The NCAA this week announced that women’s wrestling would advance from its classification as an Emerging Sport for Women to a national collegiate championship program. This upgrade makes women’s wrestling the 91st championship sport in the NCAA.
According to the NCAA, the college women’s wrestling championships will include competitors from Division I, II and III beginning in 2026. Across the three divisions, there are 93 total women’s wrestling programs and more than 1,200 women competing. In order to be moved from an emerging sport to a championship sport, there first needed to be 40 colleges and universities that offered varsity-level women’s wrestling. It surpassed those minimum requirements in 2023.
The NCAA this week announced that women’s wrestling would advance from its classification as an Emerging Sport for Women to a national collegiate championship program. This upgrade makes women’s wrestling the 91st championship sport in the NCAA.
According to the NCAA, the college women’s wrestling championships will include competitors from Division I, II and III beginning in 2026. Across the three divisions, there are 93 total women’s wrestling programs and more than 1,200 women competing. In order to be moved from an emerging sport to a championship sport, there first needed to be 40 colleges and universities that offered varsity-level women’s wrestling. It surpassed those minimum requirements in 2023.Â
“We extend a big thank you to everyone who supported this effort and the athletes, coaches and fans for their passion for a fast-growing and exciting sport that brings even more opportunities for women to participate in athletics,” said NCAA president, Charlie Baker.Â
The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics worked with USA Wrestling and Wrestle Like a Girl throughout this process to ensure the sport’s success at all levels.
“The NCAA’s approval of women’s wrestling as its 91st championship is a groundbreaking achievement that reflects the continued rise and strength of women’s sports,” said Ragean Hill, chair of the committee and executive associate athletics director/senior woman administrator at Charlotte.
With the upgrade to a championship program, the NCAA also approved $1.7 million in funding to support the new championship competition and green-lighted the creation of a Women’s Wrestling Committee.
“This milestone for women’s wrestling is a declaration that women deserve equitable opportunities to compete, to lead and to thrive,” Hill said. “It’s a step toward gender parity in sports and a powerful reminder that when women are given the platform to rise, they inspire generations to come. Women’s wrestling is not just a sport; it’s a movement that empowers women to see their strength, their value and their limitless potential.”
