Ahead of the most-anticipated inaugural NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships, Iowa’s Kylie Welker reflected on a heartfelt moment with her Iowa teammate, Kennedy Blades, after qualifying to compete in the historic event. The 2026 NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships will be held on March 6-7 at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa.
Kylie Welker and Kennedy Blades will enter as the top seeds in the 180 lbs and 160 lbs weight categories, respectively. The 2026 edition of the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships is the sport’s debut after it was added in the NCAA’s 91st championship on Jan. 17, 2025. Welker and Blades earned the spot to compete at Xtream Arena after winning the regional rounds, as the top three athletes from each of the ten weight classes qualified.
In an interview with ncaa.com, ahead of her appearance at the debut event, Welker opened up about the moment when she and her teammate Blades’ dream came true. The fact that they were a part of the NCAA only sank in when Welker and the Paris Olympics silver medalist stood with their regional trophies.
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“I’m just excited and that still stands, but I don’t think it felt real until this past weekend at Regionals,” Welker said. “We all got NCAA trophies and me and Kennedy kind of had a moment. We just looked at it and were like, holy crap. Like, this is real. like, we are part of the NCAA. Like, I could have never…we literally just sat there and we are like, we could have never imagined or dreamed of this day, so the fact that we have come so far like, my junior year of high school, if you would have told me that I was going to be wrestling in an NCAA tournament, I would have told you were crazy, because like that wasn’t in the realm.”
180 athletes will compete across 10 weight categories from Divisions I, II, and III.
When Will Kylie Welker And Kennedy Blades Compete And How To Watch Them At The 2026 NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships?
The 2026 NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships will feature 10 weight categories, including 103, 110, 117, 124, 131, 138, 145, 160, 180, and 207 pounds. Kennedy Blades and Kylie Welker will headline 160lbs and 180lbs, respectively, the first round of which will be held on Friday morning, March 6, 2026. It will be followed by the quarterfinals in the evening session. The semifinal and final of both categories will be held on Saturday, March 7.
Welker will lock horns with three-time Georgia state champion Genevieve An of Lehigh in the first round, and Blades will go head-to-head against Vida Beckel of Emmanuel University. Fans can watch Kennedy Blades and Kylie Welker compete live on ESPN+. The other top seeds to compete at the debut edition of the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships are as follows:
- 103 lbs: Heather Crull – McKendree University
- 110 lbs: Audrey Jimenez – Lehigh University
- 117 lbs: Yu Sakamoto – McKendree University
- 124 lbs: Sara Sterner – North Central (Illinois)
- 131 lbs: Cameron Guerin – McKendree University
- 138 lbs: Katerina Lange – Grand Valley State
- 145 lbs: Reese Larramendy – Iowa
- 207 lbs: Tristan Kelly – McKendree University
Read More:
Top 5 Most Underrated Coaches in NCAA Women’s College Basketball History
Last 5 NCAA Men’s Wrestling Champions
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