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Inaugural Hawkeye Open to take place on one day, January 2; some of the programs entered have been announced

by Hawkeye Open

Action image courtesy of Hawks_Wrestling Twitter.


December 27, 2021 – The Hawkeye Open will take place Sunday, January 2 at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. The first-year event, organized and announced last week in the wake of the Midlands Tournament cancellation was previously scheduled to take place over two days on January 1 & 2.


“Interest has been very strong but the quick turnaround for teams, particularly those whose athletes are home for the break, has been challenging for many.” said Hawkeye Open Tournament Co-Director Nathan Eichorst. “One thing is for certain; we have seen strong demand for a future event that compliments the Southern Scuffle dates.”


“Super excited by the opportunity to host this one-day tournament and believe it has the potential to be the start of something big. Thanks to the size and flexibility of our venue, we are confident that we can run this event over the course of one day.” said Luke Eustice, Director of the Iowa City Area Sports Commission and Hawkeye Open Tournament Co-Director. “Trying to pull this tournament together in the span of about 8 days – at the quality & service level demanded by our community and fans – has been a fun challenge. I couldn’t be prouder of our Sports Commission team or thankful to our partners & sponsors. It will be a first-class red-carpet event for our athletes and coaches.”


The Iowa Hawkeyes have committed to sending a strong contingent to neighboring Coralville. The University of Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Arizona State, Purdue, Northern Illinois University, Minnesota State-Mankato, and Virginia will have wrestlers in attendance with 6 additional schools recently adding the event to their schedule.


Indiana Institute of Tech, Texas Wesleyan, Iowa Wesleyan, Augsburg, and William Penn will highlight the inaugural women’s tournament. A complete field of teams and unattached wrestlers will be released on Friday, December 31.


Wrestler registration remain open for coaches to register their athletes on TrackWrestling.com. Any unattached wrestlers can resister by contacting Nathan Eichorst at n_eichorst@live.com. The registration fee is $30 for all wrestlers with registration closing at 8PM on December 28. Late registration will be $75 and close at 7PM on December 31. Packet pickup and payment will take place in the Xtream Arena lobby on Saturday, January 1 from 3PM to 7PM.

Schedule:

7:30 am Men’s & Women’s Registration

8:30 am Medical Checks for Men & Women

9:00 am Men’s & Women’s Weigh In (GreenState Family Fieldhouse)

10:00 am Tournament Officials, Coaches, & Workers Briefing

10:00 am Xtream Arena opens to Spectators

11:00 am Men’s & Women’s divisions wrestle to conclusion.


Ticket prices remain $30 + tax/fees for the single day event. All-session ticket purchasers are encouraged to retain their tickets for Sunday, January 2nd and you will be able to show them at the Ironside Apparel merchandise stand on the concourse to receive a limited-edition Hawkeye Open stocking cap, available only to all-session ticket purchasers. If you are unable to attend and would like to have your ticket refunded, please email xtreamarenatickets@spectraxp.com, with your confirmation number to receive your all-session ticket refund.


Saturday single-day ticket purchasers will be contacted directly from our box office or if you’d like a refund, please email xtreamarenatickets@spectraxp.com. Any/all proceeds from Hawkeye Open will go to Wrestle Like a Girl for the continued advocacy and advancement of girls and women’s wrestling.


Limited suite and club seats are available. Contact Josh Kleinmeyer at Xtream Arena (josh.kleinmeyer@spectraxp.com) for details.