NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Rules

Wrestling in college is often referred to as collegiate wrestling or folkstyle wrestling. This type of wrestling is similar to what is called scholastic wrestling in high school, but it has many differences from the Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling styles that are used in the Olympics. The NCAA Division 1 (sometimes called Division I or D-I) wrestling rules descend from many alterations made to the sport in America, where some former wrestlers include Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant and Theodore Roosevelt.

  1. Scoring Points

    • There are five ways to score points in a NCAA Division 1 wrestling match. These methods of scoring include a takedown (2 points), an escape (1 point), a reversal (2 points), a near fall (2 or 3) and a penalty (1 or 2 points). Team scores are also kept, with 6 team points awarded for a fall, default, forfeit or disqualification, 5 team points awarded if one competitor gets ahead by 15 or more match points, 4 team points if the match is won by 8 to 14 points and 3 team points if the match is won by fewer than 8 match points. In college, a technical fall is only awarded 4 team points if the opponent was not awarded any near-fall points during the match.

    Period Length

    • In college, the first period is 3 minutes, followed by a second and third period of 2 minutes. If competitors are tied after three periods, there are two 30-second tiebreaker periods, followed by a 1-minute period and then two more 30-second tiebreaker periods. If there is no winner at the end of these periods, the competitor with the most riding time in overtime (most time in top position) is the winner.

    Control and Position

    • In NCAA Division 1 wrestling, the wrestler must have control over his opponent when taking down an opponent or when bringing his opponent's shoulders to the mat, or he will receive no points. In collegiate wrestling, there are there are three different starting positions, neutral (standing), top or bottom. The top or bottom position is also referred to as the referee's position.

    Weight Classes

    • The weight classes of wrestlers in college are (in pounds): 125, 133, 141, 149, 157, 165, 174, 184, 197 and heavyweight (183 to 285 pounds).