Iowa Sets Wrestling Attendance Record
Drawing fans has never been a problem for the Iowa wrestling program.
The Hawkeyes drew 87,979 fans for seven home dual meets this season, an average of 12,568.4 fans. That, the National Wrestling Media Association announced on Friday, was an NCAA record.
It's the 14th consecutive season the Hawkeyes have led the nation in home wrestling attendance.
Penn State, with eight home duals, was second with 60,833. Iowa State was third with 33,562 — the Cyclones' largest home crowd was 11,238 for the dual against Iowa on Nov. 24.
It was the first time in NCAA history that a program had 10,000 or more fans in the arena for every home dual.
Iowa owned the previous attendance record of 12,166, set in the 2015-16 season when the Hawkeyes drew 42,207 fans for the "Grapple On The Gridiron" dual meet against Oklahoma State that was held in Kinnick Stadium before the Iowa-Minnesota football game.
The Hawkeyes weren't just popular at home, they were popular on the road as well. The largest home attendance for four programs — Iowa State, Michigan, Indiana and Princeton — came on days when those programs were playing host to Iowa.
Iowa has led the nation in attendance in each of coach Tom Brands' 14 seasons. It was the 12th consecutive season that the Hawkeyes have averaged more than 8,000 fans.
Iowa's dual attendance
• Tennessee-Chattanooga (10,466)
• Wisconsin (10,603)
• Nebraska (12,883)
• Ohio State (13,405)
• Penn State (14,905)
• Minnesota (12,608)
• Oklahoma State (13,109)