(LEBANON, Ill. – Mar. 4) – McKendree University No.1 women's wrestling heads north to Adrian, Mich., for the inaugural Cliff Keen National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships (NCWWC). Host Adrian College will welcome programs from Division I, II and III for the two-day tournament.

This tournament is the first national-level tournament for NCAA affiliated colleges and universities women's wrestling programs. Even though the tournament is not an official NCAA Championship, it will be held as an annual event until it receives status as an Emerging Sport and qualifies with 40 NCAA institutions.

McKendree is coming off their annual Bearcat Open, where No.2 Alara Boyd (Muncie, IN/Yorktown High School), No.2 Alexandria Glaude (West Sacramento, CA/Christian Brothers High School), No.1 Kori Bullock (Cahokia, IL/Cahokia High School) and No.1 Sydnee Kimber (Sitka, AK/Mt Edgecombe High School) all took first-place finishes in their respective weight classes. The Bearcats also had two second-place finishes, three fourth-place finishes, two fifth-place finishes and two sixth-place finishes.

The NCAA programs that will participate in this year's NCWWC include:

No.9 Adrian College (7-4)
No.8 Augsburg University (4-2)
No.4 Colorado Mesa University (7-4)
East Stroudsburg University (1-4)
No.5 Emmanuel College (8-4)
Ferrum University (2-9)
Fontbonne University
No.7 Gannon University (8-3)
No.3 King University (11-1)
Lakeland University (0-5)
Limestone College (2-10)
Lindenwood University (0-2)
Lock Haven University
MacMurray College (3-3)
No.1 McKendree (4-0)
North Central College (4-5)
Pacific University
No.10 Presbyterian College (6-6)
Schreiner University (4-5)
No.2 Simon Fraser University (4-1)
No.6 Tiffin University (6-7)
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (3-5)
Westminster College