Upcoming Wrestling Event Guide

2017­­–18 Wrestling Event Guide

There is a buzz in the air. Wrestlers, coaches, parents, and wrestling fans across the country are taking notice:

The USA Wrestling 2017–2018 Regional, National and International Events schedule is shaping up to be one of the best, and most competitive, in recent wrestling history. Combine that with an always-loaded NCAA schedule, along with unique regional and national youth and high school events across the country, and it’s a great time to be a wrestling fan.

“We’re excited about the events that are taking place,” said Pete Isais, Director of National Events for USA Wrestling. “We feel there are a lot of great competitions throughout the year that wrestling fans will really enjoy, so we’re excited.”

Competition should be at an all-time high for all age groups.

“Our job is to create Olympic champions down the road, and create that pipeline to sustain and compete at a high level of excellence,” Isais said. “So we have a number of events that will provide top competition for our athletes at all levels.”

In addition to the competition schedule, these events are all put on by a dedicated team of USA Wrestling employees, and local event leaders, and volunteers. In other words, months of planning comes together to put on a great wrestling tournament.

“There are a lot of moving pieces that take place behind the scenes that a participant or coach may not see, but are necessary for the success of a tournament,” said Kyle Steinacher, Event Manager, Athletics Facilities and Operations, at the University of Northern Iowa. Steinacher serves as event manager for the USAW Folkstyle National Championships March 29–31 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. His duties range from securing hotel rooms for tournament personnel to securing support staff such as athletic training personnel, pairing officials, referees, photographers, volunteers, and more.

Running a smooth event is important for the long-term growth of wrestling. And creating a memorable experience on and off the mat for all involved is what Steinacher and his team strive to provide.

“These events are important to us from a facility management perspective, but are also part of our social responsibility,” he said. “It gives our youth an opportunity to become involved with an activity, it boosts our region’s economy, and gives our businesses and community an opportunity to show off the great area that we call home here in the Cedar Valley.”

With that, let’s take a look at some of the key events of 2017–18:

U23 World Team Trials, Oct. 6–8, Rochester, MN
It all kicks off with the U23 World Team Trials in Rochester, MN. Hosted by United World Wrestling, this is a qualifying event in all three Olympic disciplines for the U23 World Championships, set for Bydgoszcz, Poland, November 21–26. Athletes who are between 19–23 years old can enter (born 1994–1998), with 18-year-olds (born 1999) able to compete with a medical and parental certificate. This age group covers a variety of talented athletes, including wrestlers who are college graduates, others still competing in college, and even some of the nation’s best high school upperclassmen.

USAW Preseason Nationals, October 28–29, Cedar Falls, IA
Some of the nation's best youth and high school wrestlers are looking forward to competing at the always competitive USA Wrestling Preseason Nationals. The unofficial kickoff to the USA Wrestling youth and high school tournament season, the annual event attracts over 3,000 boys and girls from around the country in a folkstyle tournament that sets the tone for many individuals for the upcoming season.

“Everybody is at a different level, and national events like these provide wrestlers with opportunities to test themselves, and gain experiences that, no matter how they do, they can learn from and take back to the local and state level, and use it to prepare for the upcoming season,” Isais said.

Dave Schultz Memorial International, November 1–4, Colorado Springs, CO
Some of the best United States and international wrestlers from up to 30 different wrestling federations will compete in the annual Dave Schultz Memorial International Nov. 1–4 in Colorado Springs, CO. This tournament represents the spirit of friendship, sportsmanship, and goodwill that Dave Schultz exemplified up until his death in 1996. Schultz, through his open mind and open heart, taught many about how to look beyond the boundaries of countries and language, to look at similarities and common love of the sport of wrestling.

52nd NWCA All-Star Classic, November 5, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Since moving to the beginning of the season, the All-Star Classic has served as the ribbon-cutting for the start of the collegiate wrestling season, showcasing dozens of All-Americans and future NCAA champions over the years. This year, for the first time, the event will also feature a full slate of women competing at the All-Star Classic.

“What’s unique about the All-Star Classic is where else, in one single dual, can you find upwards of 15–16 college All-Americans annually? You can’t,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “We have NCAA finals previews, but what we’re most excited about is doing something else that’s never been done before.” For the first time in the history of the event, the All-Star Classic will pair men’s and women’s wrestling duals known as “One Sport: HiStory and HerStory.”

“With the push from groups like Wrestle Like A Girl, the NWCA, USA Wrestling and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame to get the application process started to get women’s wrestling listed as an NCAA emerging sport, we’re going to capitalize on that effort and show everyone the value of what wrestling means for everyone, not just our boys and young men,” Moyer said.

Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, Dec. 29–30, Hoffman Estates, IL

The 55th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships will take place at Sears Centre Arena. Last year's competition had the biggest field ever and featured 71 ranked wrestlers, including 38 that were ranked in the top 10 of their respective weight classes. 

