Univ. of Iowa Gets Approval To Build Wrestling Training Facility

There's a lot of excitement within the University of Iowa wrestling programs and among fans tonight. The Board of Regents gave the go-ahead for the construction of a new world-class training facility on the Iowa City campus.

The University has been fundraising with the Carver Circle Campaign for about the last two years. It was announced today that the campaign has now raised more than $25 million from 225 donors. According to a media release from the University of Iowa, the Board of Regents gave "approval to proceed with next steps on the Iowa wrestling training facility."

The facility, which will be built on the south side of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, will be connected to the arena by a tunnel. It will be used by both the men's team and the Iowa women's team, which begins competition in 2023-24.

The new $26.5 million training complex is expected to encompass 38,500 square feet. That will almost double the amount of training space available to Iowa wrestlers. What's more, it will include a hall of champions that will be at street level. When completed, it will move practice sessions for Iowa wrestlers out of Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the first time since the arena was built 39 years ago.

Construction is expected to begin approximately this June. A timetable for the new training facility's completion hasn't been announced.

The Iowa men's wrestling team has won 24 national championships in the last 46 years. While they attempt to win a 25th next month, the women's team will also be able to take advantage of the new facility as they aim to win their first title in just a couple of years.