The Iowa State Wrestling Tournaments new format has been well received. The dual tournament was moved to early February at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
Since 2012 it had been held the day before the start of the traditional tournament in Wells Fargo Arena. Lewie Curtis is the wrestling administrator for the Iowa High School Athletic Association.
In previous years many coaches were reluctant to expose their top wrestlers to injury a day before the individual tournament.
This year’s traditional tournament features an expanded bracket of 24 competitors in each weight class. That means an additional 336 wrestlers will compete this week.
One thing that has not changed is ticket demand for Saturday night’s championship session. It remains one of the toughest tickets to get in the state.
Officials with the Iowa High School Athletic Association says there are no plans to alter Thursday’s schedule at the state wrestling tournament despite the possibility of heavy snow in Des Moines. Curtis says the wrestlers are all in Des Moines after the first day of competition Wednesday.
