Division III wrestlers and coaches had been bracing for the news that became reality the evening of Feb. 3. 

To some, it felt like a family member with a terminal illness. They hoped for the best and feared for the worst. They wanted to believe the D3 season could get to the finish line this time around but knew what likely loomed ahead. 

To others, it felt like a foregone conclusion months ago that this season would end much like last year’s — without a crowning championship event. 

The news D3 wrestling fans feared became official on the first Wednesday night of February. The NCAA was cancelling Division III winter sports championships. 

“We knew this would be the case,” Stevens coach Joe Favia said. “We entered the season with the mindset that we were preparing to practice and hopefully get some dual meets in. We always knew it was kind of a long shot that the NCAA was going to host the national tournament for Division III specifically. Everyone knew Division I was going to go off, but we knew for us it was going to be a long shot.”

For Favia and other prominent Division III coaches around the country, the news was easier to deliver  this time around than the bombshell of last March when the NCAA pulled the plug on its national tournament hours before the event was set to begin due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A SEEMINGLY INEVITABLE CONCLUSION

This year’s tournament was scrapped due to low participation numbers at the Division III level. The NCAA’s Championship Committee established a 70-percent threshold for wrestling to stage a national tournament. Though wrestling had the highest participation rate among nine Division III winter sports, only 61.8 percent of the programs at the D3 level were committed to competing in the postseason. 

“The thing that’s super important that people need to understand — whether they agree or disagree — is that the NCAA Division III said over the summer that they determined postseason championships on participation numbers,” Central College wrestling coach and athletic director Eric Van Kley said. “Some people thought the NCAA woke up on February 2 and decided we weren’t going to have it because we just don’t want to. That wasn’t the case at all. It was based on the number of teams that were still participating.”

At Augsburg, coach Jim Moulsoff had been preparing his program for another national championship run, but he knew it was unlikely the season would end March 13 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, as scheduled. The Auggies, who won the 2019 NCAA title and had a team capable of repeating last year, dominated their first two duals this season but haven’t wrestled since. 

“It’s like you have a sick relative and you know what the result is going to be but you hope that end won’t come,” Moulsoff said. “(The wrestlers) expected (this), but at the same time, they were disappointed that they thought it might work.” 

University of the Ozarks coach LeRoy Gardner saw this moment coming months ago. That’s why his program opted not to compete this season. 

“All the things that led to us being canceled last year hadn’t been fixed yet. Period. Nothing changed from last year to this year,” he said. “Why would they behave differently with the same input?” 

The pain of informing his 2020 national qualifier that he could not compete at the NCAA Championships is still burned deep into Gardner’s brain. He called it one of the top five hardest moments of his coaching career. 

“That was my position from the beginning,” Gardner said. “They’re going to cancel it and I don’t want to walk into the room and say we’ve been training for regionals and nationals all year and they took it away from us. I didn’t want to look at 40 guys and tell them that.”

One of Gardner’s top wrestlers opted not to enroll in school this year as a way to navigate the ever-changing COVID-19 landscape. He started stocking shelves at Wal-Mart but is currently filling in as an assistant manager. Gardner said a full-time job made his wrestler appreciate the unique experience that only college can provide. 

TRYING TO GET TO THE FINISH LINE

Favia’s program took steps to see this season through to the finish. Stevens set up a bubble environment in which the team isolated itself. 

“You’re coming to campus for practice and you’re leaving practice — and that’s it,” Favia said. “We had food deliveries, they didn’t go to restaurants. We didn’t want them to see their families because we wanted to create an isolation bubble where we wouldn’t jeopardize our chances of going to the national tournament. If the NCAA was going to host a championship, we didn’t want someone to get COVID on our terms and be shut down.

“With that, our roster went from 32 to 16 real quick. We really only had to tell 16 guys there’s no national tournament this year. Within hours, I had a senior come into my office and hang it up. It was difficult having that conversation with him. He made up his mind a while ago that if the NCAA cancels I’m done.”

It’s worth noting that there are no athletic scholarships in Division III. Though the NCAA is offering eligibility relief, providing student-athletes with the opportunity to recoup the lost season, some may forgo that option due to costs attached. 

“Maybe the institutions give them a break in tuition if they decide to stay,” Moulsoff said. “I don’t know if that’s a possibility. If they are scheduled to graduate on time, maybe they could grant a break in tuition. I don’t know if that’s possible, but it’s kind of an interesting concept.” 

A NEW HOPE 

On the morning after the NCAA announced the cancellation of all winter sports championships, the wrestling community sprung into action to organize an alternative. Less than a week later, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced it will host the Division III Coaches Association National Championships on March 12-13 at the Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.  

Many D3 teams will be absent, and it won’t be exactly the same, but it’s an opportunity for wrestlers to compete in singlets representing their respective institutions. 

NUWAY is also getting in on the action. It’s hosting an open tournament April 22-23 in Pennsylvania for D3 wrestlers who want to compete in a championship-style event. Although they won’t represent their schools, it’s a way for student-athletes to be part of a meaningful experience. 

“If your administration is willing to allow you to come (to the tournament in Coralville) then you can come,” Johnson & Wales coach Lonnie Morris said. “I think they’re going to put together a good product for the circumstances we’re in. They’ll make it special for the kids that are around and the institutions that are still able to compete. Our conference has made the decision to not let us compete so that’s a bummer, but at least we had a season this year.”

As for the replacement Division III Championships hosted by the NWCA, Van Kley senses growing optimism and excitement for the event. He says that wrestlers just want to wrestle — and that his athletes are grateful just to practice. 

Baldwin Wallace is among the programs that will not be allowed to compete at the makeshift tournament in Coralville. But coach Jamie Gibbs thinks his program’s strong body of work over the past several seasons will lead to future successes. 

“We’ve had our hearts broken so many times and you feel for these kids,” Gibbs said. “This is real-life resiliency training. I think our kids are doing a great job of keeping perspective and choosing to have a positive mindset and to be grateful for what we have instead of what we don’t have.”

Kyle Klingman can be reached at kyle.klingman@flosports.tv