KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association CEO Council approved the associate member status of Ouachita Baptist University to compete in the MIAA wrestling season for the 2023-24 academic year. 
 
Ouachita becomes the sixth member of MIAA wrestling – a league home to the 2023 and 2022 NCAA Division II National Champions.
 
"We are excited to welcome the Tigers to our MIAA wrestling lineup," said MIAA Deputy Commissioner Amber Feldman. "Our programs have had consistent success on the mats, and we look to enhance that even further with the addition of Ouachita Baptist, starting this next season."
 
Ouachita (pronounced Wash-i-tah) is a member of the Great American Conference (GAC), however the GAC does not sponsor wrestling. The Tigers' wrestling program has been competing as a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) since the 2018-19 academic year.
 
Ouachita became the first university in Arkansas to sponsor the sport of wrestling in 2010. The program has accumulated four top-15 team finishes at nationals, 17 All-Americans, two individual national runner-up finishes and one individual national champion. Last season, the Tigers owned a 7-6 record overall and went 4-3 in the GLVC to finish fourth in the league.
 
Head Coach Kevin Crutchmer is entering his seventh season leading the Tigers. He was named the Super Region Coach of the Year in the 2021-22 season.
 
"We are excited about our new venture in the MIAA in a traditionally super competitive conference," stated Coach Crutchmer. "We also want to thank the GLVC for allowing our athletes an opportunity to compete for individual and conference championships for the past five years."
 
In the 2022-23 season, the MIAA had 21 wrestlers from five different institutions advance to the 2023 NCAA Division II Wrestling National Championship. The Association collected 14 All-Americans in nine different weight classes. Central Oklahoma captured the national title while the defending national champion Nebraska Kearney finished eighth.
 
Ouachita's men's tennis program has been an associate member of the MIAA since the GAC and MIAA created their sport sponsorship partnership in 2018. The Tiger men compete in the MIAA/GAC South Division.