Iowa tops in wrestling attendance for ninth straight year

The University of Iowa led the nation in average attendance for the ninth straight season, according to an annual NCAA Division I report by Roby Publishing released Monday.

The Hawkeyes drew 55,390 total fans to home duals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, averaging 8,358 fans. The total attendance is more than 1,000 better than runner-up Penn State. Iowa averaged more than 600 better than the Nittany Lions.

Iowa's biggest home crowd came against Iowa State on Nov. 29, reaching 11,882. The Hawkeyes were also the top draws for Penn State (15,967) and Minnesota (13,620).

Iowa State was seventh on the list, averaging 2,369 fans at home. The largest attended Cyclone dual came in a win over University of Northern Iowa, attracting 2,929 spectators.

UNI was eighth, filling the West Gym at an average of 1,946. The biggest Panther home crowd was 2,100 against Virginia Tech.

Below is the news release from the UI sports information department:

IOWA WRESTLING

Hawkeyes lead NCAA in attendance for ninth consecutive season

IOWA CITY, Iowa - The University of Iowa wrestling program led the nation in attendance for the ninth consecutive season according to the annual Division I attendance report released by Roby Publishing.

Iowa averaged 8,358 fans in six duals and led the country in total attendance with 55,390 fans attending seven home dates (including Iowa City Duals). The Hawkeyes averaged at least 8,000 fans for the seventh consecutive season.

For record purposes, only duals against Division I opponents count toward average attendance, and the NWCA National Duals - considered a neutral site event - are not included in Iowa's totals.

Iowa was involved in the three highest attended duals this year, including at Penn State (15,967), at Minnesota (13,620) and at home against Iowa State (11,882).

The Hawkeyes have led the nation in attendance in each of head coach Tom Brands' nine seasons.

2014-15 AVERAGE ATTENDANCE

Avg Total High Opp

1 Iowa 8,358 55,390 11,882 IowaSt

2 Penn St 7,747 54,221 15,967 Iowa

3 Minnesota 4,947 29,681 13,620 Iowa

4 Ohio St 4,387 26,321 6,558 PennSt

5 Okla. St 3,002 21,103 4,691 PennSt

6 Rutgers 2,697 18,877 6,071 PennSt

7 Iowa St 2,369 14,216 2,929 N. Iowa

8 N. Iowa 1,946 9,729 2,100 VaTech

9 Pittsburgh 1,751 12,256 7,103 PennSt

10 Cornell 1,566 9,394 3,274 Oklahoma

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