Iowa girls’ state wrestling meet expands to two classes

The Iowa girls wrestling competition expands to two classes. The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union added girls wrestling as a sanctioned sport two years ago and the first two state tournaments were held without classes.

The 64 largest wrestling schools will now be in Class 2-A and the remaining schools in Class 1-A for the next state meet. Wrestlers will compete in regional competitions with the top 16 qualifiers by weight in each class advancing to the state tournament Feb. 6-7 in Coralville. Girls Union Executive Director Erin Gerlich said in a statement that the rapid increase in girls participating in wrestling has exceeded their expectations and she hopes the addition of classes will encourage more schools to add programs. There are 204 schools sponsoring a girls’ wrestling program in 2024, with another 61 schools under cooperative sharing agreements for the teams.