All images taken at the Women's West Coast Tournament of Champions, by Chris Mora Photo
If sports announcements were measured on the Richter Scale in terms of their impact on the youth sports industry, NCAA’s recent approval of women’s wrestling as a championship sport probably hit around a 9.5.
The news came out of the organization’s national convention, following separate votes by all three divisions.
"We are thrilled that women's wrestling will be an NCAA sport, making it the 91st championship that we host," NCAA President Charlie Baker said. "We extend a big thank you to everyone who supported this effort and the athletes, coaches and fans for their passion for a fast-growing and exciting sport that brings even more opportunities for women to participate in athletics."
There were 76 women's wrestling programs at NCAA schools in 2023-24, with projections pointing to an additional 17 programs in 2024-25. More than 1,200 women wrestlers are competing at NCAA schools today. The sport is also diverse. At least 45% of the student-athletes competing are of diverse or international backgrounds.
"This means so much to women's wrestling and to women's sports in general," said University of Iowa student-athlete wrestler and 2024 Olympic silver medalist Kennedy Blades. "It gives women's wrestling recognition and shows that it is important, not just around the world, but also in our country. College sports are huge in the United States. This shows how much women's wrestling is growing. Since I was a little girl, I dreamed about being an NCAA national wrestling champion. It will fulfill so many little girls' dreams, including mine."
According to Sally Roberts, CEO of Wrestle Like a Girl, the announcement was a watershed moment.
“It has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime ushering this sport into a new era,” she notes.
Wrestle Like A Girl has been one of the proponents of the championship initiative, alongside USA Wrestling.
A women's wrestling committee will now be established to work with NCAA staff on the development of the first championship, which will be held in winter 2026; at that time, it will be an intercollegiate championship, meaning all three divisions will be competing against one another. When more programs are offered in each division, separate championships will be held.
While many organizations have been following the developments closely, in Placer Valley, California, it’s cause for special celebration. That destination hosts the Women’s West Coast Tournament of Champions, an annual wrestling tournament for colleges, high schools and middle schools in Roseville, California. It has become the nation’s largest girls’ and women’s wrestling tournament not connected to a championship.
“About 150 teams – and more than 1,250 athletes – competed in the eighth annual tournament in December 2024, a dramatic increase from just a couple dozen schools in 2016,” said Kim Summers, CEO of Placer Valley Tourism. “College wrestling teams came from as far away as Indiana and North Carolina to compete. Women’s wrestling has become one of the fastest-growing sports and helps empower girls and young women. We are very proud to have played a role in the evolution of the sport.”
The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics made a recommendation in February that NCAA Divisions I, II and III sponsor legislation to move women's wrestling to championship status. In addition, the NCAA Board of Governors approved $1.7 million in Association-wide funding at its meeting in April to establish the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships.
Before the Committee on Women's Athletics made its recommendation to move women's wrestling to championship status, 40 schools had to sponsor the sport at varsity level and meet other competition and participant requirements. Women's wrestling, which became an emerging sport in 2020, eclipsed the sponsorship minimum in the 2022-23 academic year.
Women's wrestling is the sixth emerging sport to earn NCAA championship status. Since the emerging sports program was established in 1994, based on a recommendation from the NCAA Gender Equity Task Force, five women's sports have earned NCAA championship status: rowing (1996), ice hockey (2000), water polo (2000), bowling (2003) and beach volleyball (2015).
In the 2023-24 academic year, these sports collectively included nearly 14,000 student-athletes, about 6% of the total student-athletes competing in NCAA women's championship sports, according to the most recent NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates data. Women's wrestling accounted for an additional 1,226 student-athletes in 2023-24.
The emerging sports program continues to thrive. Currently five sports are working to reach championship status: acrobatics and tumbling, equestrian, rugby, stunt and triathlon. Additionally, the NCAA received an application this summer requesting that women's flag football join the emerging sports program.
Women's wrestling is poised for explosive growth, and its championship status is expected to lead to even more participation at the high school level. Feeder programs for college are coming from high schools, where burgeoning participation numbers are good news for NCAA. According to the 2023-2024 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, participation on girls teams has continued its historic rise as well with 64,257 participants last year – an increase of 102 percent from the 31,654 in 2021-22.
Expect greater economic impact as more youth wrestling events showcase girls in an attempt to draw the attention of college coaches. And there’s plenty of precedent: In 2018, the Women’s West Coast Tournament of Champions was named one of SDM’s Champions of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism.
In 2024, champions included the following wrestling events:
- In Evansville, Indiana, the 2024 IHSAA State Wrestling Tournament, together with Explore Evansville, brought $3.74 million in economic impact and consumed 2.482 room nights.
- In Kissimmee, Florida, the Spartan Combat Nationals 2024 and Kissimmee Sports Commission brought in an economic impact of $2.33 million and 4,458 room nights.
- A final wrestling event in 2024, the Nuway Combat Rumble at Cedar Point Sports Center in: Sandusky, Ohio, used more than 200 room nights and made a $2.07 million impact. Worth noting: It was a first-time event.
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