NAPERVILLE, Ill. – The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin has announced the hiring of three new officiating coordinators ahead of the 2026-27 academic year.

Kenny Ritchie has been named the CCIW Coordinator of Men’s Wrestling Officials, Jason Salley will serve as the CCIW Coordinator of Women’s Wrestling Officials and Jason Smith has been named the CCIW Coordinator of Softball Officials.

Ritchie and Jason will become the first officiating coordinators for men’s and women’s wrestling, respectively, in CCIW history. The three additions are part of the conference’s continued efforts to strengthen its officiating programs and provide officials with greater opportunities for education, development and support.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Jason Salley, Jason Smith and Kenny Ritchie to the CCIW in these important officiating leadership roles,” CCIW Executive Director Lexie Vernon said. “The addition of coordinators for both men’s and women’s wrestling is an important investment in two sports that continue to grow across our conference, and Jason and Kenny bring the experience, credibility and relationships necessary to help us build strong officiating programs from the ground up. In softball, Jason steps into a role that was so capably led for many years by Art Hill. We are tremendously grateful for Art’s service to the CCIW, and we are confident Jason will build upon that foundation while continuing to support, develop and recruit outstanding officials for our programs. All three will be tremendous resources for our coaches, administrators and officials, and we are thrilled to have them representing the CCIW.”

Kenny Ritchie – Coordinator of Men’s Wrestling Officials

Ritchie brings decades of collegiate wrestling officiating experience to the CCIW and currently serves as the Coordinator of Wrestling Officials for the Big 12 Conference.

In his role with the Big 12, Ritchie oversees the recruitment, assignment, evaluation, training and development of wrestling officials while serving as a liaison between conference administrators, coaches and officials. Prior to moving into an administrative role, Ritchie worked more than 35 NCAA Division I, II and III Wrestling Championships during his officiating career, earning assignments across all three divisions. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2015 in recognition of his contributions to the sport and the officiating profession.

As the CCIW’s first Coordinator of Men’s Wrestling Officials, Ritchie will oversee the conference’s men’s wrestling officiating operations and support the continued recruitment, education, evaluation and development of officials.

Jason Salley – Coordinator of Women’s Wrestling Officials

Jason brings more than 15 years of experience coordinating and assigning wrestling officials, along with extensive experience officiating at the high school, collegiate, national and international levels.

His officiating experience includes work with the Illinois High School Association, Illinois Kids Wrestling Federation, Illinois USA Wrestling, USA Wrestling, United World Wrestling, Real American Freestyle and the NCAA. Jason has officiated women’s collegiate wrestling for more than six years, earning selections to work conference championships, National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships regionals, an NCAA regional and the NCWWC National Championships.

As the CCIW’s first Coordinator of Women’s Wrestling Officials, Jason will oversee the conference’s women’s wrestling officiating operations and support the recruitment, education, evaluation and development of officials.

Jason Smith – Coordinator of Softball Officials

Smith brings extensive officiating, assigning and development experience to the CCIW and currently serves as a Regional Advisor for the NCAA Softball Umpire Program.

His officiating career includes experience across all three NCAA divisions. From 2015 through 2025, Smith worked as a Division I official in the Big Ten, Big 12, American Athletic, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, Western Athletic and Summit League conferences.

Beyond his on-field experience, Smith brings extensive coordinating experience at the national level and currently oversees officiating assignments for four conferences: the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and Sunshine State Conference.

As Coordinator of Softball Officials, Smith will oversee the conference’s softball officiating operations and support the recruitment, education, evaluation and development of officials.

The CCIW is committed to developing and supporting officials by providing opportunities, resources and an environment that promote their growth and success. With these hires, the conference looks forward to strengthening its officiating programs through enhanced leadership, consistency and continued investment across its sports. In collaboration with Officially Human, the CCIW also remains committed to supporting and restoring respect for game officials through increased education and communication with all stakeholders.

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The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).