AU Athletic Director Dr. Billy Walker named Chair of NCAA Div. I Wrestling Committee for 2016-17

INDIANAPOLIS — American University Director of Athletics and Recreation Dr. Billy Walker has been named chair of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee. This will be the second time Dr. Walker will oversee the wrestling committee, as he also served as chair from 2005-2007.
The committee is charged with oversight of the Division I Men's Wrestling Championships. This oversight entails conducting the championships in an efficient and orderly fashion. The committee is in charge of the host institution and site selection, determining the allocation of qualifiers from each conference tournament, and determining the at-large selections to complete the 33-person brackets in each of ten weight classes. The committee is then responsible for seeding the top 16 wrestlers in each weight class.
"It's truly an honor to be selected to serve as chair once again of this critically important committee," said Walker. "My fellow committee members and NCAA staff are all consummate professionals with whom I'm proud to work, and they work tirelessly to make the Division I Wrestling Championships one of the premier championships in the NCAA ." The 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will take place in St. Louis March 16-18.
Joining Walker on the committee this year are Valeri Richardson, senior associate AD for programs at Virginia; Col. Brian Hill, vice athletic director at the Air Force Academy; Brian Smith, head coach at Missouri; Tom Ryan, head coach at Ohio State and Bob Patnesky, head coach at Davidson College.
In May, Walker was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Colorado Chapter, as an Outstanding American in the Class of 2016.
The Hall of Outstanding Americans demonstrates wrestling's pride in those who have used the disciplines of the sport to launch notable careers in other walks of life, such as science and technology, business and industry, government and the military, and the arts and humanities.
A retired Brigadier General in the United States Air Force, Walker wrestled at the Air Force Academy for legendary coach Wayne Baughman from 1979-1983, serving as team captain his senior year. Additionally, he was an assistant coach under Baughman from 1991-1994.
As Deputy Athletic Director at Air Force, Walker spearheaded the formation of the Western Wrestling Conference in 2005, and served as its commissioner until 2013.