More than 2,000 high school wrestlers from across the country are gathering in Tulsa to compete in the USA Wrestling Junior National Duels.
Tournament director Zachory Randall said Tulsa was the first city to host a women’s dueling event, paving the way for more wrestling opportunities for women.
The Cox Business Center is packed with 45 girls high school wrestling teams and 45 boys high school wrestling teams registering and weighing in ahead of the USA Wrestling Junior National Duals.
It’s not easy to get here.
“It’s a really tough tournament,” Nebraska athlete Riley Johnson said, “You have to qualify through state, so basically going in here means you’re the strongest in the state at your weight.”
Tulsa has become synonymous with wrestling, with the city even hosting the Big 12 Wrestling Championships.
“There are a lot of good wrestlers coming out of Oklahoma. Oklahoma State and the University of Oklahoma both have historic college programs,” Johnson said.
That history has played a role in hosting and sustaining major tournaments in Tulsa, and it has also paved the way for women to get involved in the sport.
“It started here, it grew here, it developed here,” Randall said. “It’s here, and Tulsa has really been instrumental in girls’ sports and girls’ wrestling.”
Tori Lyles, coach of the junior girls gold medal team, said wrestling is currently the fastest growing girls’ sport.
“I have kids on my team, girls on my team coaching their sisters, we have female referees, and with the development of collegiate programs, we have women coaching varsity teams,” Lyles said. “It’s interesting to watch.”
“I think any kind of wrestling will bring attention to the sport and help grow the sport,” Johnson said.
Matches will take place on Wednesday from 9am to 7pm, Thursday from 9am to 5pm and Friday from 8am to 8pm.
The championships will take place on Saturday.
