Multi-Divisional Duals move to Des Moines

According to the State Journal-Register newspaper in Springfield, Ill., it was announced on June 10 that the National Wrestling Coaches Association/Cliff Keen Multi-Divisional National Duals will leave the capital city of Illinois for the capital of Iowa, Des Moines, this winter.

The college wrestling showcase, which features all the top non-Division I wrestling programs in the country, will take place Jan. 11-12, 2014 at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. The event has been held the last two years at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield.

“(The NWCA is) expanding their number of junior college teams and needed additional mat space and they were looking for a larger fan base,” Gina Gemberling, director of sales for the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, told the State Journal-Register.

The Multi-Division National Duals used to be held in conjunction with the NWCA’s Division I National Duals in Cedar Falls in 2010 and 2011, but became a separate event when the NWCA Division I National Duals took on a different format the past two years.

Regarding the NWCA Division I National Duals, its future is still in question.

NWCA executive director Mike Moyer told the Des Moines Register in May that a different “duals” event will be held in New York City’s Madison Square Garden in February.

“Unfortunately we were unable to find a model that all of the top teams would support,” Moyer told the Register. “There were some coaches who feel the postseason is too crowded with the National Duals in there (a month before the NCAA Championships),” Moyer said. “That’s probably the biggest reason (some teams aren’t participating).”

Moyer said the NWCA is trying to finalize a deal which would feature 16 teams competing on Feb. 16-17 inside Madison Square Garden. Penn State, Oklahoma State and Iowa — three of the top four teams at this year’s NCAA Championships — will not be part of the event, he told the Register.