NCAA EMERGING SPORT RELEASE
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FACTS ABOUT WOMEN'S WRESTLING

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- In a move that could help to bolster the sport's growth among colleges and universities nationwide, the NCAA's Committee on Women's Athletics has recommended that women's wrestling, along with acrobatics and tumbling, be added to the organization's Emerging Sports for Women program in August of 2020, it was announced on Monday.

The decision, if adopted by each of the NCAA's three divisions, could help women's wrestling in its quest to gain varsity championship status. Already a medal sport at the Olympic level since 2004, there are currently 15 NCAA schools that sponsor women's wrestling on the varsity level, with another eight that are competing at the club level that meet the NCAA's minimum qualifications. Another 13 NCAA schools, including Augsburg University, will be adding the sport at the varsity level within the next two years, with 10 adding the sport in the upcoming 2019-20 school year.

Augsburg will be the only college or university in Minnesota to offer women's wrestling on the varsity level when it starts competition this winter under new head coach Max Mejia. Women's wrestling will be the 22nd varsity sport offered at Augsburg, and the 12th Auggie women's sport.

According to the NCAA, the Emerging Sports for Women program is "a pipeline supporting the advancement of women's sports to NCAA championship status. The program also provides athletics opportunities for women and sport-sponsorship options for colleges and universities. Schools also may use an emerging sport to help meet membership minimum sports-sponsorship requirements and financial aid requirements."

To gain Emerging Sports for Women status, a sport must have "a minimum of 20 varsity teams and/or competitive club teams that have competed in a minimum of five contests," according to the NCAA. A sport must have 40 varsity programs to be considered for NCAA championship status.

In addition to the growth at the NCAA level, women's wrestling is showing growth in other collegiate levels as well. There are 30 NAIA schools that are currently sponsoring the sport, or will be adding it within the next two years on the varsity level, in addition to six varsity programs at junior colleges. The NAIA added women's wrestling as an "invitational" sport in 2018 and held its first NAIA Women's Wrestling Invitational championship this March in Jamestown, N.D. At the club level, there are currently 47 women's programs listed on the National Collegiate Wrestling Association website.

The push for the NCAA to add women's wrestling to Emerging Sports for Women status was undertaken by several wrestling organizations, including Wrestle Like A Girl, Inc., the National Wrestling Coaches Association, USA Wrestling, the U.S. Olympic Committee and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. along with the National Collegiate Wrestling Association.

"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, in a joint news release on Monday by the six organizations.

According to the NCAA: "The Emerging Sports for Women program has been in existence since 1994. In the past 21 years, several sports have reached championship status, including beach volleyball, rowing, ice hockey, water polo and bowling. The program currently has three sports: equestrian, rugby and triathlon."

Augsburg continues to lead the field in adding athletic opportunities for women. In 1995, Augsburg was the first college or university in the Midwest to sponsor a varsity women's ice hockey team, and in 2014, Augsburg became the first collegiate institution in Minnesota to sponsor a varsity women's lacrosse team.