For the second time in five years, the Men’s Wrestling Team is set to host the DIII national men’s wrestling tournament.

The tournament will be held Fri.,m and Sat., March 10-11 at the Berglund Center in Roanoke.

“There is a bidding process in which colleges create bids that include costs, venue, workers, etc., and those bids are chosen by the NCAA Championship committee. This process happens every four years. Ferrum’s bid was selected in 2019 to host the NCAA National Championships and our program received great reviews from that event,” Logan Meister, Head Coach of the men’s team said.

This event is big a deal for teams to be a part of, and hosting the event lets the team show off their school and program. 

“Hosting the NCAA National Championships is a great opportunity for Ferrum College to show how much pride we have–not just our student-athletes but Division III athletics as a whole,” Meister said.

The tournament brings in publicity for schools and for the hosting team.

“This brings a lot of positive publicity for Ferrum College. Hosting NCAA provides great experience and resume-building opportunities for those staff members that will be helping us with the national championships,” Meister said. 

A lot of work goes into these events with the team and athletic directors juggling all the details.

“There is an unbelievable amount of work that goes into hosting this event. Our wrestling program will be the manpower behind the set-up and breakdown of all the mats, chairs, tables, etc. Our Athletic Director John Sutyak and Associate AD Gary Holden have been meeting with the Berglund Center fine-tuning details and logistics,” Meister said.

The players still have to compete to make it to nationals regardless of them being the host.

“In order for the team as a whole to make nationals, we need to all make the top three in our respective weight classes. I think it is possible for a lot of us to qualify. It is just a matter of execution,” Braden Homsey, senior, said.

Individually, Homsey is hoping to parlay his ODAC championship and ride the wave through regionals in York, PA next weekend and on to Nationals in March.

“I am excited to be hosting the national tournament, and I’m planning to be able to compete on my home turf.”

Currently, Homsey is ranked fifth.

“I think this is an insult to me. I was ranked first last year but did not qualify due to an injury, but I was still seeded first,” he said.

Making nationals is a goal for many, and Rayshawn Dixon, sophomore, is no different.

“For me to make it to the national tournament and see the work I’ve put in to make it there would be nothing short of amazing, and hosting it makes it even more exciting for myself and gives me a chance to achieve my ultimate goal and become a national champion,” Dixon said.