The 17th annual Championships and Convention will be conducted March 20-26, 2006. Only three years old, The Petersen Events Center seats over 10,000 and is a fabulous facility to host a top wrestling event. The new site was approved by the NHSCA Board of Directors last week.
"We are excited to bring our most prestigious event to wrestling-rich Pennsylvania," said NHSCA associate executive director Joe Boardwine. "The Petersen Events Center is a new, first-class facility that is ideal for a major wrestling event. Pittsburgh is easily accessible from every major city in the country. This event was very successful in Cleveland Ohio, and we would like to thank the Ohio wrestling community state-wide for all of its support."
The National High School Seniors Wrestling Championships, convention and banquet will be conducted March 23-26. Only seniors, who are high school state champions and runners-up in their state tournament or the National Prep Championships during their careers are automatically eligible for the prestigious event. Exceptions are made in four states which have only a single class: California, where the top eight placewinners qualify, and Indiana, New Jersey and New York, where the top four qualify. A wild card system is in place to allow for limited numbers of highly accomplished wrestlers to enter via a petition process.
Preceding the National Seniors championship is the second annual High School Junior Nationals Wrestling Championships and the inaugural High School Sophomore Nationals Wrestling Championships March 21-24. The championship and consolation finals will take place on the evening of March 24, immediately following the conclusion of Day 1 wrestling in the Senior Nationals.
"The National High School Wrestling Championships has truly transformed high school wrestling in the United States," NHSCA executive director Bob Ferraro said. "Not only has the tournament provided outstanding scholastic-style competition, but it has provided valuable opportunities for high school wrestlers and college coaches to meet and connect. The field in last year's National Juniors Championships exceeded everyone's expectations. It was such a big success that our member coaches requested we add sophomores to the action. With the addition of this year's National Sophomores Championships, we look forward to extending our competition opportunities even further."
Unlike the Seniors championship, the Juniors and Sophomores championships are open to all juniors and sophomores, respectively, with no state placement prerequisite. Nevertheless, last year's Juniors event still attracted a top-quality field. Nearly 80 per cent of the nearly 400 entries from 35 states were state champions, placewinners or qualifiers. The High School Sophomore Nationals are expected to attract a field of similar quality in its first year. These events give the state champion and novice wrestler alike an equal opportunity to prove on the mat who truly is the top wrestler in each weight in a graduating class. At the same time, it allows them to showcase their talents before college coaches, many of whom are already on hand to watch the top seniors in America compete.
Entry information is available by visiting the NHSCA's web site at www.nhsca.com.
The NHSCA selects Coaches and Senior Athletes of the Year in 20 boys and girls sports, and sponsors more than two dozen national championship events in 11 sports. The 16th annual National High School Seniors Wrestling Championships attracted nearly 800 entries from 47 states and three European countries to Cleveland, Ohio in April, and the NHSCA conducted 16 championship events in Virginia Beach, Va. this summer. The NHSCA, in partnership with the NFL Coaches Association, conducted the National High School Football Coaches Convention in January in conjunction with the U.S. Army All-American Bowl All-Star Game and recently completed a fabulously successful inaugural National High School Talent Search competition to rave reviews. For a complete list of this year's programs and events, visit the NHSCA's web site at www.nhsca.com.
Founded in 1989, the National High School Coaches Association is a not-for-profit 501c3 service organization providing support and leadership programs for the nation's 500,000 high school coaches and 10 million high school athletes.
3276 Nazareth Road · Easton, PA 18045 · (610) 923-0900 · Fax (610) 923-0800 ·
E-mail: nhsca@nhsca.com · Web: www.nhsca.com
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