One day added to State Wrestling Tournament

The Iowa High School Athletic Association is adding a day to the State Wrestling Tournament. IHSAA Executive Director Bernie Saggau says they’re making the move to deal with construction at Vets Auditorium in Des Moines.Saggau says the south exits to the building are blocked by the construction of the new events center, and they added the extra day as a safety measure to thin the crowds. Saggau says the tournament will start on a Wednesday instead of the traditional Thursday.He says they’ll have the preliminary rounds for two of the three classes on Wednesday. Tickets to the tourney have exceeded demand the last several years, and Saggau says the change in format may hurt that demand a little bit.He says the “hard core” wrestling fans may be disappointed that they can’t sit through all three classes, and some may not come out. But, Saggau says the safety of the spectators and athletes is the top concern. The wrestling tournament’s been held in Vets for the last 31 years. The meet will move into the new events center when it’s completed in two years.