PIAA Votes to Rank Individual State Tournament; Increase Team Bracket

I have personally been a strong advocate for the ‘seeding’ or ‘ranking’ of the PIAA State Individual bracket for several years and 2016 was just one example where the random draw protocol systematically fails Pennsylvania Wrestling.

Thanks in large part to the PIAA’s Wrestling Steering Committee an attempt will be made to better place the State’s top wrestlers at the Individual State Tournament.

On Wednesday May 25th the PIAA Board of Directors accepted the Wrestling Steering Committee’s proposal “to develop bracketing for the 2016-2017 PIAA Wrestling Championships based on ranking the qualifying Regional Champions, with additional qualifiers placed on the bracket according to those rankings as presented.”

This method will be tested on a one year basis with the Wrestling Steering Committee evaluating the performance at the conclusion of the season. How the proposal reads is the five Regional Champions in Class AAA and the four Regional Champions in Class AA will be ‘ranked’ and slotted in the bracket accordingly. Therefore the top two ranked Regional Champions wouldn’t meet until the finals. After ranking the initial Regional Champions the remaining qualified wrestlers will be ranked and slotted in the bracket accordingly.

According to Brad Wilson of the Express-Times, the rankings of a wrestler will be based on two separate criteria.

“One, winning percentage of the wrestler as expressed in points. In other words, a wrestler who won 15 of 20 bouts (.750) percentage would receive 75 points.”

“Second, prestige points from the previous year’s State and/or Regional Tournament. State Champions would receive 100 points, runner-ups 95, third place 90, and so on down to eighth place’s 65. Those who were not State Medalist could receive points based on regional finish. Regional champions would be awarded 60 points, runners-up 50, third place 45, fourth place 40. No wrestler would receive both sets of points, only the higher available to him.”

The sum of the two criteria would equal the wrestler’s ranking. The only exception would be similar to the one that is already being used by the PIAA. If there are two returning PIAA State Champions, who both won their respective Regions, they shall be separated on either side of the bracket.

In terms of the PIAA State Dual Team Tournament the PIAA Board of Directors accepted the proposed changes. The main takeaways from the State Dual Team proposal are the increases in qualifiers. In Class AA the State Dual Team qualifiers will increase from 20 to 21. District 3 will now qualify three teams to the State Dual Team Tournament bringing the total to 21 teams. In Class AAA the number of team qualifiers will increase from 21 to 23 teams. Both District 1 and District 3 will now qualify five teams to the PIAA State Dual Team Tournament.

The Board of Directors agreed to table the issue on number of qualifiers to the PIAA State Individual Tournament. The 20-wrestler bracket was in effect for the last two seasons and will either stay at 20 or revert back to 16 qualifiers. They will decide in July 2016 on that issue.

Below is a look at the proposed changes and qualifier document from the PIAA.

 

Accepted the recommendation of the Wrestling Steering Committee to:

• Reduce the maximum number of Team entries (qualifiers) to the 2016-17 and 2017-18
  AAA Team Wrestling Championships as presented; and
• Reduce the maximum number of individual entries (qualifiers) to the 2016-17 and 2017-18 AAA Northeast Region Wrestling Championships as presented; and
• To develop bracketing for 2016-17 PIAA Wrestling Championships based on ranking the qualifying Regional Champions, with additional qualifiers placed on the bracket according to those rankings as presented, on a one-year trial basis and to be reviewed by the Wrestling Steering Committee prior to the second year;
• To accept team wrestling brackets as presented;
• The Board of Directors tabled until the July meeting qualifiers for the Individual Wrestling Championships.

 

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