Wrestling Blog Updates
11/18/24 – KHSAA Awards 2023-24 NFHS State Coaches of the Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOV. 18, 2024
As part of its annual awards program, the National Federation of State High School Associations Coaches Association recognizes Coach of the Year honorees from each state. Those named Coach of the Year at the state level then advance for consideration for Sectional Coach of the Year honors. Winners are chosen through a combination of their coaching accomplishments, particularly for the season in question, as well as their contributions outside of competition to help grow their respective sports. These awards are announced following the recognized year.
The complete list of 2023-24 honorees from Kentucky is below.
- Baseball: Brad Burns, Pleasure Ridge Park
- Boys’ Basketball: Ryan Perry, Lyon County
- Boys’ Cross Country: Chris Davis, Bishop Brossart
- Football: Mark Spader, Bowling Green
- Boys’ Golf: Chris Cunningham, South Oldham
- Boys’ Soccer: Chris Grimm, Lafayette
- Boys’ Swimming & Diving: Jamie Palumbo; Bryan Station, Great Crossing, Lexington Catholic, Madison Central, Sayre, Scott County
- Boys’ […]
11/15/24 – Board of Control Approves Alignment for Lacrosse, Boys’ Volleyball; Revisions to Alignment for Field Hockey, Regions 6-7 Basketball, Region 1 Soccer
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOV. 15, 2024
The KHSAA Board of Control conducted its third regularly scheduled meeting of the 2024-25 academic year this week in Lexington, approving alignments for the upcoming inaugural seasons of lacrosse and boys’ volleyball, as well as a handful of alignment revisions across the sport of field hockey, Regions 6-7 of basketball and in Region 1 of soccer.
Lacrosse was approved for an eight-region format and an eight-team postseason state tournament, with the semifinals and finals of both the boys’ and girls’ tournaments culminating at Shelby County and Collins in Shelbyville on May 19-21. Both of these schools have unified lacrosse field markings, which gives the Association tremendous scheduling flexibility to assist with the contests in this first season.
Boys’ volleyball was also approved for an eight-region geographically based alignment with the winner and runner-up of each region advancing to a 16-team state tournament. The semifinals and championship match are scheduled […]
10/22/24 – Wrestling Online Rules Clinic Now Available
The mandatory online KHSAA Rules Clinic for the sport of Wrestling is now available through your Arbitersports Eligibility Dashboard.
The clinic is required of all officials and coaches (head, assistant, varsity, junior varsity, and freshmen), regardless of whether or not the coach receives pay.
Note: New for the 24-25 school year, you no longer log into the KHSAA School Portal to view your rules clinic or complete your other Bylaw 25 requirements. All Coaching functions have been migrated to the newly developed KHSAA360 System (in ArbiterSports).
If you have yet to log into the KHSAA360 (Arbitersports.com) system, you will need to set your password on the arbitersports.com login screen (select “Forgot Password”).
For full instructions on how to access your Eligibility Dashboard to complete the Online Rules Clinic and the rest of your Bylaw 25 requirements, see below:
If you are having difficulties locating your requirements dashboard, it can be found at […]
10/01/24 – KHSAA Combined Participation Tops 115,000 for First Time in 2023-24
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OCT. 1, 2024
More than 115,000 participants occupied roster spots in KHSAA sports and sport-activities in the 2023-24 school year, marking an all-time record and an increase of more than 5% from the previous year.
A total of 115,608 participants were on rosters for Kentucky high school competition in 2023-24, which is up 5,792 from the previous record of 109,816 set in 2022-23. The latest total includes 63,694 boys and 51,914 girls, a record high for both genders and the first time that girls’ participation has exceeded 50,000.
The 115,608 roster spots were comprised of 86,357 individuals, including 46,635 boys and 39,722 girls.
The 2023-24 total marks a third consecutive increase across KHSAA member schools after numbers briefly declined during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, national participation eclipsed the 8-million mark for the first time last school year.
“We are extremely pleased with our compilation […]
09/26/24 – Board of Control Approves Bass Fishing Site Rotation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SEPT. 26, 2024
The KHSAA Board of Control conducted its second regularly scheduled meeting of the 2024-25 academic year on Thursday in Lexington, approving a four-year site rotation for the Operation UNITE Bass Fishing State Championships presented by UK HealthCare.
The Bass Fishing State Championships will debut at Lake Cumberland in Russell County in 2025 and 2027 and return to Kentucky Lake in Marshall County — where the event has been held for more than a decade since its inception — in 2026 and 2028.
“We have been blessed with tremendous growth since the bass fishing tournament first began in 2013,” said Commissioner Julian Tackett. “The fact that multiple entities are interested in hosting this championship is a testament to the great work of our schools, student-athletes and coaches, as well as our long-time partners at Major League Fishing. We are excited to see that growth continue in the coming years.”
Thursday’s […]
08/27/24 – Wrestling Season Dates and New OPC Pricing Structure
At its May meeting, the KHSAA Board of Control approved a recommended revision to the wrestling postseason dates in response to the availability of the state championship venue.
2024-25 Important Dates
- Oct. 15 – First Practice
- Nov. 25 – First Contest
- Feb. 14-15 – Girls’ Regions
- Feb. 21-22 – Boys’ Regions
- Feb. 27 – Girls’ State Tournament
- Feb. 28-March 1 – Boys’ State Tournament
This is also the second year of the initial two-year commitment to hold the girls’ and boys’ state tournaments on separate days at the same venue in the same weekend. The structure of the state tournament schedule will continue to be evaluated but will ensure that the girls’ event is on par with the boys’ event in terms of priority, venue and coaching resource allocation. The Board of Control approved the state tournament dates for the next three years at the May meeting, with Alltech […]
06/04/24 – Thurmond, Germann Named 2023-24 Midway/KHSAA Student-Athletes of the Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 6, 2024
The 2023-24 Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year awards program culminated Tuesday on the campus of Midway University, as Carlie Thurmond of Bethlehem (Soccer) and Max Germann of Boyle County (Track & Field) were recognized as the overall Student-Athletes of the Year.
Beginning in May 2016, Midway has presented a Female Student-Athlete of the Year award at each KHSAA girls’ state championship event. The awards program was expanded in 2019-20 to include male student-athletes, with Midway honoring a deserving student-athlete in each KHSAA sport and sport-activity.
The awards are based on athletic and academic achievement, as well as community service and leadership, with Midway choosing one overall Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year each academic year. School administrators, coaches and athletic directors nominate student-athletes, and the nominees are voted upon by a closed panel consisting of representatives from Midway.
2023-24 Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athletes of the […]
04/30/24 – NFHS Announces Wrestling Rule Changes
Participants Now Inbounds with One Point of Contact in High School Wrestling
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS – Beginning with the 2024-25 season, high school wrestlers will be inbounds with only one point of contact of either wrestler inside or on the boundary line.
This fundamental change to high school wrestling was one of six major changes impacting almost 30 rules recommended by the NFHS Wrestling Rules Committee at its April 1-3 meeting in Indianapolis. All recommended changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
Previously, high school wrestlers were considered to be inbounds if a total of two supporting points of either wrestler were inside or on the boundary line. The two supporting points could be two supporting points of one wrestler or one supporting point of each wrestler inside or on the boundary line.
“Without increasing risk, this change eliminates the subjectivity of the […]
04/01/24 – Wrestling Official of the Year Announced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 1, 2024
Each year, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association honors the top officials for the 10 sports in which it licenses officials. Finalists in each sport are selected through a combination of not only on-field performance but local association activity and leadership, training efforts and the mentoring of newer officials.
One official in each sport is named “Outstanding Official of the Year” for their sport in appreciation of their dedication and service to schools and student-athletes across the state. Winners are selected following consultation with local assigning secretaries, veteran officials’ observers, coaches throughout the state and additional staff review.
The Outstanding Official of the Year for the 2023-24 wrestling season is Jake Lowry. Each finalist will receive a commemorative watch and certificate courtesy of the Officials Trust Fund, with the Official of the Year receiving an additional recognition award.
With officiating numbers declining at the national level, the KHSAA is […]
02/20/24 – Board of Control Approves Draft of 2025, 2026 Football Alignment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEB. 20, 2024
The KHSAA Board of Control conducted its fifth regularly scheduled meeting of the 2023-24 academic year on Tuesday in Lexington, approving an initial draft football realignment that would be effective for two years starting with the 2025 season.
With the approval of an initial draft, a survey of all member schools will be conducted to determine postseason participation for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. Pending member school feedback upon distribution of the alignment draft, any appeals and potential adjustments will be finalized at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting in May.
Each year, Board members are reminded that the officers for the following year are elected at the fifth meeting of the year. The Board annually elects a president-elect from its membership to serve the following year and then transition to the role of president in the second year following. On Tuesday, the Board selected Warren County Public Schools […]
02/14/24 – Boys’/Coed, Inaugural Girls’ Wrestling State Championships to Begin in Lexington
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEB. 14, 2024
The KHSAA Wrestling State Championships presented by UK HealthCare are set to return to Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, taking place in full over three days from Thursday, Feb. 15, to Saturday, Feb. 17.
