SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Notre Dame will not compete in this weekend's Midwest Classic, Head Coach #Frank Romano# announced today.

Travel to the two-day tournament in Indianapolis turned out to be a conflict with many of the team's student-athletes finishing up final exams on Friday.  "That has to be our primary concern," said Romano.  "We can't turn academic schedules upside down, and that's what was going to happen."

Romano and the Falcons will now turn their attention to defending their NAIA title at the National Duals.  The annual midseason classic -- which features the Top-16 teams in each level of collegiate wrestling -- will be contested Jan. 8-9 in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

The Falcons' bench boss indicated that the team will be off until Dec. 27, when they begin training for the NAIA National Duals and the balance of the 2010-11 season.