NCAA often finds itself in the limelight for all the wrong reasons, mainly for their questionable calls that overshadow the dedication of college athletes. This time, it happened in wrestling, where the margin of error is dangerously thin. And nowhere was it more evident than in the opening round of the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships, where things went south after a ‘bite mark’ controversy.

Here’s what happened. North Central’s Kaelani Shufeldt, the No. 3 seed, had just taken a 2-0 lead on a takedown when her opponent, Presbyterian’s Chloe Dearwester, collapsed on the mat clutching her right elbow in visible distress.

As opponent writhed, screaming and quivering from what appeared to be a significant injury, NCAA officials stopped the bout to assess the situation. But what happened next left both competitors utterly bewildered.

Referees discovered a bite mark on Dearwester’s left arm and promptly disqualified Shufeldt for brutality, awarding the match to her injured opponent. But what actually happened was discovered later.

The broadcast footage that went around on social media (as seen on Elisa Lackey’s X post) wasn’t initially available to the NCAA officials during their review. It showcased that Dearwester bit down on her own left wrist in agony, a natural pain response. A fan then reacted, “Wrestling refs suck a**,” probably since Shufeldt was incorrectly disqualified .

Meanwhile, Shuteldt’s coach Joe Norton presented compelling evidence, protecting his wrestler, stating, “Kaelani wears a mouthpiece, so from what we saw with the bite mark, she wouldn’t have been able to leave that kind of ring — at least not with the top of her teeth. I thought it was curious, but the last thing you want to do is accuse the other athlete of biting (herself), so I assumed one of them bit her incidentally in the action.”

But Dearwester’s coach’s reaction was quite honest and it pacified the situation.

Dearwester’s coach Brian Vutianitis immediately expressed, “While our wrestler was screaming in pain and in a situation where she was literally quivering from the pain she was in, it looks to be that she could’ve possibly done it herself, and those things were brought to the attention of the referee.”

Even the officials were seen confused during the 12-minute delay. And when they took the situation to head official Sammy Julian, he stood by the initial decision, giving a clear indication to the referee with a whistle, who raised Dearwester’s hand in victory.

However, the moment the footage went viral on social media, the wrestling community was furious with the NCAA officials.

NCAA officials are the point of criticism once again

Collegiate events are almost an everyday task for such NCAA officials. However, decisions like the brutality call on North Central’s Kaelani Shufeldt and disqualifying her from the competition do impact not only the wrestler’s career but also their mental state.

And the fans aren’t happy with it, as this comment reads, “Don’t blame the coach for the refs f***ing up.”

In a statement released approximately 90 minutes after the match, NCAA Women’s Wrestling Committee chair Oscar Ramirez confirmed that the jury had upheld the brutality call, resulting in Shufeldt’s disqualification from the event and the loss of all team points.

Frustrated with how the events unfolded, this fan expressed, stating, “Coach should be getting a ban, should be an investigation as to whether the athlete gets one and the head official should never be in that position ever again.”

A fan wrote, “This is not right, not at all. Everyone involved in this needs to be held accountable.” With hopes high, this comment read, “Hoping Kaelani and her coaches are able to get some type of appeal, her head was never near where her opponent bit her own arm and it’s clear in all videos I’ve seen.”

The decision just shattered a young athlete’s championship hopes, despite all the available evidence. And the community’s frustration with NCAA officials is quite justified.