The best wrestlers from around the country are arriving in Iowa City for this weekend’s U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials. Nearly 12,000 tickets have been sold for each day of the two-day event at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mike Osmundson, assistant director at the University of Iowa ticket office, says no venue has ever sold as many tickets to the wrestling trials.
“We’ve led the nation in attendance just for the collegiate wrestling season and so we thought we’d get a good response,” Osmundson said. “The response we’ve gotten was even better, so we’re pretty excited.” Around 1,500 tickets remain for the event and every hotel in Johnson County is sold out. Wrestlers from 40 of the 50 states are expected to compete in the Olympic trials.
“Carver is great when it’s packed…and with these world class athletes coming in, we wanted to have a big crowd for them,” Osmundson said. Several former Iowa, Iowa State and U.N.I. wrestlers will compete in the trials – including Mike Zadick, Jake Varner, Brent Metcalf, Jordan Holm, and twin brothers Trent and Travis Paulson.
This weekend’s competition in Iowa City will determine who will wrestle for the United States in the London Olympics this summer.
By Mark Carlson, KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids