Aug. 8, 2007

Staten Island, NY -Wagner College has announced the Seahawks' wrestling team will be leaving the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) for the upcoming 2007-2008 season and will now compete as an independent.

Wagner had been an associate member of the CAA since 2001 when the ECWA folded and all former members of the defunct conference were given associate membership into the CAA.

One of the reasons that Wagner has chosen to leave the conference is due to proximity as the other members of the CAA are spread throughout the east coast making travel difficult.

"Wagner Athletics wants to extend its gratitude toward the CAA for the time our wrestling program was an associate member," said Wagner Athletic Director Walt Hameline. "By the same token we look forward to the future as an independent as it still affords our student-athletes the best opportunity to compete on a higher level."

In addition, other schools that compete within the conference are located in North Carolina and Virginia making it extremely hard to have dual matches with other conference-schools.

Despite leaving the CAA Wagner wrestlers will still have an opportunity to qualify for the postseason. In place of a conference tournament the Seahawks will instead use the East Region Qualifier as their opportunity to qualify for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.