"USA Wrestling’s Junior and 16U national championship tournament in Fargo, North Dakota, is the largest wrestling tournament in the world, according to USA Wrestling," the Connecticut Wrestling Online says.

There were a record 7,134 entries in the six tournaments, eclipsing the previous record of 6,646 entries a year ago in 2022. There were 72 wrestlers from Connecticut registered to participate in the event.

"Of the five tournaments which saw growth in 2023, the 16U women’s freestyle had the most increase, with 222 more entries than last year, which is a whopping 42.8% increase in just one season. The only event which saw a decrease was the Junior women’s freestyle, which went from 944 athletes last year to 853 wrestlers."

"The main change that impacted this event was the fact that for the first time, the 16U women’s nationals and the Junior women’s nationals were held at the same time. In the past, many 15- and 16-year old women athletes that were also in high school could compete in both tournaments," the Connecticut Wrestling Online says.

The growth this year came at the 16U level, where there were 543 more entries in the three national events than last year. Also of note is the tremendous growth in entries over the last five years, with over 2,000 more total entries than in the 2018 Junior/16U nationals."

2023 Junior/16U Nationals entries by tournament
• 16U Women’s Freestyle Nationals: 740
• 16U Men’s Freestyle Nationals: 1,595
• 16U Greco-Roman Nationals: 1,206
• Junior Women’s Freestyle Nationals: 853
• Junior Men’s Freestyle Nationals: 1,596
• Junior Greco-Roman Nationals: 1,144
Total: 7,144 total entries

"The World Wrestling Championships are the Greco-Roman Wrestling (men's, since 1904) and Freestyle Wrestling (men's since 1951 and women's since 1987) World Championships organized by United World Wrestling (UWW). (Wikipedia)

"United World Wrestling (UWW) is the international governing body for the sport of Wrestling; its duties include overseeing wrestling at the World Championships and Olympics. It presides over international competitions for various forms of wrestling, including Greco-Roman, Freestyle, Grappling, and others. The flagship event of UWW is the World Wrestling Championships."

"Every year, the nation's best young wrestlers come together for the world's largest wrestling competition, the 2024 U.S Marine Corps Junior and 16U Nationals at the Fargodome on the campus of North Dakota State in Fargo, N.D.," the USA Wrestling says.

"In 2023, the Junior/16U Nationals set a new participation record, with a combined 7,134 participants in the six national tournaments. Five of the six tournaments in 2022 saw growth over the previous year.

"The USMC Junior Nationals features high school wrestlers in grades 9-12. Every year, the Junior division features talented athletes who are proven winners, as well as many emerging stars. The 16U division features athletes who turned 15 or 16 years old in 2024 and is a tournament where athletes can begin to make a name for themselves on the national level."

"The combined USMC Junior and 16U Nationals, hosted in the FargoDome in Fargo, N.D., is recognized as the largest wrestling tournament in the world," the USA Wrestling says.

"In 2024, not only did the tournament see substantial growth in overall participation, but it also saw growth in all six national tournaments included in the week-long competition.

"USA Wrestling blitzed the overall record with 8,062 total participants, breaking through the 8,000-athlete barrier and topping the 2023 record of 7,134 athletes by 918 athletes, an impressive increase of 12.8%"

2024 USMC Junior/16U Nationals entries by tournament

• USMC 16U Women's Freestyle Nationals: 838
• USMC 16U Men's Freestyle Nationals: 1,698
• USMC 16U Greco-Roman Nationals: 1,261
• USMC Junior Women's Freestyle Nationals: 1,137
• USMC Junior Men's Freestyle Nationals: 1,817
• USMC Junior Greco-Roman Nationals: 1,311

Total: 8,062 total entries

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