In addition to Boys’/Coed competition scheduled for Thursday and Friday, the 2024 rendition of the Wrestling State Championships will feature the inaugural Girls’ Wrestling State Championships on Saturday.
Tickets to all three days of the event are available online only at khsaatickets.org. The event will be broadcast in its entirety live on khsaa.tv to subscribers of the NFHS Network.
2024 KHSAA WRESTLING STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
02/12/24 – Brackets Now Available for Boys’/Coed Wrestling Championship
Brackets for the boys’/coed championship have been published to KHSAA.org and TrackWrestling. The brackets were developed based on the random draw table, which can be viewed on the KHSAA website.
Qualifiers for the boys’/coed wrestling championship are available for review at https://khsaa.org/2023-2024-wrestling-boys-coed-entries-by-school/. Rosters were pulled directly from TrackWrestling data, but staff should be alerted of any spelling corrections by 12 p.m. ET today so corrected information can be shared with TeamIP for event merchandise.
The 2024 KHSAA State Wrestling Championships presented by UK HealthCare will be held Feb. 15-17 at Alltech Arena inside the Kentucky Horse Park. The boys’/coed championship will take place Feb. 15-16 followed by the girls’ championship on Feb. 17. The competition schedule is available at https://khsaa.org/2024-state-wrestling-schedule/.
The state instructions are available for review on the Wrestling homepage at https://ly.khsaa.org/tgmq. Tickets to the event are available for purchase online-only at khsaatickets.org, including discounted single-day, two-day or three-day all-session […]
02/11/24 – State Wrestling Championships Update
First and foremost, the KHSAA would like to thank the region tournament hosts, as well as the coaches and officials for their continued contributions this season. Congratulations to those who have qualified for the 2024 KHSAA State Wrestling Championships presented by UK HealthCare. The event will be held Feb. 15-17 at Alltech Arena inside the Kentucky Horse Park, with the boys’/coed championship taking place Feb. 15-16 followed by the girls’ championship on Feb. 17. The competition schedule is available at https://khsaa.org/2024-state-wrestling-schedule/.
The state instructions are available for review on the Wrestling homepage at https://ly.khsaa.org/tgmq. Tickets to the event are available for purchase online-only at khsaatickets.org, including discounted single-day, two-day or three-day all-session passes. The advance discount tickets are available up until the day of the event, at which time only the game day tickets will be available. Tickets can be purchased via credit card at the admission gate but no tickets will […]
01/23/24 – Wrestling Postseason Updates
The KHSAA wanted to update member schools about Wrestling postseason dates and sites.
As we approach the first postseason for girls’ wrestling as a sanctioned sport, it is imperative that member schools continue to be diligent in maintaining accurate rosters in both the KHSAA subdomain and TrackWrestling. Coaches must also be entered on the KHSAA subdomain and meet all Bylaw 25 requirements for those entering the girls’ only competition.
Female student-athletes have a choice of which postseason to enter (Boys/Coed or Girls) but cannot enter both due to weight management/class requirements and the concurrence of the championship events. Any female entered in the girls’ postseason may not also be entered in the boys’ tournament, and vice versa. Once entered into the postseason, the student-athlete shall compete in that division for the remainder of the postseason.
Female student-athletes desiring to enter the girls’ wrestling postseason should have a profile in TrackWrestling and be entered into the […]
01/17/24 – Board of Control Looks Ahead to Winter State Championships
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JAN. 17, 2024
The KHSAA Board of Control conducted its fourth regularly scheduled meeting of the 2023-24 academic year on Wednesday in Lexington, approving status reports regarding upcoming winter state championships and items for possible action at a later meeting.
Following a data review conducted by KHSAA staff, the inaugural Girls’ Wrestling State Championships in February will be preceded by multi-region meets at Caldwell County (Regions 1-2), Central (Regions 3-4), Bryan Station (Regions 5-6) and Montgomery County (Regions 7-8). Due to the difference in participation numbers of teams and individuals, the pattern of regions and sites will differ between girls’ and boys’ competitions. Girls’ wrestling participation is on the rise in the first year of sanctioning a state championship, however, growing from 378 registered girls’ wrestlers in 2022-23 to 586 participants this season.
The Board also discussed a staff review of member schools’ requirements to submit individual and team roster entries unique […]
01/01/24 – Wrestling Nominations Sought for Midway/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year
The nomination process for the Midway University/KHSAA Male and Female Student Athlete-of-the-Year among wrestling participants for 2023-2024 is now open.
This award is based on athletic and academic achievement as well as community service and leadership. The link to the application contains additional criteria and a form to nominate one participant from each 2023-2024 team. Nominations must come from a member school, but can be submitted by an administrator, guidance counselor, or coach. Nominations may only be submitted online at https://khsaa.org/ge35-midway-university-khsaa-female-student-athlete-of-the-year-nomination-form/.
The winner will be announced early in the postseason and recognized at an awards event at Midway University in early summer 2024. From the winners selected for each KHSAA championship, one student-athlete will be selected as the 2023-2024 Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year announced at the event. All individual winners will also receive their recognition awards at that time.
The deadline for nominations for the Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year in […]
12/14/23 – Wrestling Mat Offer & Scholarship Opportunity
Member schools interested in purchasing a new mat for their wrestling program are encouraged to take advantage of the discount offer from EZ Flex detailed below. Information is also included in this message regarding a new scholarship opportunity created for a senior wrestler by the family of Max Emerson.
EZ FLEX MAT OFFER
Take advantage of the year’s biggest savings with a tournament demo mat from the 2024 KHSAA State Wrestling Championships! Customize a 42′ x 40′ x 1-5/8″ EZ Flex wrestling mat with your colors and artwork (additional charge for artwork) for your school for use at the 2024 State Tournament, and save up to $2,000. Mats are backed by the standard EZ Flex Five-Year Limited Warranty and are available for pickup immediately following the event.
Don’t miss out, contact Ben Anderson at EZ Flex asap to reserve a tournament mat today!
Ben Anderson
Phone: 877-939-3539
Email: ben@ezflexmats.com
12/04/23 – Media Credentials Now Available for Winter Championships
The KHSAA’s online media credentialing system for 2023-24 winter state championships (competitive cheer, dance, esports, wrestling, swimming & diving) is now live and can be accessed via credentials.khsaa.org.
The media credentialing system for the Mingua Beef Jerky Girls’ Basketball Sweet 16® and UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16® will be made available at a later date.
Credentials to each KHSAA state championship event are issued by the KHSAA to working members of the media who regularly cover high school athletics. Credentials must be requested prior to the established deadline for each sport through the online credentialing system.
Credentials should be requested by the sports editor/director for all members of their organization needing to attend an event. Credentials for freelance photographers and stringers must be requested by the sports editor/director at the outlet the freelancer will be representing. Media outlets are responsible for the actions of all individuals representing their organization, including compliance with KHSAA […]
11/15/23 – Board of Control Adopts Changes to State Formats For Swimming, Indoor Track & Field, Girls’ Wrestling; Sets State Archery Site, Accepts Results of Bylaw 9 Amendment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOV. 15, 2023
The KHSAA Board of Control conducted its third regularly scheduled meeting of the 2023-24 academic year on Wednesday in Lexington, approving changes to the Swimming State Championship format and event implementation plans for the inaugural Indoor Track & Field and Girls’ Wrestling State Championships.
The Board approved the selection of Russell County High School (Regions 1-3), the University of Louisville (Regions 4-6) and Scott High School (Regions 7-9) as 2024 State First Round sites for Swimming and approved revisions to relay card procedures for the regional and state meet rounds to help address facility deck and crowd capacity concerns.
The Board also approved the increase of the total number of qualifiers advancing from the swimming & diving region meets to the State First Round to 48 per event statewide, including approval of the format structure for those three first-round events. This will result in a total of a total […]
11/15/23 – Girls’ Wrestling Weight Classes and Season Implementation
Today, the Board of Control took action on a recommendation from staff regarding weight classes for girls’ wrestling.
Our office received considerable feedback following the results of the survey conducted earlier this fall, which was directed to the designated representative of each school as required by KHSAA Bylaws, regarding weight classes for girls’ wrestling. The survey resulted in membership preference for the use of 12 weight classes for girls’ competition while utilizing the boys’ weight classes.
After reviewing the concerns that were relayed to our office, we began working to find a solution that would address those concerns and, as much as possible, honor the results of the survey. Last week, following our request, the NFHS accepted an experimental “12 + 1” proposal from our office that will allow us to conduct the girls’ competition with the Federation’s 12 girls’ weight classes while adding an experimental 285-lb. class on the girls’ side for the 2023-24 […]
10/17/23- Wrestling Schools Reminded about Needed Information, Girls’ Wrestling; Wrestling Survey Results
ROSTER UPDATE
Member schools are reminded that if you are going to compete in Girls’ Wrestling in competition against other girls’ wrestling teams, it is imperative that the School Control Panel be updated to indicate that you will be doing such. Much information will need to be gathered from those schools as postseason logistics are formulated. It is the staff’s intention to have a model near final to report this data to the Board of Control at their November meeting as this first year of an implemented championship in girls’ wrestling is executed. Such things as qualifying rounds and sites cannot be determined until there is a realistic estimate of those schools competing.
