Understanding the NCAA Division III Wrestling Rankings Criteria

For student-athletes aiming to continue their wrestling careers at the college level, understanding the criteria used in ranking wrestlers and teams is crucial. This article delves into the specifics of NCAA Division III wrestling rankings, providing insights into the factors considered for both individual wrestlers and team performance. Understanding what coaches look for across different divisions, from Division I to NAIA, will aid recruits in finding the best college fit.

Navigating the Transition from High School to College Wrestling

The transition from high school to college sports is undeniably challenging. Student-athletes transition from being top performers in their class to fiercely competing for a spot. In high school wrestling, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) establishes 14 weight classes for boys’ competition: 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 144, 150, 157, 165, 175, 190, 215, and 285 pounds. In contrast, the NCAA establishes 10 college wrestling weight classes: 125, 133, 141, 149, 157, 165, 174, 184, 197, and heavyweight (183 to 285 pounds).

Once the NCAA determines a wrestler’s weight class, the athlete cannot compete below it and can only compete one level above it. This rule serves as a safety measure to prevent wrestlers from dropping too much weight too quickly. Some schools even require extensive weight certifications that include body composition and hydration tests.

To predict a student-athlete’s collegiate weight class, coaches often look at how the recruit has competed over the course of a few years. For example, if a high school wrestler started at 106 pounds his freshman year, then competed at 113 pounds his sophomore year, and wrestled at 120 pounds his senior year, the coach will note this athlete’s gradual growth and most likely recruit him for 125 pounds. On the other hand, student-athletes who make major jumps from year to year could be considered for higher weight classes than they’re currently competing. Some wrestling coaches may even consider the recruit’s parents to estimate where they’ll end up. However, as a general rule, college coaches try to predict how much higher a recruit will go in weight classes, not lower.

Many college wrestlers continue to develop and get stronger after high school, which is why redshirting is more common in wrestling than other sports. Redshirting means the athlete cannot compete for one academic year but can still participate in practice, gaining a fifth year of eligibility.

Read also: Wrestling Rankings by Weight

Another important consideration is the distribution of college wrestling weight classes. There’s an average of 29 wrestlers on a team, but they aren’t always distributed evenly. Naturally, many college wrestlers fall somewhere right in the middle-between 149 and 174 pounds. Coaches might only have one or two wrestlers on each end of the spectrum. The easiest way to determine a coach’s recruiting needs is by looking at their roster. How many wrestlers are in your desired college wrestling weight class? Are they upperclassmen who are getting ready to graduate?

Assessing Technical Development and Potential

When evaluating recruits, college coaches closely examine technical development. They seek technically sound wrestlers who have the potential to improve, rather than those who need to be taught the fundamentals. One way they assess potential is by observing how the recruit performs against high-quality athletes. In college, student-athletes will be competing against the top wrestlers in the nation, so it’s important for coaches to see if they can hold their own. Additionally, coaches might follow a wrestler’s performance over time. Recruits who continue to rank higher year-over-year demonstrate to coaches that they haven’t yet reached their full potential.

Key Attributes Coaches Seek

College coaches want to recruit student-athletes with a strong academic history, leadership qualities, and mental toughness. If choosing between two recruits, coaches will compare transcripts and network with high school coaches to learn more about a recruit’s character.

Division-Specific Recruiting Criteria

Wrestling coaches tend to be selective when offering scholarships, making it crucial for recruits to understand the criteria coaches are looking for, as well as the experience at each division level. Knowing their best college fit-from athletics to academics to campus life-will increase their chances of getting recruited.

NCAA Division I

Only one percent of high school wrestlers will go on to compete at the Division I level. These student-athletes aren’t just the best at their school; they are the top high school wrestlers in the country and often rank in the top 100 nationally. They consistently win and place at major tournaments and wrestle in the offseason at a competitive club. Division I competition is fierce.

NCAA Division II

This tier of student-athletes may have placed at the state or regional level. They’ve won several tournaments, have experience in Freestyle and Greco, and have competed at major tournaments. Opportunity at this level is limited as Division II has the fewest number of wrestling programs. Coaches look for recruits who are committed both in the gym and in the classroom.

NCAA Division III

These athletes probably started on Varsity, won high school tournaments, and placed at State. Top Division III programs can compete with Division I and II wrestlers. This level offers the most well-rounded experience of all the NCAA divisions, allocating more time for study and internships. Student-athletes might find that Division III coaches focus more closely on recruits who show interest in their school outside of athletics.

NAIA

Made up of mostly smaller, private universities, the NAIA awards close to $500 million in athletic scholarships every year and shouldn’t be overlooked. Top NAIA programs are similar to Division III schools and provide student-athletes with a balanced college experience.

Junior College

For some athletes, junior college is the best path to develop their skills and work toward a four-year college roster spot.

