Takedown Report

USA WRESTLING SHATTERS RECORDS WITH 7,134 TOTAL ENTRIES IN THE 2023 USMC JUNIOR/16U NATIONALS IN FARGO

By Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling | July 25, 2023,

FARGO, N.D. – The combined USMC Junior and 16U Nationals, hosted in the FargoDome in Fargo, N.D., is recognized as the largest wrestling tournament in the world.

In 2023, not only did the tournament see substantial growth in overall participation, but it also saw growth in five of the six national tournaments included in the week-long competition.

USA Wrestling blitzed the overall record with 7,134 entries this year, blasting through the 7,000 athlete barrier and topping the 2022 record of 6,646 athletes by 488 athletes, a healthy increase of 7.3%.

2023 USMC Junior/16U Nationals entries by tournament
• USMC 16U Women’s Freestyle Nationals: 740
• USMC 16U Men’s Freestyle Nationals: 1,595
• USMC 16U Greco-Roman Nationals: 1,206
• USMC Junior Women’s Freestyle Nationals: 853
• USMC Junior Men’s Freestyle Nationals: 1,596
• USMC Junior Greco-Roman Nationals: 1,144
Total: 7,144 total entries

Of the five tournaments which saw growth in 2023, the 16U Women’s Freestyle Nationals had the most increase, with 222 more entries than last year, which is a whopping 42.8% increase in just one season.

Other tournaments with impressive increases were the 16U Greco-Roman Nationals with 162 more wrestlers and the 16U Men’s Freestyle Nationals, with 159 more entries. Both the Junior Men’s Freestyle Nationals (with 33 more athletes) and the Junior Greco-Roman Nationals (with 3 more athletes) saw growth as well.

The only event which saw a decrease was the Junior Women’s Freestyle Nationals, which went from 944 athletes last year to 853 wrestlers. The main change that impacted this event was the fact that for the first time, the 16U Women’s Nationals and the Junior Women’s Nationals were held at the same time. In the past, many 15- and 16-year old women athletes that were also in high school could compete in both tournaments. This year, almost all of the athletes chose to compete in one of the tournaments. In fact, only three women wrestled in both the 16U and Junior divisions. There were more individual women athletes competing in Fargo this year, even though the total in the Junior division was lower.

2023 USMC Junior/16U Nationals entries, in comparison to 2022 record event
• 16U women’s freestyle: 740 vs. 518 (+ 222 entries)
• 16U men’s freestyle: 1,595 vs. 1,436 (+159 entries)
• 16U Greco-Roman: 1,206 vs. 1,044 (+162 entries)
• Junior women’s freestyle: 853 vs. 944 (- 91 entries)
• Junior men’s freestyle: 1,596 vs. 1,563 (+33 entries)
• Junior Greco-Roman: 1,444 vs. 1,141 (+ 3 entries)

The growth this year came at the 16U level, where there were 543 more entries in the three national events than last year. … rest of story at … Teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2023/July/25/Fargo-participation-records-set

July 27, 2023 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized