This month, an unprecedented wrestling event is coming to Westfield’s Grand Park, when the USA Women’s Wrestling National Duals arrives in Hamilton County June 19-21. For the first time, USA Wrestling will hold its 14U, 16U, and Juniors championships simultaneously.
Pat Culp, chair of the Indiana State Wrestling Association and a member of the USA Wrestling Board of Directors, estimates 80 teams and 2,000 female wrestlers will be at Grand Park, aiming for the national titles. Teams from all corners of the nation will be there, including the teams from Hawaii, which have never competed outside of their island state.
Indiana has become a leader in the emerging sport, with Grand Park and local high schools around Hamilton County and greater Indianapolis leading the way.
“Indiana is very proud to host the state finals and national duals,” Culp said while also noting that the central location and knowledgeable fan and worker base are assets. “We’ve had Olympians and wrestlers at the world championships. Indiana is leading the pack and is great at running events. We love working with Hamilton County and Grand Park because it’s large enough to host.”
The national duals event will include 25 mats covering 1.5 soccer fields, 24 mats for competitions, and one for exhibitions. Grand Park can also accommodate warm-up areas and team meals with plenty of space left over to administer the event. Culp says there’s plenty to do in the area, and Grand Park checks all of the items on the wish list. Wrestling mats, seating, parking, and amenities are all accounted for.
“It allows us to do everything right,” Culp said. “Hamilton County has been great, helping with activities and compiling all of the eateries for everyone.”
From youth up to the college level, girls wrestling has seen explosive growth across the U.S. According to wrestling publication TheMat, participation has gone from an estimated 800 athletes in 1994 to more than 64,000 in the 2023–24 school year. Girls wrestling has enjoyed a 102% increase from only two years ago. This surge has led to more opportunities at the high school level, with the number of girls wrestling teams quadrupling in the last decade. Nearly every state — 47 out of 50 — has now sanctioned the sport as a high school athletic association championship. Indiana recently sanctioned the sport, and held its first IHSAA girls wrestling championship this past winter.
“The high school event went really well for its first year,” Culp said. “There are some things to tweak, which you learn in the first year. The boys have been doing it for 80 years. So for a first year, it went really well. The growth has been phenomenal.”
The momentum has also extended into college athletics. Women's wrestling is on track to become the NCAA's 91st championship sport by 2026, and more than 70 colleges now offer varsity programs. The standouts coming to Westfield this month will be the wrestlers who make that leap to the next level.