In addition, schools are reminded that (per the notice earlier this month at https://ly.khsaa.org/ndaa), the rosters for girls’ competition and boys’ competition are separate. In the case of a girl who competes in girls-only competition AND boys/coed competition, be sure they […]
10/11/23 – Wrestling Online Rules Clinic Now Available
The mandatory online KHSAA Rules Clinic for the sport of Wrestling is now available. The clinic is required of all officials as well as all coaches (varsity, junior varsity, and freshmen) regardless of whether or not the coach receives pay.
OFFICIALS
TO TAKE THE CLINIC, LOG IN TO YOUR ARBITERSPORTS.COM ACCOUNT
Go to https://khsaaofficials.org
Login using your arbiter name and password
OFFICIALS INSTRUCTIONS FOR CLINICS
- As they are a condition of postseason eligibility, in the top black bar on the main page for https://khsaaofficials.org, select ELIGIBILITY
- Select that you want the 2023-24 Wrestling Postseason Eligibility by clicking on 23-24 Postseason
- You will see a Blue Hyperlink that says Take Online Clinic
- Go through the clinic following the instructions including any require
- Please note it may be as much as 24 hours before your score is posted
DEADLINE FOR OFFICIALS
- Oct. 9 to Dec. 28 […]
10/06/23 – KHSAA Announces 2022-23 NFHS State Coaches of the Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: OCT. 6, 2023
As part of its annual awards program, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association recognizes Coach of the Year honorees from each state. Those named Coach of the Year at the state level then advance for consideration for Sectional Coach of the Year honors. Winners are chosen through a combination of their coaching accomplishments, particularly for the season in question, as well as their contributions outside of competition to help grow their respective sports. These awards are announced following the recognized year.
The complete list of 2022-23 honorees from Kentucky is below.
- Baseball: Jeremy Shope, Whitley County
- Boys’ Basketball: Josh Cook, George Rogers Clark
- Boys’ Cross Country: Brian Ruggles, North Oldham
- Football: Keegan Kendrick, Bullitt East
- Boys’ Golf: Kyle Congleton, Madison Central
- Boys’ Soccer: Stephen Collins, Ryle
- Boys’ Swimming & Diving: Mike Essig, Trinity (Louisville)
- Boys’ Tennis: Al Hertsenberg, Covington Catholic
- Boys’ Track & […]
09/27/23 – Clarifications about Participation in Individual Sports
The KHSAA has received several inquiries pertaining to the participation in individual sports against home school students, club teams, students from other non-member schools or unattached/unaffiliated athletes from its member schools. It is the member school’s responsibility to understand the Bylaw 23 restrictions (Limitation of Seasons) and who the athletes are competing against;
IF EVENT IS HOSTED BY A KHSAA MEMBER SCHOOL OR IS A SCHOOL COMPETITION
- KHSAA Member schools cannot compete against schools or teams located in Kentucky who are eligible to join the KHSAA but have decided not to do so at this time.
- A list of current KHSAA member schools can be found here: SCHOOL DIRECTORY
- Member schools may, during the regular season, permit entries from homeschool units or homeschool students enrolled in Kentucky per state statute, provided they are on the approved list provided by the KHSAA: APPROVED HOME SCHOOL/GROUP
- Meets where all athletes are entered under the […]
09/13/23 – Board of Control Approves Distribution of Bylaw 9 Referendum, Adjusts Swimming & Diving Starting Date
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SEPT. 13, 2023
The KHSAA Board of Control conducted its second regularly scheduled meeting of the 2023-24 academic year on Wednesday in Lexington, approving the distribution of a member school referendum regarding Bylaw 9, an adjustment of the starting date for the swimming & diving season and an implementation plan for the KHSAA Swimming & Diving State Championship First Rounds, as well as the distribution of a member school survey regarding girls’ wrestling weight classes and a timetable for implementing the details of the inaugural KHSAA Indoor Track & Field State Championships.
The Board’s approval to distribute a referendum regarding Bylaw 9 paves the way for distribution to member schools following the 2023-24 KHSAA Annual Meeting in Lexington on Sept. 14. The referendum will include the yes/no option of removing Section 1(a) from the Bylaw, which restricts basketball players who have been in grade nine(9) and then played a contest for the […]
07/27/23 – Cross Country State Championships to Return to Kentucky Horse Park in 2023-24
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JULY 27, 2023
After a three-year stint at the Bourbon County Cross Country Course in Paris, the KHSAA Cross Country State Championships will return to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington starting in 2023-24.
“We would like to thank those who made the last three years a special experience at the Bourbon County Cross Country Course,” said KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett. “In 2020, we were fortunate to help our cross country manager and several other individuals design a viable course for our state championships in a time of uncertainty around the global pandemic when our former course was not hosting events. What started as a brand-new course at the time has since evolved into a site that has consistently offered a great experience for our student-athletes. We look forward to the continued improvements the Bourbon County course has discussed for long-term growth, and we will undoubtedly revisit our site selection again in […]
06/30/23 – Officials Supervisor of the Year Announced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 30, 2023
Each year, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association honors the top officials for the 10 sports in which it licenses officials, as well as a single supervisor of officials from among those sports. Finalists in each sport are selected through a combination of not only on-field performance but local association activity and leadership, training efforts and the mentoring of newer officials.
In addition to one official in each sport being named “Outstanding Official of the Year” for their sport, the KHSAA also recognizes the Larry G. Boucher Officials Supervisor of the Year in appreciation of their dedication and service to schools and student-athletes across the state. Winners are selected following consultation with local assigning secretaries, veteran officials’ observers, coaches throughout the state and additional staff review.
The Larry G. Boucher Officials Supervisor of the Year for the 2022-23 school year is Mark Shumate of Floyd Knobs, Indiana, for his […]
06/06/23 – Johnson, Ferree Named 2022-23 Midway/KHSAA Student-Athletes of the Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 6, 2023
The 2022-23 Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year awards program culminated this week on the campus of Midway University, as Rafaella Johnson of Elizabethtown (Cross Country) and George Ferree of Trinity (Louisville) (Wrestling) were recognized as the overall Student-Athletes of the Year.
Beginning in May 2016, Midway has presented a Female Student-Athlete of the Year award at each KHSAA girls’ state championship event. The awards program was expanded in 2019-20 to include male student-athletes, with Midway honoring a deserving student-athlete in each of the 19 officially recognized KHSAA sports and sport-activities.
The awards are based on athletic and academic achievement, as well as community service and leadership, with Midway choosing one overall Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year each academic year. School administrators, coaches and athletic directors nominate student-athletes online at khsaa.org, and the nominees are voted upon by a closed panel consisting of representatives from Midway.
05/10/23 – Board of Control Accepts Reports of Member Survey Results, State Legislation, Officials Licensing
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MAY 10, 2023
The KHSAA Board of Control conducted its final regularly scheduled meeting of the 2022-23 academic year on Wednesday in Lexington, accepting reports of several member surveys and ballots regarding both new and existing championship sports and sport-activities, as well as reports of Kentucky state legislation and officials licensing.
After officially approving the adoption of girls’ wrestling for the 2023-24 academic year during last February’s Board meeting, on Wednesday the Board approved the return of the KHSAA Wrestling State Championships to Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington through 2024-25 to be held as a three-day event each year.
The Board approved the adoption of boys’ and girls’ tennis team state championships in the spring, along with the existing individually bracketed tennis tournament, beginning with the 2023-24 academic year. The Board also approved sponsoring a boys’ volleyball, boys’ lacrosse and girls’ lacrosse state championships beginning in 2024-25, following […]
05/02/23 – NFHS Announces Wrestling Rule Changes
Changes in High School Wrestling Rules Include Allowance of Six Matches in One Day of Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
INDIANAPOLIS – High school wrestlers will be able to wrestle in six matches in any one day of competition beginning with the 2023-24 season. The six-match limit includes championship and consolation matches and excludes forfeits.
This change to Rule 1-4-3 was one of 12 revisions recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee at its April 2-4 meeting in Indianapolis. All changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
The increase from five to six matches for regular-season competition follows the change two years ago which permitted six matches in any one day of tournament competition. With experiments conducted last year by state associations with no reported injuries, the committee thought the increase to six for regular-season competition was a natural progression.
