Trackwrestling and NWCA will Partner Up Statistically

By WIN Staff Writer, Willie Saylor

Wouldn’t it be great to look back through historical wrestling statistics and reflect on a 200-plus takedown season for John Smith, or to know, accurately, how many nearfall points J.P. O’Connor put up in his championship season for Harvard in 2010?

A large portion of the romanticism Americans have with major sports results from their infatuation with statistics. Sports-specific aficionados can rattle off historical achievement and benchmarks with ease. They can compare the proficiencies of athletes across eras. And they can claim a ‘champion’ for a particular category each season.

It would be interesting to project: “Jordan Oliver, 2012 Takedown Champion” or “Matt McDonough, 2012 Bonus-Point King”.

Well, this year, maybe we can.

The National Wrestling Coaches Association and Trackwrestling will be teaming up this season to provide the most accurate and comprehensive NCAA wrestling results and statistics the sport has ever enjoyed.

The NWCA had previously used their own software and database to record statistics and data into what they called “The NWCA Scorebook.” But the program was not as fully integrated and user-friendly as trackwrestling.com’s, making the compilation of stats time-consuming and erratic, and researching them clunky and unfulfilling.

“The partnership with Track(wrestling) makes a lot of sense,” said Pat Tocci, the O.C.C. of the NWCA. “I think it will only help the wrestling fan and propel our sport into the mainstream media.”

The new system makes compiling statistics easier for coaches and administrators, and searching for them a snap for fans. The format will be fully integrated such that teams’ rosters will flow right from the weight management program that they are originally entered into, to the schedule and results program. The data from competition can be entered from a variety of devices, including phones, ipads, pdas or traditional computers that can connect to the web. Because competition information is shared, just one team needs to enter results, and they are recorded for everyone in the event.

Additionally, fans, media, and parents can follow the results on-line, as quick as results are entered. And, a media dissemination program will allow all results and statistics to be sent to any media service entered into Track’s system by individual schools, coaches or sports information directors.

This is another feather in the cap of Track, who has been lauded by fans and media, first for the ease of tournament administration on its platform, then for its results archive abilities, and most recently, for its play-by-play feature.

Justin Tritz, the founder and developer of Trackwrestling, is encouraged about the partnership with the NWCA.

“Our goal in providing a statistics program and event management tools is to revolutionize the way wrestling stats and results are recorded, primarily to make coaches’ and administrators’ jobs easier, and to provide fans and media with the information they desire,” said Tritz, who is now an assistant at his alma mater of Wisconsin Rapids (Lincoln, Wisc.), and who wrestled at UW-LaCrosse. “We believe this will be another large step in the direction of bringing information together for the entire wrestling community to enjoy.”

Along with beginning the process of compiling reliable statistical information for historical purposes, and efficient media opportunities, the joint Track-NWCA venture might find rave reviews from another nook of the wrestling world: the fantasy leaguers. Until now, the hardcore wrestling fans that participate in fantasy wrestling were restricted to scoring points on bout results (decisions, majors, etc.). The new statistical capabilities will enable broader-based scoring with points awarded for individual moves (takedowns, nearfalls, reversals, etc.)