In reaction to the recent deaths of three collegiate wrestlers, including Michigan athlete Jefferey Reese, the NCAA has announced changes that will affect wrestling programs nationwide.
The new rules, effective immediately, are similar to regulations made by a University task force in December. The task force will meet again today to discuss adding educational changes to the regulations.
The NCAA's announcement comes less than two months after the deaths of three college wrestlers, including Reese, a Kinesiology junior. Reese died Dec. 9, just weeks after the deaths of Billy Saylor at Campbell University in North Carolina and Joe LaRosa at the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse.
All three wrestlers died after strenuous workouts they hoped would shed weight to qualify them for competition. Their deaths mark the only fatalities in collegiate wrestling since it became an NCAA sport in 1928.
The NCAA's rulings ban the use of rubber suits, saunas, laxatives and other means of dehydration that wrestlers use to cut weight.
Wrestlers also must weigh in for matches no earlier than two hours before they compete. Previously, wrestlers were allowed to weigh in up to 24 hours before competition if the option was agreed upon by all competing teams. Wrestlers have a seven-pound leeway for each weight class for the remainder of the season.
University Athletic Director Tom Goss said the NCAA-mandated guidelines will serve numerous purposes Ñ all of which make wrestling safer for its participants.
"It will do a couple of things. No. 1: Kids É instead of getting down to 118, can get to 125," Goss said, explaining the seven-pound leeway.
Goss said he was happy about the NCAA changes and surprised that the NCAA was able to react so quickly after the three tragedies.
"I'm pleased that they moved as rapidly as they did," Goss said. "I was initially concerned that we wouldn't get any action from them this semester."
Goss said he will meet today with members of the University's task force, whose recommendations were similar to the NCAA's newly enforced rules, to discuss implementing educational components in addition to changes made several weeks ago.
"I don't think we've had the medical community as close to it," Goss said.
Since Reese's death, the Michigan wrestling team has adhered to stricter regulations for training and weight-cutting, whereas other collegiate programs still may have more lenient rules. This discrepancy among programs temporarily may have put programs such as Michigan's at a disadvantage when facing teams with different rules. The Michigan wrestling team has lost its last four matches.
"Now we can all compete at an even playing field," Michigan coach Dale Bahr said. "Any weigh-in problems we were having are now gone and the guys are really enjoying these changes."
Michigan wrestling captain and All-America Jeff Catrabone also said he is encouraged by the new NCAA guidelines.
"I think these changes are great," said Catrabone, a Kinesiology senior. "Michigan made changes first but these things are very important and should be for everybody. This is good for our sport and now college wrestling will be around for many more decades to come."
Campbell University Athletic Director Tom Collins commended the NCAA's "sound" action, adding that the association's reactions have mirrored decisions at Campbell.
"I think weigh-in is a good goal change and also the clear elimination of the rubberized suits and the hot boxes," Collins said.
Echoing Goss' confidence that the NCAA is moving in the right direction, Collins said he trusts the people who are reshaping the way in which collegiate wrestlers train because they are experts in their respective fields.
"They're people who want the sport of wrestling to be successful," he said. The NCAA Wrestling Committees plan to make further guidelines at their annual meeting April 6-10 in Kansas City. Members of the committees intend to examine weight-loss behavior.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention are expected to give their input to the NCAAÕs Wrestling Committee and the Competitive-Safeguards Committee before April.
Mike Moyer, who chairs the NCAAÕs Wrestling Rules Committee, said the committee anticipates more long-term changes after the wrestling season is finished.
"The committee recognizes that no rules guarantee the safety of participants, but believes these measures will promote safety in our sport," Moyer said in a written statement. "Therefore, the committee urges compliance with both the letter and the intent of all of these changes.
"Nothing is more important than the safety of our competitors," he said. The long-term changes "ideally will allow wrestlers to focus on competition rather than making weight and also maintain competitive equality within the weight classes," Moyer said.