MANHEIM, Pa. – The Women's Collegiate Wrestling Coalition (WCWC), a group of national wrestling organizations which oversee NCAA women's college wrestling, announced on Wednesday that East Stroudsburg University's Koehler Fieldhouse will serve as the host site for the NCWWC Region II Championships on Sunday, Feb. 23.
The Region II Championships serves as one of eight regional qualifying sites for the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships (NCWWC), set for Xtreme Arena in Coralville, Iowa, March 7-8, 2025.
In April, the NCWWC Executive Committee approved increasing the number of regions from six in 2023-24 to eight for the 2024-25 NCAA women's wrestling season. With four athletes per weight class qualifying through each of the Regionals, the field for 2025 NCWWC in Coralville will expand to 320 athletes, up from 240 this past season.
"My coaching staff and I are very excited to host the 2025 NCWWC Region II Championships," said ESU men's and women's wrestling head coach Anibal Nieves. "We have one of the best facilities to host championship events and have a top-notch administration that will help create the best showcase for all student-athletes involved. I believe that our women's team will have its best season to date and have a great shot at winning regionals. It's always a plus to compete in our home arena."
Teams representing Region II for the 2024-25 seasons include Alvernia, Cedar Crest, East Stroudsburg, Lock Haven, Marymount, McDaniel, Misericordia, Muhlenberg, Penn State Altoona, Ursinus and York College.
The nationally-ranked ESU women's wrestling team will look to capture its first regional title in program history in its home arena, finishing in third place in both 2023 (at Lock Haven) and 2024 (at Gannon) and took fourth in its first regional (at Gannon) in 2022. Zoe Gress earned a NCWWC Region I Championship at 130 a season ago with a total of eight Warriors placing in the top four of their respective weight classes to qualify for the NCWWC National Championships at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. ESU finished the national tournament tied for 12th, with Mia Macaluso earning her third NCWWC All-America honor with a sixth-place finish at 123.
Along with Gress, Emily Klein (2022-23), Sofia Macaluso (2023) and Avia Bibeau (2022) have claimed individual regional titles for the Warriors.
ESU and Koehler Fieldhouse have hosted the Pennsylvania Women's Collegiate State Championships each of the past two seasons, along with the 2023 NCAA Men's Wrestling Super Region 1 Championships and the ESU Open every year since 1968.
Women's Wrestling is an NCAA Emerging Sport for Women at all three NCAA Divisions. When NCAA women's wrestling met required standards in terms of number of programs, roster size and competition schedules of its institutions, along with other considerations, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA) recommended in February 2024 that Divisions I, II and III sponsor legislation to add a national collegiate women's wrestling championship. If so approved, women's wrestling would become the 91st NCAA Championship sport, with its projected first NCAA championship occurring in winter 2026.
The venue, host institution and competition date for the 2025 NCWWC Regionals are:
Region I: Buffalo State University Arena, Buffalo State University, Buffalo, New York, Saturday, February 22
Region II: Koehler Fieldhouse, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Sunday, February 23
Region III: Shaw Athletic Center, Emmanuel University, Franklin Springs, Georgia, Saturday, February 22
Region IV: Heminger Center, Tiffin University, Tiffin, Ohio, Saturday, February 22
Region V: Merillat Sport and Fitness Center, Adrian College, Adrian, Michigan, Saturday, February 22
Region VI: Hyland Arena, Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Missouri, Sunday, February 23
Region VII: Cowles Fieldhouse, Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa, Saturday, February 22
Region VIII: Kitty Magee Arena, Texas Woman's University, Denton, Texas, Saturday, February 22
About the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Coalition (WCWC)
The Women's Collegiate Wrestling Coalition is a group of national wrestling organizations which developed the proposal for NCAA Emerging Sport Status for women's wrestling and currently oversees women's college wrestling until the sport becomes an official NCAA Championship sport. WCWC organizations include (alphabetically): D1 Women's Wrestling, National Wrestling Coaches Association, National Wrestling Hall of Fame, USA Wrestling, Wrestle Like A Girl and the Wrestlers In Business Network. For more information, visit: https://thewcwc.com/
About the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships (NCWWC)
Organized by the Women's Collegiate Wrestling Coalition, the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships is the annual national championships for NCAA women's wrestling programs. Created in 2020, the NCWWC has been held in Adrian, Mich. (2020, 2022), Tiffin, Ohio (2021) and Cedar Rapids, Iowa (2023, 2024). The 2025 NCWWC is set for Xtreme Arena in Coralville, Iowa, March 7-8, 2025. Wrestle Like A Girl has been empowered by the WCWC to manage the National Collegiate Women's Wrestling Championships, working closely with the NCWWC Championship Committee. For more information, visit https://www.ncwwc.com/
Print Friendly Version
