BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS
Sports Editor, RTC
The IHSAA announced Friday that the 2024 wrestling state finals will be held at the Ford Center in Evansville.
The state finals will be held on Feb. 16-17, 2024. The move is for one year only.
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which has hosted the state finals every year since it opened in 2000, will be unavailable that weekend since it will be hosting the NBA All-Star Game.
The Ford Center has a seating capacity of 11,000. It has hosted a semistate in 11 of the last 12 years.
In a news release, the IHSAA said it reached out to other venues in the state and said the Ford Center was “found to be the most compatible.”
“We’re extremely pleased and grateful to the city of Evansville for their willingness to host the IHSAA Wrestling State Finals – one of our premier events every year,” IHSAA Commissioner Paul Neidig said in the news release. “Evansville has an impeccable reputation for hosting amateur athletic competitions, and we are very confident this will be a great and memorable experience for everyone who attends. Evansville stands ready for this opportunity to host this event and share their hospitality with the rest of the state.”
Rochester qualified four wrestlers for the 2023 state finals in Indianapolis. Freshmen Layne Horn (106) and Brant Beck (160) were state qualifiers, and juniors Alex Deming (195) and Brady Beck (220) were both state placers, both finishing seventh.
Tippecanoe Valley state qualifier Bazle Owens graduates.
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