New state duals date among Iowa high school wrestling postseason changes in 2023

Monumental changes will affect the Iowa high school wrestling postseason as early as next year.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association announced Wednesday that its Board of Control approved measures to eliminate sectional competition for its two smallest classes, alter state tournament schedules and expand the traditional state tournament brackets to 24 wrestlers.

Specifically, the state duals tournament will move from the Wednesday before the traditional tournament to the weekend previously reserved for Class 1A and 2A sectionals, state qualifiers will increase from 16 per weight per class to 24, the traditional state tournament will return to a four-day event and regional dual fields will be determined by Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association rankings.

“I think the best way to describe it is there are a lot of layers to it,” IHSAA Director of Officials and wrestling administrator Lewie Curtis said. “Ultimately, what was being attempted was a change of date for the state duals. That was the primary piece that we wanted to accomplish.”

The timing of state duals has been a debated topic for decades. The tournament has preceded the individual event at Wells Fargo Arena since 2012. From 1987 to 2011, state duals was the week after the state tournament. Cedar Rapids hosted the event from 1994-2011.

Some programs have tanked dual competition to avoid having to compete the day before the individual tournament, choosing to opt out completely when allowed.

“I think a lot of teams will like the Saturday event,” said Hall of Fame Coach Brad Smith, who has guided Lisbon and Iowa City High to seven total state duals titles. “We’ve always wrestled it. This will be easier and less pressure on the kids. I think it’s a good move.”

West Delaware has won four consecutive 2A state duals titles. Coach Jeff Voss has been a proponent of the tournament in its current format. He said coaches have lobbied for change and was in favor of any time except after the traditional tournament.

Voss said it is up to coaches and athletes to produce the best product possible and make the dual competition the standout event it can be.

“I applaud the state for listening to coaches,” Voss said. “Now, we need to make it better.

“I support the change fully. I think it will be fun.”

Sectional brackets have shrunk in recent years. Smith said he has had wrestlers qualify for the district tournament without wrestling a sectional match, despite an eight-team field. Sectionals in 2A were already six-team competitions and the West Delaware district had one weight with just two wrestlers.

“The sectionals we’ve been in have been decent but a lot of schools don’t have a full lineup,” Smith said. “It depends on the weights and the teams. I think it’s a good move in the long run.”

IHSAA Executive Director Tom Keating mapped out how one decision was connected to the others.

“Dropping the Class 1A and 2A sectional tournaments addresses the extremely low numbers in some weight classes, leading to incomplete sectional brackets,” Keating said in a news release. “It also frees up a Saturday to schedule the State Dual team tournament, something our coaches have been interested in for several years.

“The increase to 24 qualifiers at the state traditional tournament will allow more of our wrestlers to experience the excitement of competing at the state level.”

Class 3A will consist of eight districts, qualifying the top three at each weight. The number of districts for 1A and 2A has not been determined. Curtis said that will be decided by June. He said options for 2A will be eight districts with 12 teams or 12 districts with eight. In 1A, districts would be split into eight groups of 15 or 12 tournaments with 10 teams.

Independence Coach Michael Doyle crunched the numbers. The field increases to 336 total competitors, which is more than adding a fourth class with 16-man brackets. He said he likes the expanded field.

“Iowa is pretty deep in talent,” Doyle said. “We have good coaches and wrestlers … I like the opportunity we are providing more kids. More participation is only going to make our state tournament richer.”

The Board also decided to remain with 14 weight classes after the National Federation of State High School Associations provided the option of 12, 13 or 14 weights beginning in the 2023-24 season.

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