KANSAS — The Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) and the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) will merge their respective women's wrestling programs into one qualifying group for the 2025-26 season, both conference offices announced Wednesday.
 
"The KCAC is excited to work with the Sooner Athletic Conference to create a highly competitive partnership in women's wrestling!", Dr. James Zimmerman, KCAC Governing Council Chair, said. "The women's wrestling programs in the KCAC and SAC are some of the finest in the country at the collegiate level. Bringing the two conferences together will make for an exciting championship and national qualifier."
 
The five KCAC institutions that sponsor women's wrestling, which include Avila University, Friends University, Ottawa University, the University of Saint Mary, and York University, will join forces with the four institutions that sponsor women's wrestling in the SAC: Central Christian College, Oklahoma City University, Texas Wesleyan University, and Wayland Baptist University to form a nine-team qualifying group.
 
"We are excited to partner with the KCAC for women's wrestling," John Martin, Commissioner of the Sooner Athletic Conference, remarked. "The SAC and the KCAC have a long history of collaboration, and we look forward to this opportunity."
 
The conferences will recognize a combined KCAC/SAC Women's Wrestler of the Week. Another possible outcome from this merger is KCAC/SAC duals prior to the combined championship.
 
The KCAC/SAC Women's Wrestling Championship will take place Feb. 27, 2026, at Friends University. The NAIA Women's Wrestling Championship will take place March 13-14, 2026, at Park City Arena in Park City, Kan.