Girls State Wrestling Championships, Jan. 19 at W-SR

To The Press

WAVERLY — The Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) is pleased to announce its first interscholastic Iowa High School Girls Wrestling Championships, Jan. 19 at Waverly-Shell Rock High School.

In December, W-SR hosted the school’s first-ever girls dual meet with visiting Charles City competing against the Go-Hawks.

The 2019 championship event conducted by the IWCOA marks the end of the second season in which IHSAA member schools offered females the opportunity to compete in girls’ divisions. All eligible girls competing on wrestling teams sponsored by the Iowa High School Athletic Association member schools and included on their rosters are eligible to participate. This event counts as one of the wrestler’s 17 competition dates allowed during the season by IHSAA rules.

Wrestling will begin at 10:30 a.m. at W-SR with weigh-ins scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. The event will feature ten weight classes (106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 152, 170, 195, 285) and the top six place winners will be recognized in each weight class. The top three teams will also be recognized, as team scores will be kept for the girls’ division, with a maximum of ten participants able to score points for their school team.

Nationally, girls wrestling participation has nearly doubled since 2014 with more than 16,000 athletes competing during the 2017-18 season, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). IHSAA member high schools had 93 girls participating in wrestling last season when Ogden and Independence High Schools made history by offering the first in-season girls’ divisions. With new competition opportunities and teams recruiting and creating opportunities for their school’s female wrestlers, participation in Iowa has increased to 157 girls.

The IWCOA will serve as a presenting sponsor for the event.