From March 30 – April 1 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa will host the 2012 ASICS/USAW Folkstyle Nationals, which features competition for wrestlers from 7 years old through high school, as well as a veterans division for wrestlers 24 and older.

Last year the event set a new record for total participants, with over 2,300 wrestlers. The cadet and junior divisions sold out with 1,100 preregistered entries, and are on pace to shatter this record in 2012. New this year, the cadet and junior finals and true 2nd place matches will be held in McLeod Center, UNI’s championship arena. 

The junior division has two unique and exciting components tied to it. First, the top two place winners in each junior division weight class qualify for funded access to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, which makes the true 2nd place match incredibly important for these young athletes. Second, thanks to innovative efforts of TrackWrestling and Wrestling Video Solutions, USA Wrestling will do a live webcast of every single Junior division match in the tournament. The finals for cadets and juniors are scheduled for Saturday, March 31 at 12:00 PM Central time, and it will be webcast on themat.tvThe play by play will be provided Badger State Wrestling’s Shane Sparks and USA Wrestling’s Jason Bryant.

On Saturday afternoon and Sunday, over 1,300 youth wrestlers will enter the UNI-Dome for one of the largest youth wrestling tournaments in the country. The ASICS/USAW Folkstyle Nationals is the first stage in USA Wrestling’s Triple Crown, which consists of the national championships in folkstyle, freestyle, and Greco-Roman. All wrestlers that win national championships in all three styles are recognized by having their picture on the following year’s national events poster.

Also happening on Sunday, USA Wrestling’s special guest, two-time NCAA Champion and 2011 World Champion Jordan Burroughs will be in attendance signing autographs and handing out awards for the youth wrestlers. Burroughs is currently in training for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, which take place April 21-22 in Iowa City, Iowa. For more information on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, please visit www.iowacitytolondon.com.

The final new twist for the 2012 ASICS/USAW Folkstyle Nationals, is that the Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier will also be taking place at the UNI-Dome from March 30-April 1. The top two place winners in each weight class that have not already qualified for the Olympic Trials, will earn a spot to compete for the Olympic Team in Iowa City.

For more information on this event, please visit www.usafolkstyle.com