IESA State Wrestling Finals Have Been Cancelled

The IESA State Wrestling Finals scheduled for this Friday-Saturday, March 13-14 at the Convocation Center on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, have been cancelled. A letter by IESA Executive Director Steve Endsleywas emailed to schools and coaches enterted in the IESA state wrestling series.

“IESA received word from NIU late Wednesday evening that the University is mandating that our event not be held this weekend due to the coronavirus pandemic. At this point in time, there are no plans to re-schedule the tournament. While this is unfortunate for many reasons, we have to comply with the directive from Northern Illinois University. The health and safety of our participants and fans attending the finals is our top priority. Given the nature of the activity, it is an unreasonable expectation to ask athletes to maintain weight controls for an unknown or extended amount of time. We are very disappointed for our athletes and schools who have worked very hard to participate in this event.

This is indeed unprecedented not only for IESA but for many other organizations across the country faced with the difficult challenge of conducting events. We are extremely sorry for the inconvenience and the disappointment. At the same time, we take seriously our responsibility to help slow the spread of this disease.”