The inaugural edition of the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships will be held in 2026. The debut Championships will be held on March 6-7 at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. The inaugural year of the women’s champiosnhips will feature athletes competing from Division I, II, and III.
However, this system will change in 2028 when DIII schools will be separated into their own division. The 2026 edition will be the first year of women’s wrestling championships after it was officially recognized as the NCAA’s 91st championship sport in January 2025.
In February 2024, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics suggested that all three divisions vote for the creation of a national collegiate women’s wrestling championship. On Jan. 17, 2025, women’s wrestling officially became the 91st championship sport.
Official Brackets, Seeds, And Other Details Of The 2026 NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships
Six regional qualifying tournaments were held before the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships. The top three athletes from each of the ten weight classes earned the spot to compete at the national tournament. The brackets were released on Friday that featured 18 individual wrestlers across 10 weight categories.
The 103 lbs top seed Heather Crull will lock horns against D’Youville’s Alyssa Sedillo, while Audrey Jimenez will face Ahsia Torres in the first round of the 110 lbs category. 160 lbs category’s top seed Kennedy Blades will vie against Vida Beckel of Emmanuel University. The first two seeds of 207 lbs, Tristan Kelly and Sabrina Nauss will compete with Lindsay Laws and Zaria Robinson, respectively.
The first and second seeds of each weight categories are given below:
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103 lbs: Heather Crull (McKendree University) and Valarie Solorio (Iowa)
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110 lbs: Audrey Jimenez (Lehigh) and Sage Mortimer (Grand Valley State)
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117 lbs: Yu Sakamoto (McKendree University) and Karissa Turnwall (Emmanuel University)
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124 lbs: Sarah Sterner (North Central) and Virginia Foard (King University)
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131 lbs: Cameron Guerin (McKendree University) and Aubre Krazer (Lehigh)
- 183lbs: Katerina Lange (Grand Valley State) and Claire Dicugno (North Central College)
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145 lbs: Reese Larramendy (Iowa) and Bella Mir (North Central College)
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160 lbs: Kennedy Blades (Iowa) and Savannah Gomez (McKendree University)
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180 lbs: Kylie Welker (Iowa) and Destiny Rodriguez (McKendree University)
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207 lbs: Tristan Kelly (McKendree) and Sabrina Nauss (Grand Valley State)
Schedule For The 2026 NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships
The regional tournament were scheduled between February 20 to 22, while the NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championships will be held on March 6 and 7, at Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. Two sessions will be held on each day during the Championships. With the quarterfinals slated on March 6, the semifinals and finals will be held on the following day. The faceoff will kickoff at 10 a.m. (CT) on both days with the finals scheduled for 7 p.m. (CT). The fans can watch the action live on ESPN+.
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