In a move that was much needed, the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) has approved moving girls wrestling to two classes for the upcoming 2024-2025 season.
When girls wrestling became a sanctioned sport in 2022 it was one-class across the state.
In 2024, a total of 204 schools sponsored a girls’ wrestling program, while 61 other schools were listed in cooperative sharing agreements.
The move places the 64 largest schools into Class 2A with the remaining schools in Class 1A.
Qualifying for the state tournament will still be held at regional meets across the state on Friday, January 31, 2025.
Eight regional qualifying sites for both classes will see the top 16 qualifiers from each weight class make the Girls State Wrestling Tournament which will be held at Xtream Arena in Coralville, February 6-7.
The tournament will remain a two-day event with separate sessions for each class on February 6 and combined session on February 7.
“The rapid rise of participants in girls wrestling has exceeded even our expectations,” said IGHSAU Executive Director Erin Gerlich. “Adding a second class is the next building block in our efforts to continue to help the sport grow. The hope is that the addition of a second class will encourage more schools to add girls’ wrestling programs.”
The Clear Lake Lions girls wrestling head coach, Ray McQueen, is very excited about the opportunities that will come from the two classes.
“I think it opens up a lot more opportunities for girls around the state but at the end of the day, everyone will still have to wrestle,” said McQueen. “There is talk about making State a 23 girls bracket instead of 32, which means there won’t be top four to qualify. With ‘Way too early rankings” out Pieper Lester is currently ranked 6th in 1A.”
“I’m very excited to see where this will lead us as a school and where it will take us as a whole for the state. Girl’s wrestling still continues to grow at a large rate and we might event adapt 3A later on down the road. I’m excited for the program and to see where we will be by the end of the season next year.”
