More than one team will earn a national duals championship on President’s Day on the campus of Ohio State University.
The winner of the NWCA Division I college tournament will of course take home a title in an event that will include power programs like Minnesota, Cornell, Oklahoma and the host Buckeyes.
However, several youth squads will also pick up hardware as winners of the NUWAY National Duals, a tournament that will take place simultaneously in Columbus.
The event, which will showcase squads from double-digit states, will include the same four aged-based divisions (8, 10, 12 and 14 and under) as the 2013 tournament.
“We have a great turnout of more than 60 teams,” said event director Rob Stehley. “We have coverage from coast-to-coast and we’re really excited about some new entries getting involved this year. We have teams from Florida, Virginia, Colorado and West Virginia entered for the first time.”
In addition to new teams, this year’s tournament will also mark the debut of a female division, featuring squads from Ohio, Michigan and New York.
“We’re excited to be bringing a number of teams, including a girls team, to the competition,” said NYWAY President Clint Wattenberg. “Women’s wrestling is growing and is a big part of the Olympic movement and the future of our sport. Our organization is all about giving kids experiences in the sport we all love and this provides a great opportunity.”
That opportunity includes the chance for young wrestlers to watch some of the sport’s biggest stars compete – just next door.
“We feel that it’s important to have a bridge between youth wrestling and college wrestling,” Stehley said. “This event draws those two levels together in a great format.”
To promote that link, the competitions will take place in connecting venues on Ohio State’s campus - French Field House for the NUWAY Nationals and St. John Arena for the college action.
In addition, according to Stehley, the schedules will allow everyone to catch a glimpse of all of the ongoing activity.
“We’re setting up our competition sessions so that our youth participants have a chance to see a good portion of the college matches,” he said. “We also think the college coaches will have the opportunity to interact with the youth teams and see the level of excitement they bring. And our [NUWAY] event will be finished in time for the grand finale on Monday afternoon – the college finals.”
That’s something that many of the wrestlers are looking forward to, according to Wattenberg.
“There’s definitely a buzz and a lot of excitement from our teams about being in the same gym as the college wrestlers,” he said. “There’s the incredible experience of wrestling side-by-side with the Division I stars. But also, the kids will get exposure to different styles, skills and competition from all around the country at their age groups, which is such a valuable experience.”
Stehley said he expects the Division I National Duals and the NUWAY National Duals to be connected again in 2015, although he believes the event will likely take place in January. Given the growth of the event and the timing, he said he “wouldn’t rule out 100 teams being involved next year.”
As for this year, Stehley wanted to give special thanks to OHWAY Director Randy Hartman and his staff for putting the event together, as well as all the state organizers for the work they did assembling their teams.
For those who aren’t making the trip, Stehley emphasized that all the results will be provided in real time on trackwrestling.com.
“We can’t wait to get started,” Stehley said. “We think each team will get anywhere from five to seven matches, but it’s not just an event about grinding out a bunch of matches. It’s about seeing new competition, getting national level matches and interacting with college wrestlers at the same time.”
2014 NUWAY National Duals Entries:
8 & Under Division
Team OH-WAY Blue (Ohio)
Team Iowa (Iowa)
Team NYWAY (New York)
Team Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania)
Team MYWA Blue & White (Michigan)
Team Colorado (Colorado)
Team SCWAY (California)
Team Minion (Georgia)
All-American WC (Pennsylvania)
Team MYWA Red & Black (Michigan)
Team New Jersey (New Jersey)
Team OH-WAY Red (Ohio)
Team NCWAY (North Carolina)
10 & Under Division
Team OH-WAY Red (Ohio)
Team OH-WAY Blue (Ohio)
Team SCWAY Dream Team (California)
Team NYWAY (New York)
Team Pennsylvania Gold (Pennsylvania)
Team Pennsylvania Blue (Pennsylvania)
Team Pennsylvania White (Pennsylvania)
Team Iowa (Iowa)
Team Minion (Georgia)
All-American WC (Pennsylvania)
Team MYWA (Michigan) Red & Black
Team MYWA (Michigan) Blue & White
Team Illinois Orange & Blue (Ilinois)
Team West Virginia (West Virginia)
Team NCWAY (North Carolina)
12 & Under Division
Team Illinois (Illinois)
Team OHWAY Blue (Ohio)
Team SCWAY Gold (California)
Team Pennsylvania White (Pennsylvania)
Team Minion (Georgia)
Team SCWAY Dream Team (California)
Team Pennsylvania Blue (Pennsylvania)
Team NCWAY (North Carolina)
Team MYWA (Michigan) Blue & White
Team OHWAY Red (Ohio)
Team MYWA (Michigan) Red & Black
Team Iowa (Iowa)
Team Florida (Florida)
Team NYWAY (New York)
Team All-American (Pennsylvania)
Team Pennsylvania Gold (Pennsylvania)
Team MYWA (Michigan) Black & White
Team Superior (New York)
Team Virginia (Virginia)
14 & Under Division
Team New England
Team NYWAY (New York)
Team NCWAY Red (North Carolina)
Team NCWAY Blue (North Carolina)
Team IOWA DC Elite (Iowa)
Team SCWAY Dream Team (California)
Team SCWAY Gold (California)
Team Minion (Georgia)
Team Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania)
Team MYWA Red & Black (Michigan)
Team MYWA Blue & White (Michigan)
Team MYWA Black & White (Michigan)
Team Iowa (Iowa)
Team OH-WAY (Ohio)
Girls Division
Team NYWAY (New York)
Team OHWAY (Ohio)
Team MYWA (Michigan)
Let’s get the conversation started! Post your comment.
Become a Grappler Gold member and get access to premium Grappler articles and videos. Now only $12.99/month!