Louisville, Kentucky — The Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville will once again play host to the NWCA’s annual Multi-Division National Duals, which will feature 95 men’s and women’s programs in six divisions.
The 2022 U.S. Marine Corps NWCA Multi-Division National Dual Meet Championships, presented by ARMS Software, Defense Soap, and Capital Construction, hosted by NUWAY Combat, takes place January 6-7. The first whistle blows on Friday morning at 10 a.m., with championship bracket action starting across 16 mats.
“We are excited to once again welcome our teams to Louisville for the National Duals. The Kentucky Expocenter has provided us a fantastic venue for this great event,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “These two action packed days of wrestling will highlight some of the top programs from across the country. We can’t wait to get things kicked off Friday morning and crown our National Champions Saturday evening.”
Of the 95 teams, 13 different schools will have both their men’s and women’s wrestling teams in action.
“We are excited to crown dual meet champions Saturday and to put on this great event for so many teams,” said Jackie Paquette, NWCA Deputy Director. “This event brings together both men and women from across the country, and across governing bodies. We are going to have some terrific wrestling here in Louisville this weekend.”
WHERE: Kentucky Expo Center, Louisville, Kentucky
WHEN: January 6-7, 2023
WATCH: Flowrestling
RESULTS via Trackwreslting.com: Men’s Brackets | Women’s Brackets
Division II Men
Central Oklahoma snapped St. Cloud State’s NCAA-record 77-match dual meet win streak in the finals in 2022. St. Cloud State set the mark one round earlier in a semifinal win over Nebraska-Kearney. The top-seeded Bronchos have won 19 duals in a row, dating back to the 2019-20 season, and will open up with longtime Division II contender Augustana (S.D.). Nebraska-Kearney, winner of National Duals championships in 2003 and 2007, will be seeded second and open up with Newberry, which made a Cinderella run into the semifinals last season. St. Cloud State has won six Division II National Duals titles. The Huskies are seeded third and will open up with Mercyhurst, while West Liberty is seeded fourth. The Hilltoppers will face Colorado Mesa in the opening round. Lander, Upper Iowa, Mary and Indianapolis round out the top eight seeds.
Division III Men
Wartburg and Augsburg were both unable to attend in 2022, and both programs look to assume their place atop of the Division III National Duals. Last year was the first time in the division’s history either of the ‘Burgs didn’t win the title. With 123 teams, Division III is the largest division sponsoring wrestling among NCAA divisions. With 24 teams, the Division III bracket is also the largest in the event. Eight opening-round matches will feed into matches as the top eight seeds will await the winners of the opening round. Top-seeded Wartburg, 12-time winners, will face the winner of Millikin and NYU. Second-seeded Augsburg, winners on seven occasions, will take on the winner of the Averett-Luther dual. Last year’s champion, UW-La Crosse, will be seeded third and take on the winner of the Castleton-Olivet dual. Fourth-seeded Johnson & Wales will await the winner of the Mount Union-TCNJ dual. The winner of the RIT-Coe dual will face fifth-seeded North Central College (Ill.). Wabash is seeded sixth and will face either UW-Platteville or Wilkes. Rapidly improving UW-Eau Claire comes in as the No. 7. The Blugolds will take on either Loras or Cortland State, while eighth-seeded UW-Whitewater will face either Baldwin Wallace or Dubuque.
NAIA Men
Grand View has defeated Life the last three tournaments in the NAIA Men’s Division finals. Life University head coach Omi Acosta was a 2012 national champion for Grand View. Riding a winning streak of 145 in a row against NAIA competition, the top-seeded Vikings will open with Lourdes (Ohio) while Life takes on first-time participant Cornerstone (Mich.). Southeastern (Fla.) is seeded third and the Fire will open with longtime participants, the University of the Cumberlands. Fourth-seeded Doane will open with Oklahoma City. Indiana Tech, Marian (Ind.), Ottawa (Kan.) and Reinhardt round out the top eight seeds.
NCWA Men
The NCWA previously competed at the combined National Duals at the UNI-Dome back in 2007 and 2008. Grand Valley State won both events. The Lakers will be restarting varsity wrestling next season. Three of the teams are NCAA institutions transitioning to new divisions. Bellarmine and Queens are transitioning from Division II to Division I, while Emory & Henry is transitioning from Division III to Division II. Liberty has been a dominant force on the NCWA level.
NCAA Women
Top-seeded King looks to repeat and capture the program’s sixth overall National Duals crown. Travel issues forced King’s opening-round opponent, Schreiner, to withdraw from the event, so the Tornado will await the winner of the dual between UW-Stevens Point and No. 8 Gannon. Second-seeded North Central has been impressive this season. The second-seeded Cardinals open with Tiffin. Third-seeded Colorado Mesa puts its 18-match win streak on the line at the National Duals and will open with Lindenwood. Three-time women’s champion McKendree opens with Lock Haven. Augsburg, Adrian, Sacred Heart and Gannon round out the top eight seeds.
NAIA Women
Top-seeded Southern Oregon will open the National Duals in the NAIA Women’s Division with its best opening spot in their event history. The Raiders open with Ottawa (Kan.). Second-seeded Grand View will open with five-time champion Oklahoma City in the opening round. Life won its first women’s National Duals title last year in a wild win over rival Campbellsville. The Running Eagles are seeded third and will face Baker in the first round. Campbellsville, winners in 2018, is seeded fourth and will open with Missouri Baptist. Menlo, Providence (Mont.), Indiana Tech and the University of the Cumberlands round out the top eight seeds. The NAIA women’s field is also pretty loaded individually, with ten past women’s collegiate champions in the field and 65 All-Americans. The top weight here is 143 pounds, with nine past All-Americans and two past collegiate champions.
SEEDS
NCAA Division II Men
#1 Central Oklahoma
#2 Nebraska-Kearney
#3 St. Cloud State
#4 West Liberty
#5 Lander
#6 Upper Iowa
#7 Mary
#8 Indianapolis
NCAA Division III Men
#1 Wartburg
#2 Augsburg
#3 UW-La Crosse
#4 Johnson & Wales (R.I.)
#5 North Central (Ill.)
#6 Wabash
#7 UW-Eau Claire
#8 UW-Whitewater
NAIA Men
#1 Grand View
#2 Life
#3 Southeastern (Fla.)
#4 Done
#5 Indiana Tech
#6 Marian
#7 Ottawa (Kan.)
#8 Reinhardt
NCWA Men
#1 Liberty
#2 Bellarmine
#3 Toledo
#4 Apprentice School
#5 Grand Valley State
#6 Queens (N.C.)
#7 Central Florida
#8 Emory & Henry
NCAA Women
#1 King
#2 North Central (Ill.)
#3 Colorado Mesa
#4 McKendree
#5 Augsburg
#6 Adrian
#7 Sacred Heart
#8 Gannon
NAIA Women
#1 Southern Oregon
#2 Grand View
#3 Life
#4 Campbellsville
#5 Menlo
#6 Providence (Mont.)
#7 Indiana Tech
#8 U. of the Cumberlands (Ky.)