With risk minimization in […]
04/14/23- Wrestling State Schedule Format Survey Questionnaire
At its February meeting, the Board of Control approved the Commissioner’s request to survey the member school Designated Representatives about the state wrestling format. This survey must be completed by the Principal or Designated Representative of each member school.This survey is critical with the addition of a Girls’ Wrestling Championship for 2023-24 as well as addressing both staff and membership concerns about the current schedule, particularly the state first round. While other information will be solicited from both Athletic Directors and coaches on the sport with the addition of the girls’ championship, the feedback on this issue should come from each school sponsoring the sport through its Principal or Designated Representative. The philosophy of the Board in the last several years has been to seek opinions in compliance with Bylaw 1, instead of small group recommendations that might not find favor with the majority of the membership or surveys where response integrity can be brought […]
03/29/23 – Official of the Year Winner Announced for Wrestling
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MARCH 29, 2023
Each year, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association honors the top officials for the 10 sports in which it licenses officials. Finalists in each sport are selected through a combination of not only on-field performance but local association activity and leadership, training efforts and the mentoring of newer officials.
One official in each sport is named “Outstanding Official of the Year” for their sport in appreciation of their dedication and service to schools and student-athletes across the state. Winners are selected following consultation with local assigning secretaries, veteran officials’ observers, coaches throughout the state and additional staff review.
The Outstanding Official of the Year for the 2022-23 wrestling season is Blake Durham of Louisville. Each finalist will receive a commemorative watch and certificate courtesy of the Officials Division Trust Fund, with the Official of the Year receiving an additional recognition award.
With officiating numbers declining at the national level, […]
02/22/23 – Board of Control Approves Adoption of Girls’ Wrestling
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEB. 22, 2023
The KHSAA Board of Control conducted its fifth regularly scheduled meeting of the 2022-23 academic year on Wednesday in Lexington, approving the adoption of girls’ wrestling, the solicitation of a site to hold the boys’ and girls’ wrestling tournaments consecutively, specifications for KHSAA Golf State First Round sites and the election of the 2023-24 Board President-Elect.
The adoption of girls’ wrestling will be effective in the 2023-24 academic year. As a result of the Board’s approval, the KHSAA Commissioner has been tasked with finalizing logistics for a state championship in girls wrestling with two or four state-managed qualifying sites, as well as finalizing negotiations to find, if possible, a potential consolidated site following a survey of the membership on scheduling implications.
“We look forward to gathering data from our school athletic administrators on this important site selection,” said Commissioner Julian […]
02/20/23 – State Wrestling Final Round Update
First and foremost, the KHSAA would like to thank Atherton and Ryle for hosting the First Round events on Saturday, as well as the coaches and officials for their continued contributions this season. The 2023 KHSAA State Wrestling Championships Final Rounds presented by UK HealthCare will conclude this coming weekend at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester. The competition schedule is available at https://khsaa.org/2023-state-wrestling-schedule/
The postseason instructions for the State Tournament Final Rounds are available for review on the Wrestling homepage at https://khsaa.org/sports-activities-events/winter/wrestling/. Tickets to the event are available for purchase online-only, including a discounted two-day all-session pass, and can be found at khsaatickets.org. The advance discount tickets ($14 per day and $24 for an all-session pass) are available up until the day of the event, at which time only the game day tickets will be available ($16 per day and $26 for an all-session pass).
The brackets for next weekend’s […]
02/16/23 – Wrestling State Championships to Kick Off at First Round Sites
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEB. 16, 2023
The 2023 KHSAA Wrestling State Championships presented by UK HealthCare will begin with the State First Round on Feb. 18 at both Atherton in Louisville and Ryle in Union.
The event will conclude with the State Finals on Feb. 24-25 at George Rogers Clark in Winchester.
Qualifiers from Regions 1-4 will travel to Atherton for the State First Round, while participants from Regions 5-8 will begin their championship journey at Ryle. Competition at both venues is scheduled to commence on Saturday at 9 a.m. ET.
Tickets to each round of the 2023 Wrestling State Championships are only available for purchase online at khsaatickets.org. The State Finals will be broadcast live on khsaa.tv to subscribers of the NFHS Network starting at 4 p.m. on Friday and all day on Saturday.
2023 KHSAA Wrestling State First Round
02/12/23 – KHSAA State Wrestling First Round Update
First and foremost, the KHSAA would like to thank the regional host schools and officials for all of their hard work and success this past weekend. Congratulations to those who have advanced State Tournament First Round, which will be contested Saturday, Feb. 18 with Regions 1-4 competing at Atherton High School, and Regions 5-8 visiting Ryle High School. The postseason instructions for the State Tournament First Round are available on the wrestling page at KHSAA.org along with results from the region championships.
Tickets to both events are available for purchase online-only and can be found at khsaatickets.org. An $11 advance discount ticket is available prior to the day of each first round tournament. The gameday ticket price will be $13 for those that wait until Feb. 18 to purchase.
Information for both sites can be found through the links below:
First Round at Atherton
Schedule
Brackets
Tickets
First Round […]
02/01/23 – Wrestling Postseason Updates
The KHSAA wanted to update member schools about Wrestling postseason dates and sites.
REGION WRESTLING:
- Region Wrestling Tournaments can be held Feb. 10-11.
- The following reflects hosts/sites for the upcoming events:
- These hosts/sites, including contact information for the managers and trackwrestling data entry person, are also archived at https://khsaa.org/wrestling/2023/regionmanagers.pdf
- The regional tournament postseason instructions are available on the Wrestling page at KHSAA.org (https://khsaa.org/sports-activities-events/winter/wrestling/).
STATE TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND:
- Qualifiers from Regions 1-4 will advance to the First Round event held at Atherton HS, while qualifiers from Regions […]
12/27/22 – Wrestling Nominations Sought For Male And Female Midway/KHSAA Student-Athlete Of The Year
The nomination process for the Midway University/KHSAA Male and Female Student Athlete-of-the-Year among wrestling participants for 2022-2023 is now open.
This award is based on athletic and academic achievement as well as community service and leadership. The link to the application contains additional criteria and a form to nominate one participant from each 2022-2023 team. Nominations must come from a member school, but can be submitted by an administrator, guidance counselor, or coach. Nominations may only be submitted online at https://khsaa.org/ge35-midway-university-khsaa-female-student-athlete-of-the-year-nomination-form/.
The winner will be announced early in the postseason and recognized at an awards event at Midway University in early summer 2023. From the winners selected for each KHSAA championship, one student-athlete will be selected as the 2022-2023 Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year announced at the event. All individual winners will also receive their recognition awards at that time.
The deadline for nominations for the Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year in […]
12/19/22 – KHSAA Announces NFHS State Coach of the Year Honorees for 2021-22 Seasons
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DEC. 19, 2022
As part of its annual awards program, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association recognizes Coach of the Year honorees from each state. Those named Coach of the Year at the state level then advance for consideration for Sectional Coach of the Year honors. Winners are chosen through a combination of their coaching accomplishments, as well as their contributions outside of competition to help grow their respective sports. These awards are announced following the recognized year.
The complete list of 2021-22 honorees from Kentucky is below.
Baseball: David Rexroat, Russell County
Boys’ Basketball: William Unseld, Warren Central
Girls’ Basketball: Kristy Orem, Pikeville
Boys’ Cross Country: Ian Johnstone, Conner
Girls’ Cross Country: Tom Stickel, Lexington Christian
Field Hockey: Jody Schaefer, Assumption
Football: Noel Rash, Beechwood
Boys’ Golf: Greg Zimmerer, Christian Academy-Louisville
Girls’ Golf: Sam Westfall, Madisonville-North Hopkins
[…]
12/07/22 – Media Credentials Now Available for Winter Championships
The KHSAA’s online media credentialing system for winter sports championships (competitive cheer, dance, eSports, bowling, swimming & diving, wrestling) is now live and can be accessed via the following link: credentials.khsaa.org
Credentials to each KHSAA State Championship event are issued by the KHSAA to working members of the media who regularly cover high school athletics. Credentials must be requested prior to the established deadline for each sport through the online credentialing system.
Credentials should be requested by the sports editor/director for all members of their organization needing to attend an event. Credentials for freelance photographers and stringers must be requested by the sports editor/director at the outlet the freelancer will be representing. Media outlets are responsible for the actions of all individuals representing their organization, including compliance with KHSAA policies and procedures. No credentials will be issued outside of the online credentialing system. The KHSAA reserves the right to limit the number of credentials […]
11/21/22 – NFHS Part 2 Exam for Officials in BK, SW & WR Now Online
NFHS Part 2 Exams for licensed officials in the sports of Basketball, Swimming, and Wrestling are now available online.
The Part 2 Exams will be open until 11:59 p.m. (ET) based on the following schedules:
- Swimming & Diving: Monday, Jan. 23
- Wrestling: Monday, Jan. 30
- Basketball: Monday, Feb. 13
Login at https://officials.khsaa.org/authorize/ to take the test. A minimum score of 35 questions correct out of 50 is required for a passing score.
First-year officials are not required to take the exam, however, if any first-year official has completed licensing requirements, the test may be taken.
Any official determined to have been involved in the improper administration of the exam, including taking it for another official or having it taken by another official, will have the score disregarded for the year and be subject to other penalties in compliance with the jurisdiction of the office through the Federal Court Decree.
