First NCAA Women’s Wrestling Championship Coming to Coralville

The first-ever NCAA women's wrestling championships will take place in Eastern Iowa.

It only seems right that Iowa would be the home of the first-ever NCAA wrestling championships for women. The University of Iowa remains the only power-conference intercollegiate athletic department to sponsor a women's wrestling team, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Where Will The NCAA Women's Championships Be Held?

The Gazette reports that the NCAA has named Xtream Arena in Coralville as the finals site for the 2026 championships, with the University of Iowa and the Iowa City Area Sports Commission serving as co-hosts. This will be Xtream Arena's second straight year of hosting women's collegiate championship wrestling.

When Will The Women's Championships Happen?

According to the Gazette, the 2026 finals will take place during the first full weekend of March, with the six regionals taking place two weekends before that. The NCAA is now running the sport so each team can have 10 entries, one from each weight class. The Gazette reports that the number is the same as men's wrestling.

Flowrestling.org reports that there are currently 112 NCAA programs that offer women's college wrestling. Six in Division I, 36 in Division II, and 70 in Division III.

Top programs like the University of Iowa could have tough choices ahead. The Hawkeyes are so deep, they have multiple national title contenders within the same weight class. Only one will be allowed to wrestle at the championships in 2026.

Josh Schamberger, the president of Think Iowa City, told the Gazette, "We couldn’t be more honored to have been chosen as the inaugural host of these NCAA championships."