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New Brighton, MINNESOTA - After selling out another home schedule at the famed Carver-Hawkeye Arena, it's no surprise that for the 17th consecutive college wrestling season, the University of Iowa led the nation in Division I men's wrestling attendance as the National Wrestling Media Association released its annual figures on Thursday.
The Hawkeyes' allotment of 14,847 tickets were all snatched up for the six home dates during the 2023-24 college wrestling season, with a total attendance of 89,082.
Iowa was followed by Penn State, Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Oregon State.
Penn State's Performance
Penn State, which won its third straight NCAA Division I national championship, was second in attendance for the 12th consecutive year. The Nittany Lions averaged 7,337 fans per dual, which included selling out each of their six dates at Rec Hall (cap. 6,846) and drawing a season-best 12,049 for a Monday Big Ten dual meet against Rutgers.
Historical Milestones
Iowa’s sellout against Minnesota on January 15 and Penn State’s 12,000-plus attendance against Rutgers were the first two Division I dual meets in recorded history to draw over 10,000 fans on a Monday.
Iowa State's Highlights
Iowa State ranked third for the second time in the last three recorded seasons. The Cyclones averaged 6,691 fans over six home dates. The top date was registered against the rival Hawkeyes on November 23, which drew 14,267 fans, good enough for the fifth-best crowd in school history and the first crowd over 14,000 fans since the Cyclones hosted the Hawkeyes on February 19, 1982.
Oklahoma State and Oregon State
Oklahoma State drew an average of 5,871 to Gallagher-Iba Arena, with the best draw also coming against Iowa (13,721) on February 25, the final day of the regular season. That home crowd ranked as the third-largest in Oklahoma State history.
Oregon State had just two home duals this season, and with 8,540 showing up to Gill Coliseum for Penn State, the average ballooned to 5,240. The Beavers were one of just two schools with only two home duals tracked in the Top 25 attendance reports this season.
Road Draws
Iowa also was the top road draw, with the Hawkeyes bringing in the most fans to opposing venues seven of the eight times they hit the road for dual meets. They were the top draw at Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Penn, California Baptist, Illinois, and Northwestern. The Hawkeyes drew a total of 89,082 fans, followed by Oklahoma State’s 52,839 and Penn State’s 51,360. Iowa State was the only other school to draw more than 40,000 fans for the season, bringing in 40,150.
Other Top Schools
Oklahoma State was the top draw for five schools – NC State, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wyoming. Penn State was also the top draw in five places - Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, and Oregon State, as well as being one of six sold-out opponents at Iowa. Ohio State had top crowds on the road for four opponents – Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, and Hofstra.
NC State, Michigan, Ohio State, Rutgers, and Missouri round out the top 10 schools. NC State’s average of 4,304 was the highest in school history and included three sold-out dual meets with Oklahoma State, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech. The previous high for the Wolfpack was last season when they averaged just over 2,300. Michigan averaged over 4,000 for the first time in school history. The Wolverines averaged 4,196 over four home dates, topping the school’s previous high mark of 2,852 set in 2021-22. Ohio State averaged over 4,000 for the fifth time since 2017. Rutgers appeared in the top 10 for the ninth consecutive time, averaging 3,990 in nine home events.
Growth in Attendance
Six schools averaged more than 1,000 more fans per home event than the year prior – Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, NC State, Michigan, and Missouri.
A record 27 schools averaged over 1,000 fans per dual meet, marking the second straight year with at least 25 schools reaching the mark. There were 156 dual meets that drew more than 1,000 fans, 16 more than last season and 39 more than 2021-22. This is just 10 short of the record of 166 set prior to the pandemic.
