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THE OFFICIAL HOME OF HUNTINGDON ATHLETICS
Joseph Palmer
Joseph Palmer
Posted: Jan 30, 2026

Division III Women's Wrestling Championships Set To Begin In 2027-2028 Season

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- As voted upon by Division III delegates at the 2026 NCAA convention, Division III Women's Wrestling Championships are set to begin in the 2027-28 academic year- which will be the fourth season Huntingdon College has sponsored the varsity sport. 

Currently, 55 Division III schools sponsor women's wrestling, accounting for more than half of the schools sponsoring the sport. A separate championship will provide an avenue for Division III student-athletes to compete against similarly situated programs. "The numbers alone warranted a move to a division III championship," shared Huntingdon's Director of Athletics Eric Levanda. "The addition of an NCAA D3 championship will only enhance our regular season scheduling with other D3 women's wrestling programs.  With our recent SLIAC membership and now a D3 championship format on the way, our women's wrestling program is slowly settling into what should make for a more exciting finish in future seasons."

"We have a very competitive, young team that has improved so much in such a short time," Associate AD and SWA Courtney Harville added. "I am eager to see what opportunities this brings our women wrestlers."

Director of Wrestling Matt Oliver built off Levanda's comments when asked about the significance of this decision for Huntingdon's program, stating that "This will allow our girls talent and success to shine and not be overshadowed by NCAA DII and DI level girls. Huntingdon College women's wrestling was somewhat on the forefront of starting an NCAA DIII Women's Program and I look forward to our continued growth and success within our program now that our Regional and National level will be strictly NCAA DIII women's teams."

Providing a student perspective, regionally-ranked sophomore Jordan Epstein highlighted the competitive atmosphere a Division III Women's Wrestling championship fosters, telling that "this is a truly monumental moment for the sport. It allows us an incredible opportunity to be more competitive on a national level and showcase the talent and hard work we have and continue to work on everyday. Personally, I couldn't be more excited to not only witness the growth of the sport, but also to compete against other DIII wrestlers and see how I, and our program, can compete in this arena." 

With this decision setting a new trajectory for the Hawks Women's Wrestling program, Huntingdon will look to close out their 2025-2026 season strong, entering their first SLIAC Conference Championship on February 13th with Regionals and the National Tournament to follow. For more information about the addition of the NCAA Division III Women's Wrestling Championships, please visit ncaa.org.