KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced the allocations for the 66th Annual NAIA Men’s Wrestling National Championships.
The Cascade Collegiate Conference received the highest number of automatic qualifiers to the NAIA Championships with a total of 50, the most in CCC history. The individual participants will be selected following the
conference tournament, which will be hosted by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on February 17th and 18th in Prescott Arizona.
Each conference tournament awards automatic bids per weight class based on the final regular-season poll, which can be seen
HERE. Each conference is awarded automatic berths based on the amount of wrestlers ranked in each weight class. Each conference is awarded a minimum of one automatic bid per weight class, which will go to the tournament champions, even if the conference did not have any wrestlers ranked in the final regular-season poll. If a conference does not have an individual ranked in the final top 25 and allocation will be deducted from the original 25 to ensure each conference is represented at each weight class at the National Championships.
| |
125 |
133 |
141 |
149 |
157 |
165 |
174 |
184 |
197 |
285 |
Total |
| American Midwest/Sooner Athletic Conference |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
11 |
| Appalachian Athletic Conference |
5 |
2 |
7 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
4 |
40 |
| Cascade Collegiate Conference |
6 |
5 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
8 |
6 |
7 |
5 |
50 |
| Great Plains Athletic Conference |
1 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
27 |
| Heart of America Athletic Conference |
3 |
5 |
3 |
5 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
38 |
| Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference |
2 |
3 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
21 |
| Mid-South Conference |
4 |
2 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
37 |
| Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference |
3 |
3 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
2 |
26 |
A total of 250 automatic qualifiers will move forward after the conference tournaments. Additionally, 30 at-large selections will be made, three from each weight class.
After the conference tournaments have concluded, a 16-member committee consisting of conference raters and oversight members will meet to select the remaining at-large qualifiers, which will be released Tuesday, February 21st by 5 p.m. (CST). The seeding and preliminary brackets will be announced on NAIA.org by 5 p.m. (CST) on Friday, February 24. The national championship will be held on March 3rd and 4th at Hartman Arena in Park City, Kansas.