NYSPHSAA Committee Recommends Wildcards

For New York State Tournament

Byes Would Be Filled-In For 2007 Tournament

October 5, 2005

The NYSPHSAA Wrestling Committee voted last Thursday to “fill-in the byes on the bracket by using wildcards” for the 2007 New York State Wrestling Tournament. The proposal, which must be approved by the Championship Committee and the Executive Committee, uses certain criteria to select 4 additional wrestlers per weight class from across the state to compete in the state tournament. There is no expansion of the state tournament beyond the current two-division 16-man bracket.

The proposed criteria for selecting wildcard entries, which may be revised, includes: placing 2nd or 3rd in current sectionals, placement in previous state tournaments, career victories, placement in previous sectional tournaments, and “power points” for wrestlers from the “stronger sections”. The power points awarded wrestlers from stronger sections will be based on the history of the section’s team performance in past state tournaments.

Read the entire NYSPHSAA wildcard proposal here.

NYSWCA Comment

This action by the NYSPHSAA Wrestling Committee is a step in the right direction but falls far short of the goal to have a state tournament of excellence - a state tournament designed to be as fair and as competitive as possible. Granted, under this proposal, at least some deserving wrestlers who have been excluded from the state tournament in the past would be considered for entry. Many others however will still be denied a fair opportunity to qualify.

While the wildcard proposal will add 60 wrestlers to each division in the state tournament, New York will continue to stand out as the state tournament with the fewest number of participants (per number of wrestling programs) in the country. It remains as the only state in the country without true multiple-entry based on proportionality or equal sections.

Still, this is an improvement over what we currently have. To be sure, there are important details to be worked out and revisions to be made but it represents a beginning.

It is not however, the fundamental reform that so many coaches across the state would like to see