2013 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships could remain in Cedar Rapids

The 2013 NCAA Division III Wrestling Championships might just remain in Cedar Rapids after all. The small college national tournament was originally scheduled for the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Cedar Rapids with Cornell College as tournament host, but with the arena's renovations behind schedule an alternative site needed to be found.

Things looked bad for Cedar Rapids as the NCAA Championships website lists Iowa Events Center in Des Moines as the host of next year's championships March 15-16. A source close to the situation has said the tournament will likely end up at the Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. Nothing has been made official, but expect an announcement to be made in the following week.

The CRIA is managed by VenuWorks, which also manages the U.S. Cellular Center. The CRIA is home to the United States Hockey League's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders and Indoor Football League's Cedar Rapids Titans. Waterloo has previously hosted the NCAA D-III Wrestling Championships at Young Arena, the home of the USHL's Waterloo Blackhawks. So, there is history with holding it at a similar hockey arena.

The search for a replacement site included Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines and even some Eastern sites. One original concern of the CRIA may have been floor space and the arena's ability to accommodate eight full-sized wrestling mats. An acceptable layout must have been designed since the CRIA appears to have been able to keep the college championship in Cedar Rapids for the first time since 2010.

Iowa will be a hot spot for college championship wrestling next year. The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. The NJCAA National Championships will also be in Des Moines. The NAIA national tournament, hosted by Des Moines this season, was originally set to be in Cedar Rapids in 2013, and could still be held in the state, including Des Moines. No word on whether Cedar Rapids remains an option for the NAIA tournament.