GREENVILLE, S.C. – Expanding on its previous co-sponsorship of men’s wrestling, Conference Carolinas announced today that it will sponsor the sport of men’s wrestling beginning with the start of the 2023-24 academic year.
Conference Carolinas and the South Atlantic Conference had been collaborating on men’s wrestling since the start of the 2018-19 academic year. The two conferences originally partnered to also sponsor field hockey, but the SAC began sole sponsorship of field hockey prior to the start of the current academic year.
The announcement of Conference Carolinas being the sole sponsor of men’s wrestling means that the current five SAC members (Coker, Emory & Henry, Limestone, Lincoln Memorial and Newberry) in men’s wrestling will now officially become associate members of Conference Carolinas with the commencement of the 2023-24 academic year.
In addition, Conference Carolinas is also thrilled to announce that the first official Conference Carolinas men’s wrestling season will feature 14 teams with Allen, Bluefield State and Montevallo also joining the league as associate members.
The eight join current Conference Carolinas member institutions Belmont Abbey, Emmanuel, King, Mount Olive and UNC Pembroke in addition to Lander, who has been an associate member of Conference Carolinas in men’s wrestling since 2020.
“We are incredibly thankful for the collaboration of the many men’s wrestling institutions in Conference Carolinas and the region for working together to make this a reality,” Conference Carolinas Commissioner Chris Colvin said. “Conference Carolinas has served as the main facilitator of our original men’s wrestling collaboration since its inception. We are truly excited that the sport has been built up so quickly over the last few years to allow us this opportunity, while also giving us the chance to welcome new associate members to continue building the sport throughout the region.”
Conference Carolinas will move to a two-division model with the 2023-24 academic year with the East Division featuring Allen, Belmont Abbey, Coker, Limestone, Mount Olive, Newberry and UNC Pembroke. The West Division will consist of Bluefield State, Emmanuel, Emory & Henry, King, Lander, Lincoln Memorial and Montevallo.
The top two seeds from each division at the conclusion of the 2023-24 regular-season will compete in the inaugural Conference Carolinas Men’s Wrestling Championship in February of 2024.
“As a program that has a long history in wrestling, it is exciting to see Conference Carolinas take the lead in driving Division II wrestling forward in the Southeast Region,” UNC Pembroke Director of Athletics and Conference Carolinas Directors of Athletics Committee Chair Dick Christy said. “The rivalries are being cultivated all over the conference and it continues to provide a tremendous student-athlete experience.”
The first five years of men’s wrestling in Conference Carolinas has been highly successful with high team finishes in the region and the NCAA Division II national championship coupled with back-to-back individual national titles at 141 pounds by Isiah Royal of Newberry in 2021 and Zeth Brower of Lander in 2022.
2023-24 Conference Carolinas Men’s Wrestling
| East Division Allen Belmont Abbey Coker Limestone Mount Olive Newberry UNC Pembroke |
West Division Bluefield State Emmanuel Emory & Henry King Lander Lincoln Memorial Montevallo |
About Conference Carolinas
Conference Carolinas is a sole sponsor of 23 sports and collaborates with two other conferences to offer opportunities in four additional sports for a total of 27. The conference will be the sole sponsor of 24 sports (28 total including collaborations with other conferences) beginning in 2023-24. That number will advance to 25 sports (29 total including collaborations with other conferences) with the addition of football in the 2025-26 academic year.
The ability to provide its membership sports sponsorship in 29 sports is the most in all of NCAA Division II. In addition, Conference Carolinas also provides championship opportunities for its member institutions in esports and spirit (cheerleading and dance).
This is all in addition to holding Developmental Championships for its member institutions. A Developmental Championship will be held in men’s and women’s soccer, men’s basketball and baseball in the 2022-23 academic year. Conference Carolinas is believed to be the first NCAA conference to offer sub-varsity championships to its members.
Please visit ConferenceCarolinas.com
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