I wonder what happens if they were to finish the match tied 1-1. How does the tie-breaker work?
Here are the official rules for this season:
2016 NCAA Wrestling RulesThey go through a few possible situations so it can get a little involved in determining winner in overtime. Here is the rule:
3.10 Overtime3.10.1 First Round of Overtime. In tournament or dual-meet competition when contestants are tied at the end of three regular periods, the first round of overtime will begin with a sudden-victory period of a maximum of one minute with no rest between the regular match and the sudden-victory period (wrestle-back matches included)
The sudden-victory period will begin with both wrestlers in the neutral position (For exception, see Rule 6)
The wrestler who scores the first point(s) will be declared the winner
If a wrestler in the neutral position is awarded a takedown while meeting a near-fall criterion, wrestling shall continue until a fall or near-fall points are awarded
Any near-fall points are added to the winner’s match score
If a second nonbleeding injury timeout is taken between the end of the third period and the beginning of the sudden-victory period, the opponent shall be awarded one point at the beginning of the sudden-victory period and the match is concluded(See Rule 6)
If the first points were awarded simultaneously, as in a double stall, the match will proceed immediately to the tiebreaker periods
If no winner has been declared at the end of the one-minute sudden-victory period, two 30-second tiebreaker periods will be wrestled
The two tiebreaker periods will be wrestled in their entirety if no fall, default or disqualification occurs
The choice for the top or bottom position in the first tiebreaker period will be determined at the conclusion of the regulation match and granted to the wrestler who scores the first points other than penalty points and escapes in the regulation match
Time advantage of one minute or more for either wrestler shall be included in this determination
(For time advantage use in tournaments, see Rule 2)
When the only points scored are escapes and/or penalty points, the choice of position to start the first tiebreaker period will be granted to the winner of a toss of a colored disc
The referee will toss the disc at the conclusion of the sudden-victory period and allow it to fall to the mat
unimpeded
The wrestler winning the toss may select only the top or bottom position
A wrestler choosing the defensive (bottom) position in the first tiebreaker period shall assume the offensive (top) position in the second tiebreaker period(For exception, see Rule 6)
The two 30-second tiebreaker periods will be wrestled with the time advantage kept and recorded (see Rule 2), and all points scored
However, if due to the first nonbleeding injury timeout, the offensive wrestler accrues at least one minute of time advantage in the tiebreaker periods, that contestant shall be awarded one point(For second nonbleeding injury timeout, see Rule 6) The contestant with the greater number of points, or who is awarded a fall, default or
disqualification, is declared the winner
3.10.2 Second Round of Overtime.
If the score remains tied after the 30-second tiebreaker periods in the first round of overtime, a second round begins
with a sudden-victory period of a maximum of one minute
If the score remains tied after the sudden-victory period, two 30-second tiebreaker periods will be wrestled
The choice for position will be granted to the contestant who did not have the choice in the first tiebreaker round
The two 30-second tiebreaker periods will be wrestled in their entirety, time advantage shall be kept and recorded (see Rule 2), and all points will be scored
The contestant with the greater number of points, or who is awarded a fall, technical fall, default or disqualification, is declared the winner
If the score remains tied at the end of the second round of overtime, time advantage shall be used to determine the winner If a contestant has one second or more of net time advantage accumulated from the two rounds of tiebreaker periods, that wrestler is declared the winner(See Rule 2)
3.10.3 Continuation of Overtime. If the score remains tied after the second and any subsequent round(s) of overtime, and no net time advantage exists, the match will continue in the same fashion (sudden-victory period of a maximum of one minute, two 30-second tiebreaker periods)
The winner is declared using the same methods described in Rule 3
3.10.4 Overtime as Extension of Regulation Match. The sudden-victory and tiebreaker periods will be regarded as extensions of the regulation match
All points, penalties, cautions, warnings, timeouts and injury time will be cumulative throughout the regulation match, the sudden-victory period and the tiebreaker periods; however, time advantage from the regulation match does not carry over
3.10.5 Equal Number of Penalties—Sudden-Victory Period. In a situation in which both wrestlers are penalized an equal number of points simultaneously during the sudden-victory period in any round of overtime, those points will be added to both scores, the sudden-victory period will be terminated, and the wrestlers will proceed to the tiebreaker periods
3.10.6 Injury Due to Illegal Act in Overtime. If an injury occurs as a result of an illegal act during the sudden-victory period of any round of overtime, the match is concluded
If an injury occurs as a result of an illegal act during the tiebreaker periods of any round of overtime, recovery time is applicable (See Rule 6) (For Flagrant Misconduct in Overtime, see Rule 5
3.10.7 Flagrant Misconduct in Overtime. A wrestler earning the first point(s) in the sudden-victory period of any round of overtime can lose only by committing flagrant misconduct
A wrestler who is declared the winner at the end of any round of overtime can lose only by committing flagrant misconduct(See Rule 5)