Please keep in […]
11/16/22 – Board of Control Approves Items Passed at Annual Meeting, Distribution of Enrollment Information, Wrestling State First Round Site
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOV. 16, 2022
The KHSAA Board of Control conducted its third regularly scheduled meeting of the 2022-23 academic year on Wednesday in Lexington, approving items passed at the 2022 Annual Meeting of Schools and the authorization to distribute enrollment information to be used in classification upon receipt from Kentucky Department of Education, as well as the recommendation for Atherton to host the 2023 Wrestling State First Round for Regions 1-4.
On Sept. 22, the KHSAA conducted its Annual Meeting at the Central Bank Center in Lexington. Delegates in attendance voted on proposals submitted by the Board for consideration, as required by 702 KAR 7:065 and the annual review of Association rules. The passing of Proposal 2022-01 to amend Bylaw 9 to remove basketball pre-practice restrictions on students in grade 9 and above who have already represented a school was officially approved for 2023-24 adoption by the Board at Wednesday’s meeting. The change […]
10/05/22 – Wrestling Online Rules Clinic Now Available
The mandatory Online KHSAA Rules Clinic for the sport of Wrestling is now available. The clinic is required of all officials as well as all coaches (varsity, junior varsity and freshmen), regardless of whether or not the coach receives pay.
For member schools, the clinics are located on the School Log-in Page. To access the clinic, go to https://schools.khsaa.org/ and — under the section entitled Rules Clinics — click on the link that says “View Online Rules Clinics“.
For officials, login to the officials’ subdomain at https://officials.khsaa.org/
COACHES
- October 5 to January 5 (Coaches) – the Wrestling Clinic may be viewed at no charge during this period.
- January 6 to January 20 (Coaches) – the Wrestling Clinic may be viewed for the makeup fee ($100) during this period.
- January 21 to February 4 (Coaches) – the Wrestling Clinic may be viewed for the makeup fee ($200) per the Bylaw 27 […]
06/28/22 – Official of the Year Winners Announced for Winter, Spring Sports
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 28, 2022
Each year, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association honors the top officials for the 10 sports in which it licenses officials. Finalists in each sport are selected through a combination of not only on-field performance but local association activity and leadership, training efforts and the mentoring of newer officials.
One official in each sport is named “Outstanding Official of the Year” for their sport in appreciation of their dedication and service to schools and student-athletes across the state. Winners are selected following consultation with local assigning secretaries, veteran officials’ observers, coaches throughout the state and additional staff review.
The Outstanding Officials of the Year for the 2021-22 winter and spring seasons are James Johns for basketball, Joseph Phillips for swimming & diving, Eric Friddle for wrestling, Ron Rawe for baseball, Randy Chapman for softball and Sadie Gambrel for track & field, while Paul Lewis was named the Larry G. […]
06/11/22- Kopser, Gloyd Named 2021-22 Midway/KHSAA Student-Athletes of the Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 11, 2022
The 2021-22 Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year awards program culminated this week on the campus of Midway University, as Renae Kopser (Ryle) and Ben Gloyd (Mayfield) were recognized as the overall Student-Athletes of the Year.
Beginning in May of 2016, Midway University started presenting a Female Student-Athlete of the Year award at each KHSAA girls’ state championship event. The awards program was expanded in 2019-20 to include male student-athletes, with Midway honoring a deserving student-athlete in each of the 19 officially recognized KHSAA sports and sport-activities.
The awards are based on athletic and academic achievement as well as community service and leadership, with Midway choosing one overall male and female student-athlete of the year each academic year. School administrators, coaches and athletic directors nominate student-athletes online at KHSAA.org, and the nominees are voted upon by a closed panel consisting of representatives from Midway University.
2021-22 Midway University/KHSAA […]
04/29/22- Eased Restrictions on Facial Hair Among 2022-23 High School Wrestling Rules Changes
INDIANAPOLIS, IN (April 29, 2022) — High school wrestlers may now have facial hair on the entire face and chin, provided a skin check can still be conducted. Previously, wrestlers were required to be clean shaven with the exception of sideburns and a neatly trimmed mustache.
The change to facial hair requirements was one of three rules changes recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee at its meeting April 3-5 in Indianapolis, which subsequently were approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
The revised procedure for facial hair is that the skin must be visible to allow for a skin check to be performed, as determined by the referee or a designated onsite appropriate health-care professional overseeing skin checks. In the event a skin check cannot be performed, a wrestler will be permitted to trim the facial hair to within the guidelines and must do so before competing. […]
03/07/22- UK HealthCare Expands Partnership with KHSAA, Continues Long-Term Commitment to State Championship Events
UK HealthCare and the KHSAA announced Monday that they have expanded their long-time partnership. UK HealthCare, the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky, will serve as the official health care provider for the KHSAA. This move will see UK HealthCare take its title sponsorship of the KHSAA State Football Championship and extend the term of that arrangement, become the title sponsor for the Boys’ Sweet Sixteen® Basketball tournament and serve as presenting sponsor for other KHSAA sports and sport-activity championships.
“We’re honored to be the official health care provider for KHSAA,” said Mark F. Newman, M.D., UK executive vice president for health affairs. “At UK HealthCare, we are always looking to partner with organizations across the state to provide top-tier health care to every Kentuckian who needs it. We appreciate the opportunity to extend this care to the young athletes of Kentucky.”
UK HealthCare has […]
02/24/22 – Wrestling State Championships set to begin
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: FEB. 25, 2022
The 2022 KHSAA Wrestling State Championships are set to begin Friday in Winchester at George Rogers Clark. Each bout of the two-day competition will be broadcast live by Trackwrestling and available at KHSAA.tv for subscribers of the NFHS Network.
Gates open for fans at 10 a.m. ET on Friday with competition beginning at 11 a.m. The Wrestling State Championships will conclude Saturday starting at 9:30 a.m., with gates opening one hour prior.
Tickets will only be sold online and should be purchased in advance.
2022 KHSAA Wrestling State Championships
- Tickets: https://gofan.co/app/school/KHSAA
- Live video: khsaa.tv
- Schedule: https://khsaa.org/2022-state-wrestling-schedule/
- Championship program: https://khsaa.org/Publications/Programs/20212022/Wrestling/issue1/index.html
- Printable brackets: https://khsaa.org/wrestling/2022/wrbrackets.pdf
- Live scoring: https://bit.ly/3slUdJw
– KHSAA –
About the Kentucky High School Athletic Association
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association was organized in 1917 and is the agency designated by the Kentucky Department […]
02/20/22 – State Wrestling Final Round Update
First and foremost, the KHSAA would like to thank Union County and Great Crossing for hosting the First Round events yesterday, as well as the coaches and officials for their continued contributions this season. The 2022 KHSAA State Wrestling Tournament presented by UK HealthCare will conclude this coming weekend at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester. The competition schedule is available at https://khsaa.org/2022-state-wrestling-schedule/.
The postseason instructions for the State Tournament Final Round are available for review at https://khsaa.org/wrestling/2022/stateinstructions.pdf. Tickets to the event are available for purchase online-only, including a discounted two-day all-session pass, and can be found at khsaatickets.org.
The brackets for next weekend’s competition can also be found online at KHSAA.org and through Trackwrestling. As a reminder, in the event that a wrestler is not able to participate at the final rounds due to injury or other reasons beyond the control of the wrestler, no replacement or alternate wrestlers will […]
02/13/22 – KHSAA State Wrestling First Round Update
First and foremost, the KHSAA would like to thank the regional host schools and officials for all of their hard work and success at the regionals this past weekend. The results for the 2022 KHSAA Regional Wrestling Championships are available on the wrestling page at KHSAA.org.
The State Tournament First Round will be contested Saturday, Feb. 19 with Regions 1-4 competing at Union County High School, and Regions 5-8 visiting Great Crossing High School. The postseason instructions for the State Tournament First Round are available for review at https://khsaa.org/wrestling/2022/firstroundinstructions.pdf. Tickets to both events are available for purchase online-only and can be found at khsaatickets.org.
The schedules for both sites can also be found on the KHSAA website:
First Round at Union County – https://khsaa.org/2022-state-first-round-time-schedule-union-county/
First Round at Great Crossing – https://khsaa.org/2022-state-first-round-time-schedule-great-crossing/
The brackets are being reviewed by staff and will be released to the public as soon as possible. The […]
02/01/22 – Winter Sports Championship Credentials
The KHSAA’s online media credentialing system for Winter Sports Championships (Bowling, Wrestling, Swimming & Diving) is now live and can be accessed by going to credentials.khsaa.org.
Credentials to each KHSAA State Championship event are issued by the KHSAA to working members of the media who regularly cover high school athletics. Credentials must be requested prior to the established deadline for each sport through the online credentialing system (credentials.khsaa.org).
