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Western Wrestling Conference

Western Wrestling Conference
AssociationNCAA
FoundedApril 27, 2006
CeasedJuly 29, 2015
Sports fielded
DivisionDivision I
No. of teams6
HeadquartersOrem, Utah
RegionMidwestern United States, Western United States

The Western Wrestling Conference (WWC) was an NCAA Division I wrestling-only conference that competed from 2006 through 2015.[1] All of its past members became associate members of the Big 12 Conference, and all but one continue to compete in Big 12 wrestling. The exception is Fresno State, which was a charter WWC member but dropped the sport before conference competition started, revived the sport in 2017 as a Big 12 associate member, and dropped wrestling again after the 2020–21 season.

History

The conference was formed on April 27, 2006, by eight schools with wrestling squads that had formerly competed as independents since the WWC charter members were all members of conferences that did not sponsor wrestling except one true independent. The original members were the United States Air Force Academy and the University of Wyoming of the Mountain West Conference, California State University, Fresno (more commonly known as Fresno State) of the Western Athletic Conference, North Dakota State University and South Dakota State University of the Summit League, the University of Northern Colorado of the Big Sky Conference, the University of Northern Iowa of the Missouri Valley Conference, and independent Utah Valley University (then named Utah Valley State College).[2]

Fresno State dropped its wrestling program before competing in the conference.[3]

On October 22, 2006, the conference logo, designed by Flint Communications of Fargo, North Dakota, was introduced.[4]

The conference began competition in the 2006–07 school year.[5]

In 2012, Northern Iowa became an associate member of the Mid-American Conference, reducing the WWC membership to six.[6]

Lacking the required minimum of seven member schools, the NCAA did not recognize the conference and required the WWC schools athletes to qualify for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships through the Western Regional Tournament — a tournament which included only the six WCC schools and also served as the de facto conference championship .[7]

The Big 12 Conference had been wrestling with only four teams since Nebraska moved to the Big Ten in 2011, but the NCAA had annually granted a waiver for its conference championships to be recognized and its champions and runners-up to be granted automatic qualification to the national championships. In 2015, the NCAA declined to grant the waiver, and the Big 12 Conference coaches declined to have their athletes wrestle in the Western Regional Tournament. As a result, Big 12 wrestlers advanced to the NCAA Championships only as at-large invitees. At that time, talk began about the Big 12 inviting the Western Wrestling Conference teams to become affiliate members of the Big 12.[8][9]

On July 29, 2015, the Big 12 Conference and the six member schools of the WWC announced that Air Force, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Utah Valley, and Wyoming were being added to the Big 12's wrestling competition as affiliates, joining Big 12 full-member schools Iowa State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia to make a 10-team conference. While expanding the competition by 150%, the Big 12 ended its tradition (carried over from the prior Big Eight Conference) of holding the championships at campus sites, holding the 2016 Big 12 Wrestling Championships at the Sprint Center (now T-Mobile Center) in Kansas City, Missouri.[10]

The WWC's absorption by the Big 12 was completed in 2017 when the Big 12 added Northern Iowa and the resurrected Fresno State wrestling program as associate members.[11]

Final Members

Former members

Membership timeline

Utah Valley UniversityUniversity of WyomingUniversity of Northern IowaUniversity of Northern ColoradoUnited States Air Force AcademySouth Dakota State UniversityNorth Dakota State UniversityCalifornia State University, Fresno

Team dual meet champions

Year Champion Record Ref
2007 Northern Iowa 4–0 [13]
2008 Northern Iowa 4–0 [13]
2009 Wyoming 5–0 [13]
2010 Wyoming 6–0 [13]
2011 Northern Iowa 5–0 [13]
2012 Wyoming 6–0 [13]
2013 North Dakota State 5–0 [13]
2014 North Dakota State
Wyoming		 4–1 [13]
2015 North Dakota State 5–0 [14]

Team tournament champions

The NCAA West Regional served as the conference tournament.

Year Champion Points Ref
2007 Northern Iowa 96.0 [13]
2008 Northern Iowa 119.0 [13]
2009 Northern Iowa 94.0 [13]
2010 Wyoming 75.0 [13]
2011 Wyoming 93.0 [13]
2012 Wyoming 93.5 [13]
2013 Wyoming 79.0 [13]
2014 North Dakota State 74.0 [13]
2015 North Dakota State 70.5 [15]

References

  1. ^ "Western Wrestling Conference". CBSi Advanced Media. Archived from the original on March 15, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  2. ^ "Falcons Join Newly Formed Western Wrestling Conference". WWC announces West Regional Pre-Seeds for Saturday. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  3. ^ "Athletics Department Takes Action To Balance Budget And Stabilize Programs". Fresno, California: Fresno State University. June 15, 2006. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  4. ^ "Western Wrestling Conference Unveils New Logo". Cedar Falls, Iowa: Utah Valley University. 22 October 2006. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
  5. ^ "North Dakota State Continues Western Wrestling Conference Action At Wyoming This Friday, Air Force on Saturday". North Dakota State University. January 24, 2007. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  6. ^ "MAC Adds Three Affiliate Members In Wrestling". Cleveland, Ohio: Mid-American Conference. September 19, 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  7. ^ "WWC announces West Regional Pre-Seeds for Saturday". WWC announces West Regional Pre-Seeds for Saturday. March 4, 2015. Archived from the original on March 21, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  8. ^ "Big 12 to undergo wrestling overhaul". The Des Moines Register. March 7, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  9. ^ "Big 12 wrestling to expand in 2016". Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. March 7, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  10. ^ "Big 12 Adds Affiliate Members for Gymnastics and Wrestling". Big 12 Conference. July 29, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  11. ^ "Big 12 Wrestling Adds Affiliate Members" (Press release). Big 12 Conference. July 5, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  12. ^ "Wrestling To Join New Western Wrestling Conference". Fresno, California: California State University, Fresno. April 26, 2006. Archived from the original on June 14, 2006. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Western Wrestling Conference Fact Book" (PDF). WWC. 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  14. ^ "2014-15 Conference Standings". WWC. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  15. ^ "North Dakota State Repeats as NCAA West Regional Champs". WWC. March 8, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
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