Starting this year at the U.S. Open Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, USA Wrestling will be giving awards in the team competition in a different way.

There will be a team champion among national clubs, and another team champion for regional clubs and training centers.

This is a change from past years, when the team awards were awarded in Div. I and Div. II, based upon the number of entries chosen by the clubs in the team race.

This change is in men’s freestyle only, with no change in the team standings procedures for Greco-Roman or women’s freestyle.

The national club team awards will include many of the major freestyle wrestling clubs who have participated in the team race in past years, such as the Sunkist Kids, the New York Athletic Club, the Gator Wrestling Club and others.

The new division will feature club programs which are regional in nature, such as clubs affiliated with colleges, as well as those training locations recognized as Regional Training Centers.

With these new team award procedures, athletes in the U.S. Open may now represent two different clubs in the competition. They can be affiliated with the national club for which they compete, as well as with a regional club or training center where they train on a regular basis.

Athletes who place in the top eight of their weight class at the U.S. Open will score points in the team standings based upon their finish. Those athletes who identify themselves with both a national club and a regional club will score the same points for both programs.

A wrestler may represent a regional club if the club is located where the athlete is getting most of his freestyle training, or if the athlete graduated from the college within the last five years which is affiliated with that regional club. Regional clubs will be required to submit their rosters in advance to USA Wrestling.

Those teams which wish to score points among national clubs in all styles must be chartered USA Wrestling clubs and must pay the $75 registration fee for entering the U.S. Open team standings.

In addition to the new club awards at the U.S. Open, USA Wrestling will be adding a Regional Cup ranking as part of its regular ranking program for men’s freestyle wrestling.

The first Regional Cup ranking is now being released in advance of the U.S. Open. The Hawkeye Wrestling Club has received the No. 1 ranking among regional clubs and training centers in the inaugural ranking.

Regional Cup Freestyle Rankings
As of April 1, 2011
1. Hawkeye Wrestling Club
2. U.S. Olympic Training Center
3. Team Overtime
4. Nittany Lion Wrestling Club
5. Ohio RTC
6. Cowboy Wrestling Club
7. Lehigh Valley Athletic Club
8. Missouri Wrestling Club
9. Cyclone Wrestling Club
Honorable Mention:
Oregon State RTC 
Finger Lakes Wrestling Club RTC
Minnesota Storm
Tar Heels RTC