College Wrestling Participation Stats

[Wrestleknownothing]

I found this study done by the NCAA on sports sponsorship and participation  rates:

https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/research/sportpart/2024RES_SportsSponsorshipParticipationRatesReport.pdf

When viewed across all levels, D1 thru D3, wrestling has bounced back from its nadir. 

• The number of teams bottomed out at 217 in 2010.
• At 275 as of 2024 the total number of teams is 27% higher than 2010.
• Meanwhile, the average roster size has ballooned from almost 22 in 1982 to over 32 in 2024.

All Levels Are Not Equal, Though

• Total D1 teams has leveled off just below 80.
• While roster size has grown from 29 just before the worst times, to 35 in 2024.

 

D2 is a Different Story

• Both the number of schools sponsoring wrestling and average roster size has grown significantly.
• In fact, at 73 schools sponsoring, 2024 was the highest total in the range.
• Similarly, average roster size was at an all time high.

 

D3 is Another Success Story

• There has been a steady increase in sponsorship since 2012.
• And while not at 1982 D3 levels, there are more D3 schools sponsoring wrestling than either D1 or D2.
• That has not prevented average roster sizes from growing to all time highs either.

 

Putting the Three Together

• Thanks to the strength of D2 and D3, overall participation is at its peak in the time period.
• D3 participation passed D1 in 2013 and has not looked back.
• D3 now has 35% more participants than D1.
• And D2 is poised to pass D1 in the next few years. At current rates that should happen in five to six years.

 

Where Do We Rank?

Kind of in the middle.

• Of the 29 sports listed, wrestling had the 11th most schools participating in 1982 and the 12th most now.
• Wrestling also had the 8th most participants, and has the 10th most now.
• That's right. Swimming just passed wrestling. Sorry guys. (Let us not speak of Diving).
• Tennis used to be the bomb, but has stood still and gotten passed by a lot of other sports.
• At least we are not gymnastics. Oof.

[Wrestleknownothing]

There absolutely are errors in this data. Everything is self reported. Anywhere you see a V or inverted V in a line, that is almost certainly an error. Just a head's up.

[SNL Wrestling]

8 hours ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

There absolutely are errors in this data. Everything is self reported. Anywhere you see a V or inverted V in a line, that is almost certainly an error. Just a head's up.

You would think at this volume most the errors would work themselves out, maybe? I agree there are 100% errors in the data but this is all we have and there is no incentive to self report higher or lower so you can probably assume all the errors come out in the wash.

 

[SNL Wrestling]

Would you mind if I turned this into an article for my twitter? I would give credit and link to here! Let me know, this was a good read

[ionel]

9 hours ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

Where Do We Rank?

Kind of in the middle.

• That's right. Swimming just passed wrestling. Sorry guys. (Let us not speak of Diving).

But did you include Synchronized Swimming in those numbers?  That kind of skews the results don't ya think? 

[Wrestleknownothing]

27 minutes ago, SNL Wrestling said:

Would you mind if I turned this into an article for my twitter? I would give credit and link to here! Let me know, this was a good read

Have at it. I do not need attribution.

[Wrestleknownothing]

11 minutes ago, ionel said:

But did you include Synchronized Swimming in those numbers?  That kind of skews the results don't ya think? 

[SNL Wrestling]

https://x.com/WrestlingSNL/status/1921035920897155525