IAwrestle is pleased to announce that our “War at West Gym” event will be returning to Cedar Falls on Saturday, March 10th. The event will once again be held in the University of Northern Iowa’s West Gym and will pit some of the state’s top talent against one another, as well as feature talented wrestlers from across the country.

Last year’s event featured 12 high school matches along with one professional bout, with the professionals serving as coaches for both sides of the dual. This year’s event figures to follow a similar format including the dual implementing a pushout in the folkstyle rule set.

Fans are able to purchase tickets at the door, but are encouraged to buy in advance on EventBrite. Tickets can be purchased for $10.

For those unable to attend the dual a live stream will be available on Trackwrestling. For our Season Pass subscribers the “War at West Gym” event is already included in the $65 initial fee, but fans will also have the option to purchase the stream for a one time $10 fee.

IAwrestle is also announcing the first matchup at this time, with South Dakota’s Nic Casperson traveling in to face West Liberty’s Bryce Esmoil at 195 pounds.

West Liberty’s Bryce Esmoil is the first Iowan announced in the War at West Gym event

One of six UNI recruits to win a state title this past weekend, Esmoil is seeking his first of potentially many wins inside the West Gym. The matchup will be a meeting of top 20 wrestlers with Casperson coming in ranked #6 by The Open Mat and Esmoil slotted at #17. Esmoil defending his 2017 state title with a dominating performance last weekend in Des Moines.

Casperson comes in with a strong list of credentials, already a three-time state medalist in his home state of South Dakota and he is the heavy favorite to repeat as state champion at the 2018 state tournament. Additional accolades include winning USA Wrestling Preseason Folkstyle nationals in 2016 and Casperson was the third place All-American in Cadet freestyle and Greco-Roman in 2016.