Credentials should be requested by the sports editor/director for all members of their organization needing to attend an event. Credentials for freelance photographers and stringers must be requested by the sports editor/director at the outlet the freelancer will be representing. Media outlets are responsible for the actions of all individuals representing their organization, including compliance with KHSAA policies and procedures. No credentials will be issued outside of the online credentialing system. The KHSAA reserves the right to limit the quantity of credentials issued to media […]
01/21/22 – Board of Control Sets State First Round Sites; Regional Postseason Instructions Available
The Board of Control conducted its fourth regularly scheduled meeting of the 2021-22 academic year on Wednesday at the KHSAA Office, approving staff recommendations for the State Wrestling First Round sites. For the upcoming 2022 postseason, Regions 1-4 will compete in the State First Round event at Union County High School, while Regions 5-8 will compete at Great Crossing High School. In 2023, Regions 1-4 will visit Central High School and Regions 5-8 will travel to Ryle High School.
More information on the State Wrestling First Round competition (Feb. 18-19) and the Final Championship Rounds at George Rogers Clark HS (Feb. 25-26) will be published to the KHSAA website when it becomes available.
Information pertaining to the Regional Tournaments has been posted to the KHSAA website and can be viewed at the following links:
Regional Manager listing – https://khsaa.org/wrestling/2022/regionmanagers.pdf
Regional Tournament instructions – https://khsaa.org/wrestling/2022/postseasoninstructions.pdf
– KHSAA –
About the Kentucky High […]
01/19/22- Board of Control approves expansion of State Qualifiers and Teams, Realignment of Basketball Region 4, Declines to adopt Basketball Shot Clock and Expands Baseball and Softball Seasons
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JAN. 19, 2022
The KHSAA Board of Control conducted its fourth regularly scheduled meeting of the 2021-22 academic year on Wednesday at the KHSAA Office, approving changes to the golf playoff format, effective fall 2022. The changes will increase the number of golfers advancing beyond the Regional tournament, and create a State First Round of play to expand postseason opportunities.
After Regional play, an additional round of golf, deemed the State First Round, will be conducted across three locations. Each State First Round will include four defined Regions with each Region advancing advance 20 golfers to the State First Round for a total of 80 golfers at each site.
In contrast to the previous format that advanced the winning team and seven at-large qualifiers, the newly adopted format will advance the top two teams and the top 10 individuals from non-advancing teams.
Thirty golfers from each State First Round site will advance […]
01/04/22 – Wrestling Postseason Update, Semi-State Hosts Sought
With the wrestling season in full swing, the Association is looking to solidify postseason plans. With that in mind, our office is accepting applications to host the semi-state rounds of the wrestling postseason. Two hosts are needed for the semi-state round, preferably one in the eastern part of the state and one in the western part, with the events scheduled for Feb. 18-19. Any member school interested in hosting should contact Assistant Commissioner Joe Angolia (jangolia@khsaa.org) to declare its interest by Monday, January 10.
Hosts have been finalized for seven of the eight regional tournaments, and are listed below for reference. The regional tournaments are scheduled for the weekend of Feb. 11-12. If a host site needs to be adjusted in response to local restrictions put in place due to the pandemic, please let our office know immediately.
- Region 1 – Caldwell County
- Region 2 – Bardstown
- Region 3 – TBD
- Region […]
12/28/21 – Wrestling Nominations Sought for Male and Female Midway/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year
The nomination process for the Midway University/KHSAA Male and Female Student Athlete-of-the-Year among wrestling participants for 2021-2022 is now open.
This award is based on athletic and academic achievement as well as community service and leadership. The link to the application contains additional criteria and a form to nominate one participant from each 2021-2022 team. Nominations must come from a member school, but can be submitted by an administrator, guidance counselor, or coach. Nominations may only be submitted online at https://khsaa.org/ge35-midway-university-khsaa-female-student-athlete-of-the-year-nomination-form/.
The winner will be announced early in the postseason and recognized at an awards event at Midway University in early summer 2022. From the winners selected for each KHSAA championship, one student-athlete will be selected as the 2021-2022 Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year announced at the event. All individual winners will also receive their recognition awards at that time.
The deadline for nominations for the Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year in […]
12/08/21- KHSAA Announces NFHS State Coach of the Year Honorees for 2020-21 Seasons
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 8, 2021
As part of its annual awards program, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Coaches Association recognizes Coach of the Year honorees from each state. Those named Coach of the Year at the state level then advance for consideration for Sectional Coach of the Year honors. Winners are chosen through a combination of their coaching accomplishments as well as their contributions outside of competition to help grow their respective sport. These awards are announced during the late fall following the recognized year.
The complete list of honorees from Kentucky for 2020-21 is:
Boys Baseball- Richard Arnold, Trinity (Louisville)
Boys Basketball- Kevin Listerman, Highlands
Girls Basketball- Aaron Beth, Marshall County
Boys Cross Country- Joe Buechler, Holy Cross (Louisville)
Girls Cross Country- Brian Allesandro, Highlands
Girls Field Hockey- Amy Elliott, Kentucky Country Day
Boys Football (11-Player)- Justin Haddix, Boyle County
Boys Golf- James Chaney, Trinity (Louisville)
Girls Golf- Aaron […]
10/08/21- Changes in COVID-19 RTA/RTP Implemented Per SMAC Guidance
As they have done since the start of the pandemic, the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) composed of Kentucky Medical Association (KMA) member doctors has held multiple special meetings to continually review the Return to Play Guidance and Recommendations (RTA/RTP). As a result of those continued meetings and review of current and evolving literature, changes have been made to the RTA/RTP and RTA/RTP form and those changes are located at https://khsaa.org/resources/Covid19/CovidResumptionofSports/ApprovedVersion/kma-covid-rtp-algorithm.pdf. For districts that have summarily adopted the “KHSAA” recommendations, these changes should be considered immediate.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, this group has been passionate advocates for the students being involved in sport due to the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual benefits, but also for safety in mitigating the spread of the virus. They are also keenly aware of the first priority of nearly everyone in the education community, that being a full year […]
10/07/21 – Wrestling Online Rules Clinic Now Available
The mandatory Online KHSAA Rules Clinic for the sport of Wrestling is now available. The clinic is required of all officials as well as all coaches (varsity, junior varsity and freshmen), regardless of whether or not the coach receives pay.
For member schools, the clinics are located on the School Log-in Page. To access the clinic, go to https://schools.khsaa.org/ and — under the section entitled Rules Clinics — click on the link that says “View Online Rules Clinics“.
For officials, login to the officials’ subdomain at https://officials.khsaa.org/
OFFICIALS
- October 6 to January 3 (Officials) – the Wrestling Clinic will be online only and may be viewed at no charge during this period.
- January 4 to January 23 (Officials) – the Wrestling Clinic will be online only and may be viewed for the makeup fee ($30) during this period.
- January 24 to January 30 (Officials) – the Wrestling Clinic will be […]
09/23/21 – New Wrestling Alignment Approved for 2021-22
During the course of its meeting at the KHSAA offices on Wednesday, the Board of Control approved a new wrestling draft alignment that will go into effect for the 2021-22 season. The Board considered multiple options and reviewed past participation data from the regional tournaments before making its final determination.
The immediate implementation for the new alignment was supported by a survey conducted by the Kentucky Wrestling Coaches Association, which showed 78 percent of its responses in favor of the alignment going into effect this year (73 of 94 responses).
The alignment will be updated at KHSAA.org in the coming days but can be viewed here.
Additionally, the Board approved a recommendation regarding the wrestling postseason to hold two semi-state events prior to the final weekend of the state tournament. The semi-state events will be conducted as Regions 1-4 and 5-8, with seeded pairings and wrestling to eight places, with the top eight advancing […]
09/22/21 – Board of Control Approves Changes to Wrestling Alignment for 2021-22
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 22, 2021
The Board of Control held its second meeting of the 2021-22 academic year on Wednesday at the KHSAA offices, during which it approved a draft wrestling alignment that will go into effect for the 2021-22 season.
After considering multiple options and reviewing past participation information, the Board approved a Final Alignment Map of Teams to be implemented for 2021-22. The KHSAA website will be updated in the coming days to reflect the adopted alignment.
“We have had the good fortune of great communication with the current leadership of our wrestling coaches association and know that not only were they ready for realignment, but they also wanted it implemented for this school year,” said KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett. “Their excellent communication and gathering of information helped aid the process of realignment. Clearly important to the coaches and match managers was a balancing of sorts in […]
07/07/21 – Official of the Year Winners Announced for Winter Sports
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 7, 2021
Each year, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association honors the top officials for the 10 sports in which it licenses officials. Finalists in each sport are selected through a combination of not only on-field/court performance but local association activity and leadership, training efforts and the mentoring of newer officials.
One official in each sport is named “Outstanding Official of the Year” for his/her sport in appreciation of their dedication and service to schools and student-athletes across the state. Winners are selected following consultation with local assigning secretaries, veteran officials’ observers, coaches throughout the state and additional staff review.
