(Editor's note: Cascade Collegiate Conference release)
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Cascade Collegiate Conference championships in both men's and women's wrestling, previously set to take place in February, will not be conducted as originally planned, the conference announced on Monday.
"With our large wrestling footprint covering Arizona, California, Oregon and Montana, the prospect of successfully getting all teams to tournaments during a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is surging seemed very unrealistic and not in the best interests of health and safety,” stated CCC Commissioner Robert Cashell. “The NAIA has changed the qualification process for men's wrestling for the 2021 national championship, which has afforded conferences the ability to identify representatives in an alternative manner.”
In men's wrestling, the CCC was allotted 46 qualification slots to nationals, which was based on the past three-year average for the conference. Qualifiers will be identified through a combination of individual ratings and a selection committee. The allotments will be reduced if teams opt out of competition. So far, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has opted out of the 2020-21 season, which will affect the number of allocations that can be awarded.
In women's wrestling, the NAIA conducts a national invitational meet that does not have a qualification requirement. Schools that sponsor the sport can select up to 12 wrestlers to attend the invitational.
The men's conference championship was to be held on the campus of Montana State University-Northern in Havre, while the women's championship was going to be in Great Falls at the University of Providence. Each school will retain the opportunity to host the 2022 championships.
The NAIA National Championship for men is scheduled for March 5-6 in Park City, Kansas. The women's invitational is scheduled for March 12-13 in Jamestown, N.D.
