RMAC Announces Women’s Wrestling as Conference-Sponsored Sport
Contact: Zack Chavez | [email protected]
Contact: Zack Chavez | [email protected]
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado — The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference has announced the acceptance of women’s wrestling as the 22nd conference-sponsored sport, the league announced Thursday. The RMAC requires that a minimum of five member institutions, including associate members, sponsor a sport in order to receive conference sport sponsorship from the league. The announcement comes during celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX.
“Today’s historic announcement is timely as we conclude the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Title IX with the addition of another women’s championship,” said RMAC Commissioner Chris Graham. “The RMAC leads the NCAA Division II in many ways, and we’re proud to provide the first all-female wrestler championship.”
Prior to the start of the 2022–23 academic year, 54 NCAA member institutions reported sponsoring women’s wrestling as a sport. Of these 54 institutions, 20 are active, reclassifying, or provisional members at the Division II level.
The National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) lists an additional 11 women’s wrestling programs that are either currently or shortly to be sponsored by active, reclassifying, or provisional members in Division II. The RMAC will begin sponsoring women’s wrestling in the 2023-24 academic year with five charter members, Adams State, Chadron State, Colorado Mesa, Simon Fraser and Texas Woman’s.
With its five charter members, RMAC Women’s Wrestling will serve as the first NCAA Division II conference to exclusively sponsor the sport. Upon completion of regular season competitions in the 2023-24 season, the RMAC women’s wrestling institutions will advance to the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championship (NCWWC) due to women’s wrestling’s NCAA classification as an ’emerging sport’.
Although the league will enter its inaugural season in the 2023-24 season, its members have already achieved notable successes of their own. Simon Fraser’s program began in the 1990s and has produced Olympic gold medalists such as USA’s Helen Maroulis, who competed in Rio De Janeiro in 2016, and Canada’s Carol Huynh, who competed in the 2008 event in her home country gold medal won.
More recently, Colorado Mesa’s Marissa Gallegos secured the program’s first national championship at the 2023 NCWWC event after claiming a 7-2 win that sealed an unbeaten season in the 123-pound weight class for the redshirt junior .
What others say:
Sally Roberts, CEO of Wrestle Like A Girl
“We are very pleased with the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s decision to add women’s wrestling as a conference-sponsored sport as it will create more opportunities for women to attend college and compete in athletics. With nearly 40% of women wrestlers who compete at the NCAA level identifying as first-generation sophomores and another 50% identifying as non-white, the RMAC Wrestle Like A Girl decision will help advance our mission, girls and giving women more opportunities to push further. ”
Travis Mercado, Colorado Mesa women’s head wrestling coach
“It is exciting news to hear that the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference will sponsor women’s wrestling, especially as women’s wrestling is close to being recognized as a championship sport in the NCAA,” said Travis Mercado, head coach of women’s wrestling in Colorado Mesa. “Being a sponsored sport in the RMAC will not only give our students more opportunities for regional competition in the sport of wrestling, but will also ‘elevate’ women’s wrestling in the region. Our athletes are excited about the opportunity to become RMAC champions as individuals and as a team.”
Justin Abdou, Simon Fraser Women’s Wrestling Head Coach
“Women’s wrestling in the NCAA is growing fast and we’ve been committed to these incredible athletes from the beginning. A conference affiliation is the next step in becoming a full-fledged NCAA sport, allowing our wrestlers to compete for a conference championship and weekly recognition. We look forward to developing rivalries with Colorado Mesa and the other RMAC schools.”
Joel Smith, Chadron State Athletic Director
“Women’s wrestling has been an unqualified success at Chadron State. It offers 25-30 female athletes the opportunity to compete at the collegiate level. With the announcement of RMAC sponsorship, they now have the opportunity to compete for team and individual awards and earn recognition. It’s a win-win situation.”
About the RMAC
The RMAC is a premier NCAA Division II conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado with 15 member schools. The RMAC sponsors 22 collegiate NCAA sports and has produced 62 NCAA Division II national champions and 52 national runners-up since 1992.