USA Wrestling kicks off the folkstyle season with its Third Annual Preseason Nationals at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on October 30, 2010.
 
Registration for the event opens online tomorrow, September 1st, at 5:00 PM EST. The registration will be capped at 1,500 wrestlers so sign up early to guarantee a spot in the tournament.

Click here to go to the Preseason Nationals website

Last year the event featured nearly 1,000 high school and middle school wrestlers. Of the 700 plus high school wrestlers in attendance last year, 38 went on to place at USA Wrestling’s Folkstyle Nationals in April. Over 50 of the wrestlers went on to earn Junior and Cadet All-American status in Freestyle and Greco-Roman, including Ruben Navejas of Washington (6th in Greco-Roman and 2nd in Freestyle) and Nick Dardanes of Illinois (3rd in Freestyle). 

Participation is expected to be at an all time high in 2010. New for this year, tournament organizer Brian Keck has added three more youth divisions; 1st and 2nd graders, 3rd and 4th graders, and 5th and 6th graders.

“We are hoping to sell out at 1,500 entries this year,” said Keck. “The event is in its third year, and we have a great opportunity to reach our goals. We will have 20 mats going down in the UNI Dome, and the level of competition will be outstanding.”

USA Wrestling’s National Events Director Pete Isais has been very pleased with the growth of the event over the last two years. 

“Cedar Falls in October has proven to be a great place to start the folkstyle season for a lot of wrestlers. Whether they are preparing to become an All-American or just shake the rust off after the summer it’s the right place to get started,” said Isais.

Click here for results from the 2009 Preseason Nationals