OKLAHOMA CITY – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics will crown its wrestling team national champion and 10 individual national champions in the 53rd annual NAIA wrestling championships on March 4-6 at Abe Lemons Arena inside the Freede Center on the campus of Oklahoma City University.
The tournament will start with opening ceremonies at 1 p.m. on Thursday, March 4. There will be two sessions on March 5, the championship quarterfinals at 10 a.m. and the semifinals at 6 p.m. Then on Saturday, March 6, placing matches will be 10 a.m., and the championship finals 6:30 p.m.
Session tickets and ticket packages for all sessions are available. Session tickets are $12 for adults, $5 for children and students, and a tournament ticket package is $48.
OCU will be in need of volunteers during the tournament. For information, call Liz Richards at (405) 208-5309 or see the tournament web site.
The NAIA wrestling championships took place on the campus of Oklahoma City University in 2009.
“We’re proud to host this important championship event in the heart of wrestling country,” Oklahoma City University athletic director Jim Abbott said. “The 2009 NAIA Championships at OCU were a huge success, and we received numerous compliments from visiting teams and fans. We expect to build on that success this year.”
Oklahoma City University worked in conjunction with the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau to submit a bid for the NAIA wrestling championships. The event will bring more than 300 athletes along with their coaches and fans to the Oklahoma City area.
The estimated direct spending in the Oklahoma City area generated by last year’s event totaled $2.1 million. Attendance for the 2009 tournament added up to nearly 12,000.
“The feedback I got from most of the coaches from around the nation was that last year’s tournament was run efficiently and smoothly,” Oklahoma City University wrestling coach Archie Randall said. “They liked the facility and the weather. Hopefully it will open doors for OCU to host other NAIA national events.”
There will be a Champions of Character wrestling clinic offered at 2 p.m. Wednesday March 3 prior to the NAIA Championships at Abe Lemons Arena. For information on the clinic, contact Link Davis at (405) 606-4826 or ldavis@okcu.edu.
“The Champions of Character event went better than ever before,” Randall said. “It was received well by the coaches and most importantly, the kids loved it.”
The Stars have qualified six individuals for the NAIA Championships. Jeremy Garner, Corey Johnson and Andrew Pontikes placed in the Cumberland Open on Jan. 16 to join Mark Meyer, Cameron Ream and Nik Turner as national tournament qualifiers from OCU.