Milwaukee Pins Down Major Wrestling Event

USA Wrestling, the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, has awarded one of its most popular age-group events, the Junior National Dual Meet Championships, to Milwaukee, Wis. for the next four years (2025-28).
 

The event is scheduled to be held at the Baird Center in Milwaukee. The local organizing committee is the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation, USA Wrestling’s state association in Wisconsin. The event is supported by Sports Milwaukee.
 

Known as the Junior National Duals, the event features boys teams from USA Wrestling state associations competing in dual meet competition in freestyle and Greco-Roman.
 

Wisconsin becomes just the third state to host the Junior National Duals, which were created in 1991 and held in Wheaton, Ill. The state of Illinois has hosted five times. Oklahoma first hosted the event in Lawton, Okla. in 1994, and conducted the event 28 times.
 

Milwaukee becomes the ninth city to host the event, which featured five cities in Oklahoma (Lawton, Oklahoma City, Edmond, Enid, Tulsa) and three cities in Illinois (Wheaton, Park Forest, Edwardsville).
 

The Junior National Duals for girls, which was created in 2005 in Fargo, N.D., was held alongside the boys in Tulsa from 2018-2023, but will not be included alongside the boys in Milwaukee. The Junior National Duals for girls will move and be held alongside the 16U and 14U National Duals for girls in Indiana in 2025.
 

“USA Wrestling is excited to bring one of its most popular and historic age-group national events, the Junior National Duals, to Milwaukee for the next four years. I want to thank our state association in Oklahoma for its long-time leadership in developing the Junior Duals into a world-class competition. We are looking forward to working with the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation as we continue to grow and build this property. The Baird Center will be a great venue for the event, and we are pleased to bring our top high-school boys wrestlers from across the nation and their families to Milwaukee,” said Pete Isais, USA Wrestling National Events Director.
 

“It is an honor for the WWF to host one of USA Wrestling’s crown jewel events. This is an incredible opportunity for athletes to compete on the national stage in the Cheesehead State and for our members to witness wrestling at the highest high school level right in their own backyard. Being awarded this bid after its longstanding run in Oklahoma is a testament to our team and the strength of the Wisconsin wrestling community. I want to personally thank everyone who contributed to making this happen. We are excited to deliver a top-tier championship experience for athletes, coaches, and fans,” said Todd Schaaf, WWF State Chairperson.
 

“We are thrilled to welcome USA Wrestling to Milwaukee, where we know there is a huge fan base and an eager hospitality community waiting to greet them with open arms. We know USA Wrestling’s guests will love the newly expanded Baird Center, our top-tier attractions, dining and amenities, plus an incredibly accessible city center, all of which will make for the perfect Junior National Dual Meet Championships. We are tremendously grateful to USA Wrestling for their trust in Milwaukee and can’t wait to show off to their attendees all our dynamic community has to offer," said Marissa Werner, Director of Sports Milwaukee.
 

For the first time in event history, Wisconsin won the Junior National Duals in freestyle in 2024, defeating Ohio Blue in the championship finals.  The returning champion in Greco-Roman is California Blue, which beat Pennsylvania in the championship finals.
 

The Baird Center, which was built in 1998, went through a $456M expansion in 2024, doubling its size to 1.3 million total square feet. The expansion ushers in an exciting new era of accessibility, innovation and unrivaled event experiences. Due to the increased meeting rooms and exposition space, Baird Center is able to accommodate multiple, simultaneous and overlapping events. With double the space, inclusive features and state-of-the-art amenities, Baird Center showcases Milwaukee as a world-class destination for visitors from around the world.