The Numbers
| Rank | School | AVG | TOTAL | Dates | 1K+ | Best | Top Draw |
| 1 | Iowa | 14,847.0 | 89,082 | 6 | 6 | 14,847 | Oregon St., Columbia, Minnesota, Purdue, Penn State, Wisconsin |
| 2 | Penn State | 7,337.1 | 51,360 | 7 | 7 | 12,049 | Rutgers |
| 3 | Iowa State | 6,691.7 | 40,150 | 6 | 6 | 14,276 | Iowa |
| 4 | Oklahoma State | 5,871.0 | 52,839 | 9 | 9 | 13,721 | Iowa |
| 5 | Oregon State | 5,240.5 | 10,481 | 2 | 2 | 8,540 | Penn State |
| 6 | NC State | 4,340.8 | 21,704 | 5 | 5 | 5,500 | Oklahoma State, North Carolina, Virginia Tech |
| 7 | Michigan | 4,196.0 | 16,784 | 4 | 4 | 6,522 | Penn State |
| 8 | Ohio State | 4,072.4 | 28,507 | 7 | 7 | 4,759 | Michigan |
| 9 | Rutgers | 3,990.1 | 35,911 | 9 | 9 | 5,769 | Ohio State |
| 10 | Missouri | 3,393.7 | 20,362 | 6 | 6 | 6,207 | Oklahoma State |
| 11 | Nebraska | 3,353.0 | 23,471 | 7 | 7 | 5,208 | Iowa |
| 12 | Northern Iowa | 3,103.5 | 12,414 | 4 | 4 | 3,411 | Missouri |
| 13 | Minnesota | 2,615.3 | 15,692 | 6 | 6 | 3,155 | Wisconsin |
| 14 | Virginia Tech | 2,254.0 | 15,778 | 7 | 7 | 5,107 | Ohio State |
| 15 | Wisconsin | 2,176.3 | 13,058 | 6 | 6 | 3,563 | Ohio State |
| 16 | Indiana | 2,111.0 | 14,777 | 7 | 7 | 3,008 | Purdue |
| 17 | Lehigh | 1,594.9 | 11,164 | 7 | 7 | 1,944 | Pittsburgh |
| 18 | West Virginia | 1,579.7 | 9,478 | 6 | 4 | 4,139 | Glenville State (Beauty & The Beast) |
| 19 | Arizona State | 1,526.8 | 6,107 | 4 | 4 | 1,727 | Nebraska |
| 20 | South Dakota State | 1,474.5 | 8,847 | 6 | 5 | 2,241 | North Dakota State |
| 21 | Pittsburgh | 1,419.9 | 9,939 | 7 | 4 | 2,510 | Oklahoma State |
| 22 | Oklahoma | 1,380.0 | 6,900 | 5 | 1 | 3,571 | Oklahoma State |
| 23 | Virginia | 1,254.5 | 2,509 | 2 | 1 | 2,112 | Virginia Tech |
| 24 | Navy | 1,140.0 | 4,560 | 4 | 2 | 2,546 | Army West Point |
| 25 | Utah Valley | 1,123.8 | 4,495 | 4 | 4 | 1,315 | Wyoming |
| 26 | Cornell | 1,112.7 | 6,676 | 6 | 3 | 1,623 | Missouri |
| 27 | Lock Haven | 1,074.3 | 4,297 | 4 | 3 | 1,357 | George Mason |
| 28 | Cal Poly | 993.4 | 4,967 | 5 | 2 | 1,287 | Rutgers/Duke Tri |
| 29 | Penn | 962.5 | 5,775 | 6 | 3 | 2,141 | Iowa |
| 30 | California Baptist | 958.3 | 5,750 | 6 | 1 | 4,676 | Iowa |
| 31 | Bellarmine | 853.0 | 4,265 | 5 | 2 | 1,918 | Kentucky Wesleyan |
| 32 | Illinois | 816.7 | 4,900 | 6 | 2 | 1,757 | Iowa |
| 33 | Wyoming | 779.2 | 4,675 | 6 | 0 | 957 | Oklahoma State |
| 34 | Central Michigan | 748.6 | 3,743 | 5 | 2 | 1,340 | Oklahoma |
| 35 | Maryland | 748.5 | 4,491 | 6 | 1 | 2,000 | Penn State |
| 36 | Northwestern | 723.2 | 3,616 | 5 | 1 | 1,932 | Iowa |
| 37 | Northern Colorado | 692.4 | 3,462 | 5 | 1 | 1,402 | Wyoming |
| 38 | Little Rock | 687.8 | 3,439 | 5 | 1 | 1,027 | Arizona State |
| 39 | Kent State | 652.0 | 2,608 | 4 | 1 | 1,006 | Ohio |
| 40 | Appalachian State | 610.7 | 3,664 | 6 | 1 | 1,000 | NC State |
| 41 | North Carolina | 591.0 | 4,137 | 7 | 0 | 813 | Navy |
