It is led by founder and executive director Jim Giunta headquartered in Dallas, Texas and built to help the promotion of collegiate wrestling.
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.
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 (TIWA).
Train out of Southeast Olympic Regional Training Center Competed as an NCAA D-I program prior to joining the NCWA in 2011 Started transition from NAIA to NCAA Division III in 2022-2023 school year, full membership expected in 2026[13] Started transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II in 2023-2024 school year, full membership expected in 2026[14] Coached by Steven Smith Started transition from NAIA to NCAA Division III in 2022-2023 school year, full membership expected in 2026[17] Started transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II in 2023-2024 school year, full membership expected in 2026[18] Won the inaugural NCWA National Championships Head Coach Corey Anderson Formerly Dixie State University 2022 National Champions Also compete in NJCAA Also compete in NJCAA While the NCWA currently has over 100 schools in competition, it has also been home to many programs that transitioned from one association to another or that originated as an NCWA program and later changed associations.
A team's finish at the Collegiate Cup Duals transferred to additional points being awarded at the National Championships.
The NCWA's National Championship Series is the first of any of the college divisions to have a true champion that is indicative of both its team's as well as its individuals' success.
During the 2017 Vision Forum, the NCWA ruled that the National Dual Meet Championship will be held on the eastern side of the United States during even-numbered years and on the western side of the United States during odd-numbered years.
Historically, the National Dual Meet Championship has been hosted on the eastern side of the United States in Georgia, Tennessee, or Virginia.
When the Collegiate Cup was passed in 2013, questions and concerns were raised as to whether teams closer to the physical location of the National Dual Meet Championship would have an unfair competitive advantage in terms of championship points calculated for the Collegiate Cup series.
Following the inaugural season, the NCWA approved a five-conference format where wrestlers would compete for advancement into the National Championships as well as seeding if they qualified.
The number of conferences has fluctuated throughout the years including reaching a record high of 9 and currently set at 8.
The day before competition starts at the National Championships, the NCWA hosts a wrestling combine for athletes to showcase their talents to observing college coaches.
Most athletes are high school student-athletes which is the primary focus, however students at a post-secondary institution without a wrestling program may also attend.
The first major event the NCWA hosted took place in 1998 was the inaugural National Championships with 26 teams in one division in the 10 then-standard weight classes.
The NCWA sponsored this event under their new banner organization, the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Association (NCWWA).
Approved in 2016, the GoGreco Program was launched with USA Wrestling in order to improve the U.S.A.'s performance in Junior- and Senior-level Greco-Roman competition.
Student-athletes must maintain the same academic standards that are required of the NCWA and their member institutions in order to compete.
The Vision Forum focuses on the NCWA rule changes, policies, and procedures from the previous season and if any modifications need to be made or new topics need to be discussed.
Men's Division I programs are athletic department funded or have met the NCWA's D-I criteria.
GoGreco programs have most of the same set-up as the men's and women's divisions with the exception that it is under a Greco-Roman ruleset.
In August 2010, the current two-division system was passed at that year's Vision Forum and implemented for the 2011 National Championships.
[218] Based out of Orlando, Florida, the business sells sublimated athletic apparel designed for wrestling and mixed martial arts practice and competition for both men and women of all ages.
Mixed martial artists Josh "The Goods" Woods and Daniel "The Animal" Martinez both wore NCWA Gear while fighting.