Time to combine?

Several years back, the NCAA used to invite the top couple of place winners from the Division II and Division III tournaments to compete in the Division I tournament; they couldn't score team points, but every year you'd see a handful of D-II or D-III kids make All-American, or even win a National Championship.

Now, I'm not necessarily advocating bringing back the other divisions (not that that would be a bad thing), but what I would recommend was approaching the NCWA about bring their top couple of kids in each weight to the Division I tournament.

In a time when Title IX has caused so many programs to fold, couldn't this be a way to provide hand to an organization that has done a great job of promoting wrestling? The NCWA schools wouldn't score team points, but think of the possibility of a kid from K-State becoming an All-American.

This is a long-shot, and perhaps a better idea might be approaching the NAIA, which I think only has about 20 or 25 wrestling schools left.

What does everyone think; am I crazy or could this fly?

Sincerely,
Jeff Holmes

i wrestled on the DII level in pueblo when they did have wrestling. I did place my sr year but it was not first place. it would have been a real honor to continue on to the dI tourney. i do believe the dIII level still goes to the dI tourney. i thought one of cale sanderson's wins a year or two ago was against a dIII wreslter.
carlton hasselrig won 3 dII titles and he went on to win 3 dI titles. he was a STUD. he wrestled for a school in PA.

I am not sure but I think the DII champion still goes or some of them anyway to the DI tourney. Is that still true? I don't think the DIII kids go but I may be wrong about that. Anyone know the rule on that?

It's actually been close to 15 or 20 years -- can't remember the exact year -- since the NCAA quit bringing the other divisions into the D-I touranment. Many smaller schools (Clarion, Lehigh, Edinboro, Millersville, etc.) opted to move up to D-I to continue to compete but the other divisions have not gone to the big show since the mid-to-late 80s.
I was at Northern Iowa in the mid-to-late 1970s when the Panthers won a couple of D-II national championships. It was exciting to watch the guys win the D-II title, then move on to wrestle with the big guys. Many years we had at least a couple of D-I All-Americans.
And as was pointed out, from time to time, there would be national champions from the lower divisions. I recall a year when I was in high school when Clarion State (D-II) had three D-I national champs. Had the non-D-I teams been allowed to score team points, they would have contended for the national title.
I think it would be great idea for the NCAA to bring this back. With the annual axing of programs at the D-I level we keep seeing, it would be an ideal time to do so.

I agree with that. I really don't know why they stopped doing that except for the number of pig tail brackets they were forced to go to and the time limitations of the rounds maybe. I know there have been many a champion in the past from those schools. Every now and then there is a champion at Div II that is plenty capable.

I think the All-American's from D1, D2, D3, NAIA, Junior Colleges, and NWCA ought to have a "GRAND NATIONALS" that way we don't hear complaining about smaller divisions interrupting the "BIG GUYS DANCE" I think by doing A "GRAND NATIONALS", you could really get a good look at national competition up and down, and not only better the sport of wrestling, but to enhance the already awesome potential of present and future US WORLD and OLYMPIC TEAMS.

A "grand nationals" wouldn't be much competition for the D-1 guys. The only thing that might change is the places of the top eight guys from the Division I tournament. I have wrestled guys from all divisions and it would be very rare for the other divisions guys to place in the top 15 at D-I.

What is it about Kansans and this whole "GRAND" thing, anyway?

The concept here is not to create some kind of silly All-Star meet, but rather to expand the field of THE NCAA tournament by inviting qualifiers from the smaller divisions, perhaps even the NAIA and NCWA. And don't worry, the "Big Guys" won't think you're breaking up their party. If you're good enough, they'll enjoy the competition.

If you are that good they probably know who you are maybe have wrestled you and consider you a big guy.

Good point. That's just proof that recruiting is not an exact science.

DII is not invited. Neither Shawn Silvas who was a DII national champion at 167 nor Chris Saferite who was DII runner-up (both from Augusta and UCO) were invited.

Although, I do think it would be a great idea. Maybe, help the sport and the smaller colleges. You have to consider the cost of sending an athlete to a tournament of that magnitude from a DIII or even a smaller DII school.