Upcoming Events Watchlist

While the folkstyle season comes to a conclusion, the wrestling season is still underway at the collegiate and international levels. In fact, there are a number of upcoming high-profile tournaments that wrestling fans should be sure to check out over the next six months. So, here’s a list of important events that can help you stay connected either as a fan or competitor. 

NCAA Division I Championships (March 19–21, St. Louis, Mo.) – Watch as Ohio State standout Logan Stieber attempts to win his fourth NCAA title and teams such Big Ten co-champions Ohio State and Iowa slug it out for college wrestling’s biggest prize. If you don’t have plans to attend this year’s NCAA Division I Championships, be sure to tune into live coverage provided by ESPN (to include ESPN3, ESPNU, ESPN2, and ESPN) and TrackWrestling.  Many will be tweeting live results throughout the tournament also, so there are plenty of ways to follow along from home. For college wrestling fans, it doesn't get any better than this.

The NCAA Championships are the culmination of months and years of hard work, says Ohio State coach Tom Ryan. "We talk about championship season feeling a little different—the matches are tighter, the stakes are higher," says Ryan. "I think the guys who end up performing the best at nationals are the ones who control what is controllable—how much sleep you get, what you eat, how hard you prepare. For anyone who is a fan of our sport, this is the greatest time of year.”

World Cup (April 11–12, Los Angeles, Calif.) – Iran will be looking to repeat as champions, but seven other countries will also be compeing for the World Cup title in men’s freestyle wrestling at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. Competing countries include Russia, Cuba, Mongolia, and the U.S.A. in Group A and Iran, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Turkey in Group B. Each team will wrestle three matches within their pool and at the completion of pool competition, each team will then wrestle their equal placer from the other pool to determine final placing. Many of the matches will likely include 2015 World Championship or 2016 Olympic match previews as the best of the best from each country compete.

"The United States and the rest of world are full of some great wrestlers,” says Yero Washington, Executive Director of Beat The Streets Los Angeles, host, along with California USA Wrestling and USA Wrestling, of the event. "The fact that world class athletes from Iran, Russia, Cuba, and the United States—countries that may have differences outside of sport—are all competing in the same building and against each other is a credit to the sport of wrestling and the opportunities it provides."

Las Vegas/ASICS Open Wrestling Championships (May 5–9, Las Vegas, Nev.) – The ultimate wrestling event for all ages, this event includes the U.S. Open, Veteran’s Nationals, UWW (formerly FILA) Junior Nationals, the West Junior Regional, and the Las Vegas Kids/Cadet Open. Youth wrestlers are able to wrestle alongside and share the same stage, literally, with their heroes, as the top American wrestlers compete in the U.S. Open. It's also a chance for veteran wrestlers to get on the mat and compete, perhaps one last time.

"The camaraderie, being around all the wrestlers, being around the people involved in wrestling, is really what I enjoy the most," says Tom Handrick of Minocqua, Wisc., who competed in the Veterans event in 2007, 2008, and 2014, winning the 130 KG title in 2007. "It's neat to be on that bigger stage with thousands of people around, but every year I've met people I've become good friends with. That's what's great about the event. I see old friends and make new friends I stay in touch with every year."

U.S. World Team Trials (June 12–14, Madison, Wisc.) – This event, headed back to Madison for the second straight year, includes many of the best freestyle wrestlers in the United States, all competing for a chance to advance to compete in the World Team Trials. Expected competitors include Olympic champions Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner, reigning World champion Adeline Gray, as well as many other world medalists and former NCAA champions. All matches at this year's event will be held on raised platforms, four feet off the ground. This will help to give wrestling fans an up close and personal viewing experience.

"Not only are these wrestlers among the best in the United States, many are among the best in the world," says Mitch Hull, who was the USA Wrestling National Teams Director for 21 years. “So it's a great opportunity to watch somebody who is the best in the world at what they do. That's something people don't get a chance to see very often, so I encourage wrestling fans to take advantage of that opportunity and see some great wrestlers and wrestling."

ASICS/Vaughan Cadet/Junior Nationals (July 18–25, Fargo, N.D.) – Over 2,500 different wrestlers will compete in six different ages/divisions over the course of the week in Fargo, N.D. at the Cadet & Junior Nationals. This will be the 20th year that the Cadet & Junior Nationals will be co-hosted in Fargo. Competitors at this event often become future collegiate stars and will be vying to make Olympic teams in 2020 and beyond. 

"Fargo is billed as the largest tournament in the world," says Mark Reiland, chairman of Iowa USA Wrestling. "It's the place where kids start to become household names in the wrestling world. Many of our top collegiate and international wrestlers have competed in these tournaments."

Junior World Wrestling Championships (August 11–16, Recife, Brazil) – Though not many American wrestling fans will attend the event, this tournament is usually a breeding ground of future stars. And in this case, Brazil is site of the 2016 Olympic Games, so this will be a chance for the Brazilian Wrestling Federation to show the world what to expect next year. In addition, the Junior World Championships are the first international competition for many future Olympic and World champions.  The U.S. men’s freestyle team placed second in 2014, so they will look to take home the title this year.

"The atmosphere at this event is absolutely fantastic," says Adam Coon of Fowlerville, Mich., who took home Bronze medals in both freestyle and Greco-Roman at the 2014 Junior Worlds. "The crowd is allowed to bring in noisemakers, trumpets, drums. They are rowdy. They are yelling and screaming and everybody is into it."

World Wrestling Championships (September 7–12, Las Vegas, Nev.) – The best wrestlers in the world convene in Las Vegas at the end of summer for the World Championships. This is the first time since 2003 that the U.S. has hosted the Worlds, so the home team has high expectations for success in all three styles. This year's World Championships also have an added incentive: if a wrestler from any country finishes in the top 6 in that weight class, that country will automatically qualify in that weight for the 2016 Olympics.

"We are proud to be the host city for the 2015 World Wrestling Championships,” says Pat Christenson, president of Las Vegas Events, who was the 1976 NCAA champion at 167 pounds while wrestling for the University of Wisconsin. "Las Vegas in known internationally as the home of championship events and experiences that can’t be found anywhere else in the world. The World Wrestling Championships fit perfectly into our roster of events and we welcome the opportunity to host more than 100 delegations and their fans from around the globe.”