GREAT FALLS — For only the second time in Montana's history, a Treasure State native will be officiating at the NCAA Division I National Wrestling Championships. Great Falls' Conrad Duffy will be reffing on the big stage in March.
"To get to be considered out of 458 of us in the country, to be regarded in the top-20 in the country to get to make those calls, is just tremendous," Duffy said last Friday at the state wrestling tournament in Billings.
It's the first time Duffy has been chosen to officiate the event. He said it's humbling and a testament to the Montana wrestling community.
"Our Montana wrestling community is such a tight knit group," Duffy said. "To have the opportunity to go and referee on that stage is just tremendous."
It was an emotional and overwhelming feeling when he first found out he said.
"I was actually at work, and got an email from the NCAA," Duffy said. "I had done the Division II tournament, I've been doing college wrestling for seven years, and I've done six Division II national tournaments. But to get that letter and see that you're chosen to do the Division I national championships was absolutely overwhelming. Man, brought tears to my eyes for sure."
Duffy was one of the officials for the state tournament in Billings, and said that the months of January through March get very busy for him as a referee.
"For example, like last weekend (I) flew out on Thursday, had Ohio State/Minnesota on Friday night," Duffy — who also officiates Big Ten wrestling — said. "Jump in a car and drive from Columbus to State College, have Penn State and Maryland on Sunday, and then get on an airplane Monday morning and come home."
He does a lot in the Big Ten, and has seen lots of bigger events at the collegiate level as well. Although he said that Montana's state tournament rivals those others as one of his favorites.
"It rivals a lot of the bigger events in the country," Duffy said. "Just because we've got 10,000 people in here all day cheering and it's loud, and you got you know great table workers and lots of action.
"This event for sure helped prepare me for, you know, what was to come."
Duffy called it the ultimate reward to get to officiate the NCAA Division I Championships which take place March 20-22 in Philadelphia.
