HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker College wrestling program has been selected as one of sixteen finalists for the Elite Level Sports Marketing (ELSM) and the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) "Pure Entertainment" award in the Best of Brand College Division.

The finalists were chosen by the committee based on the effectiveness of the school to market their program, while also delivering an entertaining product for the public.

The committee selected the following schools as finalists: Buena Vista, Buffalo, Coker College, Drexel, George Mason, Hofstra, Lehigh, Minnesota, Muhlenberg College, Old Dominion, Princeton, Sacred Heart, Simpson College, South Dakota State, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, and West Virginia.

"We are extremely excited to be selected as a finalist for the award," said Coker head coach Cy Wainwright. "This is a testament to the emphasis that Coker has put into marketing and growing the sport of wrestling."

This Best of Brand award program initiative between the NWCA and ELSM honors wrestling programs for their investment in marketing with a goal of continuing to inspire coaches to engage in branding initiatives.

The criteria for determining the "Pure Entertainment" award winner will feature two key elements: a panel of judges assessing annual performance (70%) and an online voting competition (30%). The online voting component will include 15% allocated to the actual vote totals and 15% to the creativity of campaign during the Battle Round voting.

Coker is the only NCAA Division II program that was selected as a finalist.

​Challenge Details and Voting

The Pure Entertainment category voting will feature a "Battle Round" bracket challenge format.  Teams will be paired based on their seeding and will battle head-to-head each day to advance in the competition.  Each round of voting will be open for one day from 4:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST, and the program must win that day's vote to advance to the next round.

• Day 1: Round 1                   Monday, June 1
• Day 2: Quarterfinals            Tuesday, June 2
• Day 3: Semifinals                Wednesday, June 3
• Day 4: Finals                       Thursday, June 4

Finalists and Match-Ups

The finalists for the "Pure Entertainment" video category were selected by committee and ranked accordingly.  Based on seeding, the following first round matchups will take place:​ 

Winner Announcement

The Champion and Top 3 in the competition will be announced this summer at the NWCA Convention in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from July 30th to August 2nd.

About National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments.   The membership embraces all people interested in amateur wrestling.  The three core competencies of the NWCA are: coaching development, student-athlete welfare, and promotion of wrestling.

​About Elite Level Sports Marketing (ELSM) Elite Level Sports Marketing is a firm which specializes in the development and implementation of innovative marketing plans for sport organizations, businesses, and programs.  Functioning around five core values: innovation, integrity, connection, adding value, and making a difference, ELSM provides coaches and fans with marketing resources to help grow sport organizations.