Southern Scuffle, January 1–2, Chattanooga, TN

Defending NCAA champion Penn State, which won Scuffle team titles from 2011–2016 before missing last year's event because of a schedule conflict, will return in 2018.

Women's Collegiate Wrestling Championships, February 9, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The best of the best in women's college wrestling will participate in the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Championships (WCWA) at Abe Lemons Arena on the campus of Oklahoma City University. Women's college wrestling is growing fast and many future international stars will emerge during this tournament.

NCAA DI Championships, March 15–17, Cleveland
The NCAA Division I championships, the premiere collegiate wrestling event of the year, will take place in Cleveland. Penn State has won seven of the last eight NCAA championships.

USMC Girls Folkstyle Nationals, March 2018, location TBD
In March, the best girls wrestlers in the nation will get a chance to compete on a national stage as part of the USMC Girls Folkstyle National Championships, Junior Women’s Folkstyle Duals, and U23 World Team Trial Qualifier. The location is to be determined, but one thing is certain—girls’ wrestling is on the rise, and this will be showcased at the event.

“All our girls wrestling events have seen double digit percentage increases in participation in recent years,” Isais said. “That’s really exciting to see.”

Senior Men's Freestyle World Cup, April 7–8, Iowa City, IA
April is a busy month, kicking off with the Senior Men's Freestyle World Cup. The event, which is the annual international freestyle dual meet championships, will be held at the world-famous Carver-Hawkeye Arena on the campus of the University of Iowa. The World Cup features the top eight men’s freestyle wrestling teams in the world. Those teams were determined based upon the results of the men’s freestyle competition at the 2017 World Wrestling Championships. In other words, the best wrestlers from the top wrestling countries in the world will compete at this event, which should be one of the premiere spectator events of the season.

“The World Cup is just a tremendous spectator event,” Isais said. “It’s going to be a heck of a competition, and holding it in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, we feel we can really get a good crowd, get them involved and get fans excited about international wrestling, because it involves the best wrestlers in the world.”

U.S Open, April 25–28, Las Vegas, NV
One of the most important—and competitive—senior events of the year takes place in Las Vegas at the end of April. Top U.S. freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestlers and rising newcomers battle it out to advance to the World Team Trials.

National Wrestling Hall of Fame Honors Weekend, June 1-2, Stillwater, OK

The National Wrestling Hall of Fame will induct the Class of 2018 at the 42nd Anniversary Honors Weekend in June in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

World Team Trials, June/July 2018, location TBD
Next summer, at a location(s) to be determined, the best Senior Freestyle wrestlers in the country will compete for a chance to participate in the 2018 World Championships at the World Team Trials. On June 20, the Senior Greco Roman World Team Trials will take place in Tulsa, OK. The annual Cadet and Junior Nationals tournament, the largest tournament in the world, will take place July 13–21, in Fargo, ND.

2017–18 Wrestling Key Event Dates (not a complete list of USAW events)
Complete USAW tournament schedule of events

October 6–8, U23 World Team Trials, UWW U23 Division, Rochester, MN
October 28–29, USA Wrestling Preseason Nationals, Cedar Falls, IA Registration
November 1–4, Dave Schultz Memorial International, Colorado Springs, CO
November 5, 52nd NWCA All-Star Classic, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
December 29–30, 2018 55th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, Hoffman Estates, IL
January 1–2, Southern Scuffle, Chattanooga, TN
February 9, Women's Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) Championships, Oklahoma City, OK
March 15–17, NCAA DI championships, Cleveland, OH
March 22–25, USMC Girls Folkstyle National Championships, Junior Women’s Folkstyle Duals, U23 World Team Trial Qualifier, location TBD
March 24–25, Middle School Folkstyle National Duals, Grades 6-8: Folkstyle, Danville, IL
March 29–31, USAW Folkstyle National Championships, Cedar Falls, IA
April 6–8, NWCA/USA Wrestling High School Folkstyle Duals, High School (9th-11th Grade): Folkstyle, Crawfordsville, IN
April 7–8, Senior Men's Freestyle World Cup, Senior: FS, Iowa City, IA
April 25–28, US Open: Senior Nationals, Senior: FS/WFS, Las Vegas, NV
April 26–28, US Open: Senior Greco Roman World Team Trials, Senior: GR, Las Vegas, NV
April 26–28, US Open: UWW Junior National Championships *see age division, UWW Junior: FS Las Vegas, NV
May 11–13, Women’s National Championships: UWW Cadet and  Junior World Team Trials, Irving, TX
May 18, Beat the Streets, Senior National Team Members by Selection Only, New York City, NY  
June 1–2, NWHOF Honors Weekend, Stillwater, OK

June 20, Senior Greco Roman World Team Trials *Top 2 from Senior Open, Senior: GR, Tulsa, OK

June/July, Senior Men’s Freestyle World Team Trials, Senior: FS, TBD
July 13–21, USMC/USAW Junior & Cadet National Championships, Cadet and Junior: GR/FS/WFS, Fargo, ND