Exposure and Communication Strategies

The best way for college coaches to evaluate wrestling recruits is to watch them compete in-person at tournaments. Here, student-athletes can see how they measure up against the top recruits in the nation, and college coaches can assess a recruit’s athletic ability and demeanor during a tough match.

Read also: Crafting Your NCAA Profile

Recruiting isn’t a linear process. You could be nearing the end of your recruiting journey with one coach while simultaneously just beginning it with another. Knowing what steps to take to create a communication strategy and market yourself is essential.

Research and Build a Target List

Look at the team’s roster to see how you qualify athletically, and talk to your high school counselor to learn more about the school’s academic requirements.

Create an Online Profile

Think of it like being an influencer-you need a platform to get noticed.

Meet Academic Requirements

The NCAA Eligibility Center determines the academic eligibility and amateur status for all NCAA Division I and Division II athletes.

Contact Coaches-and Follow Up

Student-athletes should never wait to simply “be discovered.” Instead, they need to proactively reach out to college coaches.

Get Exposure

Wrestling tournaments are an opportunity for student-athletes to test their skills against top talent from across the country and compete in front of college coaches. If recruits time it right and contact coaches before they attend a tournament or camp, they can improve their odds of being evaluated in-person.

Don’t Give Up

If you’re an upperclassman who isn’t being actively recruited by college coaches, rework your target list.

The NCAA regulates when college coaches can reach out to student-athletes. Generally, wrestling coaches at the Division I level can contact recruits beginning June 15 after their sophomore year. NCAA Division I and top Division II programs usually set the pace for the wrestling recruiting timeline. However, coaches begin building their list of interested recruits even earlier. To get on a coach’s radar, athletes need to proactively contact them.

When contacting coaches, avoid generic subject lines like “Top wrestling recruit” and tailor the message to the school instead. For example, a recruit might include their GPA and test score in the subject line for high academic colleges while highlighting championships to Division I schools. Remember to follow up.

Statistical Perspective

Out of 245,564 high school wrestlers, only 7,218 (2.9 percent) go on to compete in the NCAA, and 1,806 (less than one percent) move on to the NAIA.

NWCA Division III Men's Scholar All-American Awards

The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) proudly announced the NCAA Division III Men's Scholar All-American Awards recipients. The criteria include:

Placing in the top 8 in the regional tournament.
Wrestling at least 15 matches.
Having a win percentage greater than 66%.

Early Season Ranking Criteria

The following criteria list was also applied for the first set of national rankings with the early season results taken into consideration:

2020 NCAA seeds
2020 NCAA returning qualifiers
2021 results and NWCA placewinners

Wrestlers were ranked at weight classes they competed at in their first event of the season with the full understanding many wrestlers will be descending down to their competition weight later in the semester. Once they compete at the weight, they will then be eligible to be ranked at the lower weight class. If a wrestler is not certified in the Trackwrestling database, then they’re not eligible for a ranking at this time.

NCAA Division I Ranking Factors

Each qualifying tournament was awarded pre-allocations to the national tournament based on regular season performance by conference wrestlers through February 23. For each wrestler that reached the threshold in at least two of the three categories, his conference tournament was awarded a qualifying spot in that weight class. Each conference is awarded a minimum of one automatic qualification per weight class, which will go to the tournament champion, even if they did not have any wrestlers reach at least two of the three thresholds.

The coaches’ rankings are determined by a vote of 16 coaches in each weight class with two head coaches from each of the eight conferences. For ranking purposes, coaches may only consider a wrestler that has been designated as a starter at a respective weight class. Wrestlers must have eight Division I matches in the weight class to be considered with at least one match within the last 30 days.

The RPI is a calculation that consists of three factors: winning percentage, opponent winning percentage (strength of schedule), and opponent’s opponent winning percentage (opponent’s strength of schedule). Only matches against Division I opponents at the designated weight class count towards the RPI, and a wrestler needs to have wrestled 15 matches to be ranked.

Tournament Poll Methodology

This is a Tournament Power Index ranking; the poll is not based on a team's dual strength. TPI point totals are broken down by individual rankings directly correlated to placement points at the NCAA Tournament: 1st=16pts, 2nd=12pts, 3rd=10pts, 4th=9pts, 5th=7pts, 6th=6pts, 7th=4pts, 8th=3pts, 9th=2pts, 10th=1pt, 11th=.5, 12th=.5, 13th=.5, 14th=.5, 15th=.5.

Final NWCA Division III Men's Coaches Poll

In the final release of the NWCA Division III Men's Coaches Poll, there was minimal movement across both the Dual and Tournament Top 25 rankings.

Tournament Rankings Top 5

Wartburg
Roanoke
TCNJ
UW-La Crosse
Augsburg

Dual Meet Rankings Top 5

Roanoke
Wartburg
Augsburg
TCNJ
Loras

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