The Outstanding Officials of the Year for the 2020-21 winter season are John Eschan for wrestling, Terri Tonges for swimming & diving and Hannah Reynolds for basketball. Each finalist will receive a commemorative watch and certificate courtesy of the Officials Division Trust Fund, with the Official of the Year receiving an […]
05/10/21- Senate Bill 128: Supplemental School Year Program Additional Guidance Related to NCAA
Information specific to this topic is now included in the compiled SB128 SSYP Informational post at https://bit.ly/3dUJ9us
05/05/21 – Board of Control Approves Football Playoff Format Changes for 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 5, 2021
The Board of Control conducted its final meeting of the 2020-21 academic year on Wednesday at the KHSAA Offices, during which time it addressed the football playoff structure after reviewing the results of a recent survey of the membership.
Following a presentation by the Football Coaches Association at its previous meeting regarding its preference for bracketing in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the board directed staff to seek a position from the official spokesperson from each member school (Principal or Designated Representative) per Bylaw 1 via a survey of the football playing schools.
The Board of Control originally changed football bracketing prior to the 2019 season to conduct play intra-district for those rounds, partially due to travel and financial concerns with those contests in prior years. The change, when implemented, was to span the entire four-year alignment period. The alternative was proposed within the membership to pair […]
4/20/21 – Separate Weight Classes for Girls, Choice of Weight Classes Established in High School Wrestling
INDIANAPOLIS, IN — States will have a choice of 12, 13 or 14 weight classes for both boys and girls competition in high school wrestling, effective with the 2023-24 season.
This will be the first separate weight classes established for girls in high school wrestling, and it marks the first time that state associations will have a choice in the number of weight classes.
The landmark change in weight classes was one of several significant revisions recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee at its April 7-9 meeting held virtually this year. All recommendations were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
States must select one of the three sets (12, 13 or 14) of weight classes for girls and one of the three sets (12, 13 or 14) for boys. States cannot adopt all three sets and cannot switch back and forth during the season.
The […]
04/12/21- Senate Bill 128: Supplemental School Year Program Guidance for Sports and Sport-Activities
For a complete list of the provisions and information related to the implementation of SB128 and the SSYP, please see the following document-
03/25/21 – State Wrestling Championships Conclude Saturday at George Rogers Clark HS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 25, 2021
The 2021 KHSAA State Wrestling Championships conclude Saturday in Winchester as the event makes its inaugural appearance at George Rogers Clark HS for the final round. Due to COVID-19 attendance restrictions, Saturday’s event is already sold out, but each bout will be broadcast live by Trackwrestling and available at KHSAA.tv for subscribers to the NFHS Network.
Gates open for fans at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday with championship bracket matches (bouts 1-56) starting at 9 a.m. across four mats. Championship and consolation bracket action will continue (bouts 57-112 and 113-140) until the meet reaches the consolation bracket finals, at which point the event will go down to three mats for the seventh, fifth and third place matches (bouts 141-182). Once the competition reaches the championship bracket finals, the final competitors will be introduced and the championship matches will be contested one at a time (bouts 183-196).
Action from each […]
03/19/21- Welcome Back Media to Winter Championships
From Commissioner Julian Tackett and the staff of the KHSAA.
Hello to all of the members of both the Kentucky Press Association and Kentucky Broadcasters Association. When we gathered and then adjourned abruptly at Rupp Arena last March, most of us had no idea what the next 12 months would hold. We left that fateful afternoon hopeful for a short pause and then the “normal” completion of the tournaments, followed by a complete spring season. Little did we know.
First, thank you. Thank you for your faithful service to our Commonwealth and, most importantly, to our member schools and communities and their most important asset, the students in our schools. We know you value each of them, whether or not they participate in sports and sport-activities, but we also know that the participants in sports and activities hold a place near and dear to so many of you.
Thank you also for your tremendous work […]
03/05/21 – Change in Attendance Limitation Recommendation
We have confirmed that officially, effective today, all of the guidance limitations within the Governor’s orders on a variety of venues have been changed. The venue recommendations for limitation have been changed throughout the state increasing by ten percent each. Therefore the recommended maximum attendance threshold is increased to 25% of capacity effective today for indoor events hosted by our member schools. While this remains guidance, it is obviously in the best interest, legally and otherwise, of our member schools. Universal masking remains required, social distancing is to be consistently applied to the fullest extent possible.
It is certainly not required to change current procedures, but this does give them some planning time for upcoming events week. Guidance documents for spring outdoor events will be revised in the coming days to reflect this change.
From talking to so many of you, there remains considerable confusion in our membership as to the differences between “venues” as […]
03/01/21 – Wrestling Postseason Update
Dates and sites for the 2021 KHSAA State Wrestling Championships have been determined. Postseason instructions and details will be released in a few days with many more details. These events will be managed through the KHSAA including ticket sales and assignment of officials. All events will be held within the most restrictive of state and local COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions, including an absolute requirement of universal masking of all except for the competitors in action at the time and social distancing to the fullest extent possible.
The State First Round will be conducted as a full-wrestleback (consolation to 3rd place) format in each weight class, seeded by TrackWrestling/FloSports data and criteria following regions. The top-two from each weight class bracket at each First Round site will then advance to the final state round. Below are the host sites for each round taking place at four sites on March 20th:
- State First Round Site #1 (8 […]
02/19/21- Wrestling Postseason Updates
The KHSAA Board of Control confirmed postseason competition for Wrestling at its Feb. 17 virtual meeting. Refer to the news release for details.
https://khsaa.org/02-19-21-board-of-control-updates-status-of-winter-championships/
Now that staff has a clearer direction, plans can move forward with communication and details with managers, hosts and member schools.
Attendance restrictions in place statewide for indoor venues necessitated a change for the 2021 wrestling postseason. In order to maintain the participation entries without any decrease, the Board approved a recommendation from staff to host the State Championships over the course of two weekends. The regional tournaments will now be held the week of March 8th. Four wrestlers from each weight class (no alternates) will advance from the region to the semi-state round, with two regions competing at each site (1/2, 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8).
The semi-state round will be conducted as a full-wrestleback (consolation) format in each weight class, seeded by TrackWrestling data and criteria following regions. […]
02/19/21 – Board of Control Updates Status of Winter Championships
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 19, 2021
The Board of Control conducted a virtual meeting this week in light of the State of Emergency declared for Kentucky due to severe weather conditions, during which time staff outlined postseason options for the upcoming winter championships.
The state bowling championships will be adjusted to a three-day format to allow for facility cleaning and appropriate ingress/egress. Gender-specific competition will be contested on the same day (the boys’ team and single competition on one day, the girls’ events on the next day, followed by the unified/adapted championships) to help alleviate travel concerns. The 2021 state tournament will tentatively be held March 22-24 (Mon.-Wed.) and will follow attendance restrictions per state guidelines.
The continued attendance restrictions in place statewide for aquatic centers necessitate a change for the 2021 swimming & diving postseason. Of the nine sites selected to host regional competition, only one site is currently allowing fan attendance, but even […]
02/01/21- Wrestling Nominations Sought for Male & Female Midway/KHSAA Student Athlete-of-the-Year Awards
The nomination process for the Midway University/KHSAA Male and Female Student-Athlete of the Year among Wrestling participants for 2020-2021 is now open.
This award is based on athletic and academic achievement as well as community service and leadership. The link to the application contains additional criteria and a form to nominate one participant from each 2020-2021 team. Nominations must come from a member school, but can be submitted by an administrator, guidance counselor, or coach. Nominations may only be submitted online at https://khsaa.org/ge35-midway-university-khsaa-female-student-athlete-of-the-year-nomination-form/.
The winner will be announced early in the postseason and recognized at an awards event at Midway University in early summer 2021. From the winners selected for each KHSAA championship, one student-athlete will be selected as the 2020-2021 Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the Year announced at the event. All individual winners will also receive their recognition awards at that time.
The deadline for nominations for the Midway University/KHSAA Student-Athlete of the […]
01/22/21- Wrestling Postseason Updates
After yesterday’s Board of Control meeting, the KHSAA would like to update the wrestling member schools on the process and goals to develop a revised plan for postseason play during the ongoing pandemic.
The Board has asked staff to gather data and information and formulate alternative tournament structures and plans for the 2021 postseason competition. These alternatives are to be reviewed, at this point, solely for 2021 only, as everyone attempts to balance the desire for championship competition and the public health needs and requirements surrounding the pandemic. An alternative plan(s) is to be presented at the Board’s February 17th meeting. It is to include consideration of the feasibility of accomplishing the following objectives (if possible) in priority order:
1) Maintain the full complement of 4 qualifiers in each weight class advancing from each of the eight regional competitions, even if the field is subdivided differently than past practice;
2) A focus on ensuring, […]
01/21/21 – Board of Control Reviews Status of Winter and Spring Sports
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 21, 2021
The Board of Control held its fourth regularly-scheduled meeting of the 2020-21 academic year on Thursday at the KHSAA Office, conducting a thorough status review of ongoing operations and championship plans. Staff provided an overview of all winter and spring sports and sport-activities, while outlining considerations and options for the winter events that will be presented for final review at the Board’s next meeting on Feb. 17.
