The NCAA Championships Committee announced the championship sites for the next four years and Upper Iowa was once again selected to host a NCAA Division II Wrestling Championship at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 10-11, 2023. The Peacock athletics department will work together with the staff at Cedar Rapids Tourism to host the event.
 
"We are excited and proud to have been awarded the 2023 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships," said Upper Iowa's Vice President for Athletics Rick Hartzell. "We see the NCAA's selection of Upper Iowa and Cedar Rapids as a final compliment to the work that we have done in our past three NCAA Division II Championships together in Cedar Rapids. We are looking forward to beginning the planning process with Cedar Rapids Tourism to showcase not only the sport of wrestling, but the great people and personalities of Iowa, as we put together an epic event for all involved."

Upper Iowa and Cedar Rapids have teamed up to host three NCAA Division II Championships in the last thirteen years including the 2008 and 2018 Wrestling and 2013 Women's Volleyball NCAA Division II Championships at the U.S. Cellular Center with great success. Following their first joint effort, UIU was awarded the Duane Kramer Sports Tourism Award in 2008 for hosting an event that attracted a significant number of visitors to the Cedar Rapids area.

"The response of our membership, host cities and local organizing committees to this process was tremendous," said Joni Comstock, NCAA senior vice president of championships. "Thanks to their commitment, we are excited that our student-athletes will play in some of the top locations and venues in the United States."

The 2023 Wrestling Championships will once again take place in the U.S. Cellular Center and the Cedar Rapids Convention Complex, and while many hotels will serve the event, the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel will house the student-athletes and coaches. The U.S. Cellular Center and Cedar Rapids Convention Complex is an ideal venue for the NCAA DII Wrestling Championships. Their experienced and professional staff will help create a memorable competition for the student-athletes and thousands of fans expected at the Championship.

"Hosting NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships is a great collaboration between Upper Iowa University and Cedar Rapids," said Erik Hudson, Director of Sports Tourism at the Cedar Rapids Tourism Office. "Eastern Iowa wrestling fans will have the opportunity to view the competition close to home, and spending by athletes and spectators will provide a boost to the local economy." 

The Cedar Rapids Tourism Office markets the Cedar Rapids area as a destination for tourism, conventions, meetings, sports events and special events through the active solicitation of tournament directors, convention and meeting planners, and through engagement with leisure travelers.  The Tourism Office attracts events to the Cedar Rapids area that will continue to be the economic driver for hotels, restaurants and local businesses.

The 2023 NCAA Division II Championships will take place on Friday and Saturday, March 10-11, 2023. The Championships will feature 180 of the best wrestlers in the country from the nation's six regions. Eighteen student-athletes will compete in each weight class to make up the total field of grapplers.
 
Today's announcement marks the third time for this specific NCAA championship bid process, which created the largest host site announcement ever, spanning 86 championships across a four-year cycle. Previously, selection announcements varied by sport. This process now gives the NCAA and host sites more time to plan each championship experience.
 
Bidding for 86 of 90 NCAA championships began in August 2019 and more than 3,000 bid applications were ultimately submitted. Each sport committee, per division, selected the host sites it believed would provide the ultimate experience for the respective student-athletes, resulting in more than 450 total championship event sites being awarded. More than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships each year. The four championships not included in the process due to preexisting site arrangements are: Division I baseball, Division I football, Division I softball and Division III women's ice hockey.