The NCAA Wrestling Rules Committee at its April meeting in Indianapolis recommended changes regarding health and safety and eliminated the option to wrestle a six-minute match.

Committee recommendations are subject to final approval of the Playing Rules and Oversight Panel, which convenes by teleconference June 5.

To guard against skin disease, the committee recommended that mats be cleaned and disinfected before all competitions and between tournament rounds and multiple dual-meet events.

The committee also recommended that the host site allow student-athletes to clean and disinfect the soles of their shoes before stepping onto the mat, since bacteria could be spread as student-athletes walk from the locker room to the competition area.

The home institution’s game-management personnel are responsible for ensuring that wrestling mats and all other surrounding facilities meet regulations.

Any wrestler who has been diagnosed and is under treatment for a skin condition must have a physician complete an NCAA Skin Evaluation and Participation Status form that must be presented to the medical professional at the competition. The medical professional on site would determine whether the student-athlete can participate without jeopardizing the health of an opponent.

The recommendation regarding the length of a match centers on the committee’s preference for all matches to meet the seven-minute requirement. The first period must consist of three minutes, and the second and third periods will be two minutes apiece. A six-minute option had been allowed for tournaments, but the committee made the change so that all matches shall be of uniform length.

The committee also made a technical recommendation regarding the offensive starting position. For two years, officials have taken steps to ensure a fair start. After the wrestlers are set, the offensive wrestler places the palm of one hand on  the defensive wrestler’s navel. The offensive wrestler places the palm of the other hand on or over the defensive wrestler’s elbow and after they both become motionless the referee momentarily pauses before blowing the whistle for the match to begin. The pause is being emphasized to ensure neither wrestler gains an advantage with a rolling start.

In other action, the committee approved two new scoring abbreviations and clarified what constitutes “inbounds.”

The abbreviation DQW stands for “disqualified for weight-management,” and INJ(2) will be used to record a second injury timeout.

The clarification on inbounds states that wrestling may continue if any part of either wrestler remains inbounds.

Also, since NCAA playing rules books are published for a two-year period, the committee is allowed to focus on other rules-related projects during the year in which a rules book is not published. One such project being considered is a referee-enrichment program that would include an in-person clinic annually in a different region. The objective of the program would be to provide consistency in officiating across the nation.