The NCAA Wrestling Committee continued to focus on increasing scoring opportunities in matches during its annual meeting April 13-17 in La Jolla, California.

The committee decided to clarify language concerning near falls and falls at the edges of the wrestling circle. The additional language states, "In any pinning situation, near falls and falls may occur if any part of the wrestler's pinning area is on the mat and in bounds."

The recommendation will go before the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel later this month.

"We started it with the takedown two years ago and expanded it to escapes and reversals last year," said Tom Bold, committee chair and associate athletics director at Brown University. "That's a big change. In the past, if one of the shoulders was out of bounds, you couldn't earn back points or a fall. We approved that change, and as long as one shoulder is inbounds, you can earn back points and be awarded the fall.

"There was some confusion on how officials were calling out of bounds. It was our intent that the line is still the wrestling area. Once you go across it completely, then you're out of bounds."

Unless the referee sees a safety issue that should stop the competitors, the committee wants it emphasized that the match should be allowed to continue.

"The line that circles the mat is to be considered inbounds," said Bob Bubb, the committee's secretary-rules editor. "You could be out of bounds, and I could have one leg out of bounds. But if I have a heel on that line, it would be considered inbounds. Both wrestlers have to be beyond the circle (to be out of bounds)."

Two other items recommended for approval are allowing a Spandex/lycra-type shirt and shorts to be worn during competition, and rewording Rule 6-14 that centers on fleeing the wrestling area.

The Spandex/lycra shirt and shorts were allowed on an experimental basis during the recently completed season. This offers an option to the traditional singlet uniform that has been in place since the 1970s.

The recommendation concerning fleeing the wrestling area calls for the rule to become less punitive than in the past. If approved, any wrestler called for fleeing would be subject to a one-point penalty per offense.

Previously, there was a four-step progression to this violation. A wrestler would receive a one-point penalty for the first and second offenses. A third offense would result in a two-point penalty, and a fourth violation would result in disqualification.

"The committee was concerned that referees were hesitant to call it when it was getting to the point where someone could be disqualified," Bubb said.

Rule 3-4-c, which involves a one-pound allowance for each consecutive day of competition in a tournament, also is being recommended for a change upon approval from the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports. For example, wrestlers in the 125-pound weight class would be allowed to weigh 126 pounds on the second day of a tournament and 127 pounds on the third day of a tournament.

In another item that must be approved by the Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet, the wrestling committee voted effective in 2005-06 to use an optimal-performance calculator program that already is in place on the National Wrestling Coaches Association Web site. The procedure requires membership institutions to complete their weight-certification forms and also their season-record forms and other NCAA championship information online.

One of the main reasons for this recommendation is to reduce violations of a rule that limits the amount of weight a wrestler can lose in a week. Competitors are allowed to drop only 1.5 percent of their body weight per week.

"There really wasn't a way of picking up on it until we saw individual season-record forms with actual weights and weigh-ins when we're doing the seeding at the NCAA," Bold said. "With this program, it will be red-flagged immediately. The coach will know that it is a problem right away."

The wrestling committee also discussed the qualifier-allocation criteria, which caps the number of conference or regional automatic qualifiers at 65 percent. The task force set up to review this issue will continue to study recommendations.

Other highlights

NCAA Wrestling Committee
April 13-17/La Jolla, California

• Noted that the annual NCAA Officiating Improvement Program videoconference and in-person clinic will be September 11, 2005. There also will be an in-person clinic at the National Wrestling Coaches Association convention in Buffalo, New York, on September 18.

• Heard in-person presentations from cities bidding to host the Division I Wrestling Championships for 2008-11.

• Noted that the 2005 Division I championships received a 0.5 rating on ESPN. An estimated 1,143,000 viewers tuned in to see the competition. The event was the second-highest rated wrestling telecast ever, ranking behind only the 0.62 rating for the 2004 championships.

• Elected U.S. Air Force Academy Deputy Director of Athletics Billy Walker as chair of the Wrestling Committee and the Division I subcommittee effective September 1.

• Voted to create an additional credential to allow a maximum of one administrator per institution access to backstage areas but not on the floor where the competition is being conducted.

• Agreed to seek bids to host the 2006 Division III Midwest regional and the 2007 Division II East regional. Interested bidders should submit proposed budget and financial reports to the attention of NCAA championships group member Randy Buhr as soon as possible.