Celebrate the 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships by visiting the free Fan Festival open daily, March 20-23, to the public in Hy-Vee Hall (adjacent to Wells Fargo Arena). This fun-filled, interactive area allows fans to experience the thrills, excitement and sporit of college wrestling. New this year, the fan festival will feature live footage of all eight mats during the championship sessions. Be sure to stop in before, during or after to join the festivities!

If you already have tickets to this year’s NCAA Division I Wrestling Chamiponships, the NCAA Fan Festival is the best place to relax, meet friends, grab a drink, a bit to eat and be entertained by wrestling presentations, exhibits and exhibition matches in between and after championship sessions.

In addition to a wide assortment of Iowa’s finest food and beverages, plenty of sports bar style seating, exhibit booths, displays, photo opportunities and kid’s games- the NCAA Fan Festival will include these feature events:

Championship Format
The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships shall be conducted in the following 10 weight classes:

125 pounds, 133 pounds, 141 pounds, 149 pounds, 157 pounds, 165 pounds, 174 pounds, 184 pounds, 197 pounds, Heavyweights (183-285 pounds)

The same 10 classes will be used in conference and regional qualifying meets. Match times will be seven minutes in duration.

Championship Field
A total of 330 wrestlers (33 per weight class) will advance to the 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. Of those 330 spots, 290 of them will be determined via automatic qualification. The remaining 40 spots will be selected at-large by the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee.

Wrestlers can earn automatic qualification to the championships based on place finish at their respective qualifying tournaments. The 2013 qualifying tournament dates and hosts are as follows:

Championships

The 2013 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships will be held March 21-23 at the Wells Fargo Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

Future Dates and Sites
2014 Division I Wrestling Championships: March 2-22, 2014 - Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 

Wells Fargo Arena at Iowa Events Center

Built to the highest standards of architectural excellence, the arena offers unobstructed sight lines, comfortable seating and outstanding amenities for up to 17,100 guests. A consistent top 100 concert facility (as ranked by Pollstar Magazine), Wells Fargo Arena is also home to the NBA D-League team, Iowa Energy and the AFL’s Iowa Barnstormers and hosts the Iowa High School State Wrestling and Basketball Tournaments annually.

Parking

The Iowa Events Center has more than 1,300 parking spaces on site. Overnight parking on the premises is prohibited. For more information on maps, directions and parking, click here.

Iowa Event Center Schedule
Thursday, March 21
• Session I Doors open at 9:30 a.m. Session I begins at 11 a.m.
• Session II Doors open at 5 p.m., Session II begins at 6:30 p.m.
The first 1,000 fans entering the Wells Fargo Arena for Session II will receive a Bout Sheet Clipboard courtesy of AT&T.

Friday, March 22
• Session III doors open at 8:30 a.m., Session III begins at 10 a.m.
• Session IV doors open at 4:30 p.m., Session IV begins at 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 23
• Session V doors open at 8:30 a.m., Session V begins at 10 a.m.
• Session VI doors open at 5 p.m., Session VI begins at 7 p.m.
The first 1,000 fans who enter Wells Fargo Arena for Session VI will receive an NCAA DI Wrestling Championships water bottle, courtesy of the NCAA Respect Campaign.