“Today’s meeting provided an opportunity to update the Board of Control and our constituency on the various issues and COVID-19 mitigations facing each of our sports and sport-activities,” said KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett. “Circumstances change rapidly during the pandemic but we hope to have a clearer picture for how we can proceed with our winter championships when the Board next meets in February.”
Included in the staff’s report on basketball, was a preliminary discussion on ticketing to the 2021 Boys’ and Girls’ […]
01/15/21- Wrestling Season Reminders and Updates
After our first couple of weeks, it appears a couple of reminders are in order related to the wrestling season during the pandemic. We have been blessed by an opportunity to wrestle when so many other states are NOT having that opportunity. But that privilege comes with responsibilities to help ensure public safety and the continued opportunity.
Regular Season
- Mask/Face coverings are a requirement, not a recommendation for everyone off the mat.
- The segment limitations on the number of teams/participants are to be followed even if the event you participate in is hosted out of state.
- As a point of clarification, the 30-second time extension between the periods was established to provide extra time for all parties involved. If all parties are ready, and that extension is not needed, you may begin the next period.
- Coaches, don’t forget part of the Healthy at Sports guidelines stipulates only one coach in the corner of the […]
12/14/20 – Updates to the Wrestling Season Due to Recent Board Actions
At a special meeting held on December 10th, the Board of Control upheld its earlier decision by a 12-5 vote to begin practice for winter sports on Dec. 14th and regular-season competition on Jan. 4th, 2021. [Read More from that Meeting]
By confirming its decision from November 18th, winter sports and sport-activities will be permitted to resume activity on Monday the 14 of December. The first official contest date for Wrestling will be January 4th, 2021. Teams will be able to have a ten-week regular season that will allow a maximum of 15 contests, with no more than three (3) contests in a given week. The postseason will begin the week of Monday, March 15.
Weight management dates will be adjusted to allow certification into a particular weight class at any regularly scheduled match or tournament up to and including the Saturday of NFHS week 34 (February 27, 2021), but the two-pound growth allowance […]
12/10/20- Board of Control Confirms Decision to Start Winter Sports Practice December 14
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 10, 2020
The Board of Control conducted a special meeting on Thursday morning, upholding its earlier decision by a 12-5 vote to begin practice for winter sports on Dec. 14th and regular-season competition on Jan. 4th. Prior to confirming the start of the winter sports season, the Board voted 12-5 to push back the dates for the boys’ and girls’ Sweet 16® to March 29-April 8 after narrowly defeating other alternative dates, with the event schedule and format to be finalized at a later date in consultation with Rupp Arena.
“These are extremely complex issues. Our Board has spent an extraordinary amount of time examining every aspect surrounding the resumption of sports, particularly those that are indoors and have extreme concerns from public health officials,” said KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett. “At the same time, there is significant data being shared about the need for students to be engaged with one another […]
11/23/20 – NFHS Officials Part 2 Exam Now Online for BK, SW, WR
We hope our officials continue to be safe and healthy as we look forward to a return to winter sports.
Please note that the NFHS Part 2 exams for licensed officials in the sports of Basketball, Swimming, and Wrestling are now available online. The Part 2 exams will be open until Monday, December 7 at 11:59 p.m. (ET).
The tests will automatically close on December 7 at 11:59 p.m. (ET). Login at https://officials.khsaa.org/authorize/ to take the test. A minimum score of 80 on the exam is required to be considered for assignment to officiate postseason play. The exam is also used for advancements in levels of classification.
First-year officials are not required to take the exam, however, if any first-year official has completed licensing requirements, the test may be taken.
Any official determined to have been involved in the improper administration of the exam, including taking it for another official or having it […]
11/19/20 – Board of Control Pushes Back Start of Winter Sports Season to January 4
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 19, 2020
The Board of Control conducted its third regularly-scheduled meeting of the 2020-21 academic year on Wednesday and elected to postpone the start of the winter sports season to January 4th by unanimous vote. In congruence with the Governor’s order issued later the same day, official practice for all indoor interscholastic winter sports shall cease on Friday, November 20 at 5 p.m. and is planned to resume on Monday, December 14. This cessation will apply to all indoor interscholastic sports at all school levels, including but not limited to basketball, bowling, competitive cheer, dance, indoor track and field, swimming, and wrestling.
Details regarding any allowances for indoor interscholastic sports, which will be restricted prior to December 14, will be distributed to the membership prior to the Governor’s ordered shutdown of school-related in-person activity on Friday, November 20. The season calendar for each winter sport, as well as current virus data […]
09/30/20 – Wrestling Return to Play Guidance
Draft guidance for a return to play was published on the KHSAA website under the COVID-19 Information tab and shared with school administrators. Keep in mind that this guidance is draft as the situation remains fluid as it has been since March and the information is subject to revision.
Coaches should review rules modifications and protocols to assist in preparation for competition and should be flexible throughout this entire process and realize the goal is a safe and healthy return to play for everyone.
Wrestling specific guidance
https://khsaa.org/resources/Covid19/CovidResumptionofSports/ApprovedVersion/Winter/wrestlingcombined.pdf
Frequently Asked Questions – All sports
https://bit.ly/2YDUbNQ
Contact Assistant Commissioner Michael Barren for any Wrestling specific questions at mbarren@khsaa.org
– KHSAA –
About the Kentucky High School Athletic Association
The Kentucky High School Athletic Association was organized in 1917 and is the agency designated by the Kentucky Department of Education to manage high school athletics in the Commonwealth. The Association is […]
10/05/20 – Wrestling Online Rules Clinic For Coaches & Officials Now Available
As coaches and officials begin to prepare for hopefully the beginning of the season, the mandatory Online KHSAA Rules Clinic for the sport of Wrestling is available beginning October 5, 2020. The clinic is required of all officials as well as all coaches (varsity, junior varsity and freshman) whether or not the coach receives pay.
For member schools, the clinics are located on the School Log-in Page. To access the clinic, go to https://schools.khsaa.org/ and — under the section entitled Rules Clinics — click on the link that says “View Online Rules Clinics“.
For officials, login to the officials’ subdomain at https://officials.khsaa.org/
OFFICIALS
- October 5 to January 4 (Officials) – the Wrestling Clinic will be online only and may be viewed at no charge during this period.
- January 5 to January 24 (Officials) – the Wrestling Clinic will be online only and may be viewed for the makeup fee ($30) during this […]
09/16/20- Board of Control Approves Dates for Winter Sports to Begin Practice
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 16, 2020
The KHSAA Board of Control held its second regularly-scheduled meeting of the 2020-21 academic year Wednesday morning, approving practice and competition dates for the winter sports and sport-activities of basketball, bowling, competitive cheer, dance, swimming & diving, and wrestling.
Bowling is permitted to practice on November 2. Competitive cheer and dance can begin official practice for its seasons this Monday, September 21 with a gradual segmented approach to activity over the next few weeks. Further details will be distributed to the member schools that allow for the resumption. Both competitive cheer and dance have already seen regional championships moved into the new year per the board’s July meeting. In cheer, these segments will further clarify “stunting” which has been restricted during the pandemic and resumption to play.
Additionally, the Board approved clarifications on sideline cheer in that stunting (defined per NFHS rules as “One or more bases support one […]
07/27/20 – Student-Athlete Participation Rises for the 3rd Straight Year to New Record Totals
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 27, 2020
Student-athlete participation increased for the third-straight year in Kentucky High School Athletic Association sports and sport-activities to reach record levels in 2019-20. A total of 107,166 rostered participants competed across the KHSAA’s 13 sports and six sport-activities according to information submitted by the membership, surpassing last year’s then-record total of 106,931. Football was one of 12 offerings to show an increase from the previous year, breaking a trend of declining participation for the last three years by adding 202 new student-athletes [freshmen, JV, varsity] during the 2019-20 season to remain the state’s most popular sport with 13,277 rostered participants.
“The continued rise in student-athlete participation the last three years emphasizes the importance of school-based athletics in the fabric of the educational experience for these young adults,” said KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett. “The importance of these coach-to-student and student-to-student relationships is only amplified in these uncertain times, as we strive […]
05/01/20 – Official of the Year Winner Announced for Wrestling
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 1, 2020
Following the completion of the 2020 KHSAA Wrestling season, the Association has chosen the finalists for the sport’s Official of the Year Award. Of the 94 licensed officials in wrestling, Brett Branson (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Jon Eschan (Union) were chosen as finalists with Branson selected as the 2020 KHSAA Wrestling Official of the Year.
The KHSAA will honor the top licensed officials for the 2019-20 season during the course of the year, with the honorees for each sport chosen in the weeks immediately following each respective sport’s championship. Finalists in each sport are selected through a combination of not only on-field/court performance but local association activity and leadership, training efforts and the mentoring of newer officials.
One official in each sport will be named “Outstanding Official of the Year” for his/her sport in appreciation of their dedication and service to schools and student-athletes across the state. Winners are selected […]
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