The 2013 NCAA wrestling championships will be held at Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines, the NCAA announced this morning.
Des Moines’ selection, with Iowa State as the host school, is one of two sites for the wrestling championships for 2013 and 2014. Oklahoma City was chosen for the 2014 championships.
Matt Homan, general manager of the Iowa Events Center, said that the wrestling tournament is a major step forward in getting Des Moines recognized as a site for athletic events as well as a convention center in the Midwest.
“This is a major achievement for us and those who have worked so hard over the years to make sure we would get it,” Greg Edwards, president of the Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It shows that we always need to keep working to get these kinds of events even when we don’t get it right away.”
“This is a major championship and one that should help us continue to grow in establishing this city as place to visit,” Homan said. “Our partners in this effort have worked very hard and we need to celebrate it, and then make sure we continue to work hard to make sure Des Moines sells itself for the future.”
Both Edwards and Homan said that one change in the bid was that Iowa Events Center officials were able to find additional room to meet a minimum 15,000-seat capacity.
The NCAA’s selection of Des Moines came after the city made an unsuccessful attempt in 2005 to land the popular post-season championship, in competition with major cities throughout the U.S.
“We looked at what we had to deal with and we came up with some extra seating for the early rounds,” Homan said. “Putting down eight mats takes up a lot of space so we had to do some adjusting.”
The tournament is considered one of the biggest events sought by Des Moines officials in their bid to make the city a stop for NCAA events. In 2008, the NCAA held its track and field championships at Drake Stadium.
Wells Fargo also hosted a first and second round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament in 2008.
The NCAA also announced:
– Iowa State has been chosen to host the 2014 regional of the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament,
–Upper Iowa has been chosen to host the 2012 NCAA Division II wrestling championships in Cedar Rapids.
–Grinnell has been chosen to the host the 2012 NCAA Division III men’s and women’s indoor track and field championships.
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