NCAA adds women’s wrestling as 91st championship sport, boosting female athletics growth

Big news from the world of collegiate athletics this week as the NCAA has officially added women’s wrestling as its 91st championship sport.

This announcement is a game-changer for women’s sports.

At its annual convention in Nashville, the NCAA approved adding women’s wrestling as its newest championship sport, bringing competitors across all three divisions together.

The decision reflects the rapid growth of women’s wrestling. In the 2023-24 season, there were 76 programs across NCAA schools, with more than 1,200 women competing.

By next year, that number is expected to grow by 17 more programs.

Women’s wrestling becomes the sixth sport to transition from the NCAA emerging sports program to championship status, joining others like beach volleyball and ice hockey.

Advocates say the move highlights the NCAA’s commitment to growing opportunities for female athletes.

Diversity is also a major feature of this sport, with 45% of the athletes coming from diverse or international backgrounds.

NCAA president Charlie Baker called this milestone “a thrilling moment for women’s athletics.”

Leaders across college athletics, like head coach Tyler Reinhart, of UPJ wrestling, say it’s a testament to the growing strength of women’s sports.

“I love it. Women’s wrestling has been huge for the past couple of years, it’s the fastest growing sport in the world pretty much, especially locally, there are so many good female wrestlers coming through this area right now,” Reinhart said.

We also reached out to some of the larger universities, like Penn State, for comment but have not received a response at this time.

The transition will officially take effect by 2026.

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