| 42 | Michigan State | 582.9 | 4,080 | 7 | 1 | 1,010 | Penn State |
| 43 | Princeton | 558.1 | 4,465 | 8 | 0 | 798 | Columbia |
| 44 | Franklin & Marshall | 541.7 | 1,625 | 3 | 1 | 1,250 | Home Quad |
| 45 | Purdue | 407.7 | 2,446 | 6 | 0 | 438 | Wisconsin |
| 46 | Bloomsburg | 406.3 | 1,625 | 4 | 0 | 475 | George Mason |
| 47 | Campbell | 403.3 | 1,613 | 4 | 0 | 838 | Appalachian State |
| 48 | Chattanooga | 382.4 | 1,912 | 5 | 0 | 475 | Davidson |
| 49 | Cleveland State | 382.0 | 1,528 | 4 | 0 | 632 | Ohio |
| 50 | Hofstra | 375.4 | 1,877 | 5 | 0 | 808 | Ohio State |
| 51 | North Dakota State | 373.3 | 2,240 | 6 | 0 | 557 | Nebraska |
| 52 | Air Force | 335.5 | 2,013 | 6 | 0 | 546 | Northern Colorado |
| 53 | Drexel | 320.9 | 2,567 | 8 | 0 | 400 | LIU |
| 54 | Northern Illinois | 312.0 | 1,248 | 7 (4)* | 0 | 435 | Lindenwood/St. Ambrose |
| 55 | Bucknell | 307.7 | 2,154 | 7 | 0 | 893 | Minnesota |
| 56 | Gardner-Webb | 300.0 | 2,100 | 7 | 0 | 350 | Davidson |
| 56 | Buffalo | 300.0 | 1,500 | 5 | 0 | 0 | N/A (Estimated) |
| 58 | Duke | 297.2 | 1,486 | 5 | 0 | 417 | Pittsburgh |
| 59 | Rider | 272.4 | 2,179 | 8 | 0 | 485 | Michigan |
| 60 | American | 202.6 | 1,621 | 8 | 0 | 439 | Maryland |
| 61 | VMI | 165.8 | 995 | 6 | 0 | 200 | Campbell |
| 62 | Queens | 101.8 | 407 | 4 | 0 | 164 | Duke/The Citadel |
| 63 | LIU | 95.3 | 381 | 4 | 0 | 122 | Sacred Heart |
Asterisks & Caveats
Some schools ticketed for some events and not for others. Some schools provided numbers of counting fans despite not being ticketed, while others included only tickets sold and didn’t include free admission for students. Duals with numbers they were able to provide were included. Northern Illinois only reported home attendance data for four of its seven dates.
Methodology
Tracking the attendance figures varies by school, with some schools opting to ticket for some events and not ticket for others, making the numbers an imperfect science. This data is for dual meet events only, not tournaments hosted by schools. In all, 63 schools reported figures for 2023-24, with 12 (Binghamton, Brown, Columbia, Davidson, George Mason, Harvard, Morgan State, Ohio, Sacred Heart, SIUE, Stanford and The Citadel) not ticketing or tracking home attendance for wrestling and six more not reporting (Army West Point, Clarion, CSU Bakersfield, Edinboro, Lindenwood, Presbyterian).
Background
The National Wrestling Media Association assumed the role of collecting attendance figures in 2017. The late Denny Diehl of the Lehigh University Wrestling News began tracking attendance in 2002, with TheOpenMat.com’s Alex Steen handling compilation from 2015-2016.
Resources
A historical record of year-by-year figures can be found here: https://almanac.mattalkonline.com/college-wrestling-attendance/
A list of the all-time single college dual meets with over 10,000 fans can be found here: https://almanac.mattalkonline.com/college-wrestling-dual-meet-attendance-records/
