transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division II
  • Started transition from NCAA Division II to Division I in 2022-2023 school year, full membership expected in 2026
  • School discontinued NCAA Division I program in 2023
    • Lyon2023Southwest
  • 3rd at 2024 Southwest Conference Championships
  • 17th at 2024 Division I National Championships
    		• Started transition from NAIA to NCAA Division III in 2022-2023 school year, full membership expected in 2026
    Menlo2024West Coast
    Started transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II in 2023-2024 school year, full membership expected in 2026
    Middle Tennessee State1999Mid-Atlantic
    • 28 All-Americans
  • 5 top-8 National Dual Meet Championship finishes
  • 2015 Division I National Championships Runner-up
  • 4 top-10 National Championship finishes
    		• Coached by Steven Smith
    Puerto Rico - Mayagüez2022Puerto Rico
    • 2x Puerto Rico Conference champions
    Queens2022Puerto Rico
  • 5 All-Americans
  • 2 National Champions
  • 3rd at 2018 Mid-Atlantic Conference championships
  • 5th at 2018 Division I National Championships
  • 3rd at 2023 NWCA National Dual Meet Championship - NCWA Division
  • Transitioning from NCAA Division II to Division I, completing transition in 2026
  • Was previously in NCWA for 2017-2018 season due to adding wrestling program
  • School discontinued NCAA Division I program in 2024
    • Thomas More2023Great Lakes
  • 6 All-Americans
  • 2 National Champions
  • 2nd at 2024 Great Lakes Conference championships
  • 2nd at 2024 NWCA National Dual Meet Championship - NCWA Division
    		• Started transition from NAIA to NCAA Division III in 2022-2023 school year, full membership expected in 2026
    Vanguard2024West Coast
    Started transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II in 2023-2024 school year, full membership expected in 2026
    Yale1997Northeast
    • 20 All-Americans
    • 3 National Champions
  • 1998 National Champions
  • 5 top-20 finishes at National Championships
    		• Won the inaugural NCWA National Championships