Minnesota’s Premier Wrestling Association

The Northland Youth Wrestling Association (NYWA) aims to elevate the standard of youth folk style wrestling by organizing a series of tournaments that test the endurance and abilities of competitors. These tournaments, including a State-wrestling event similar to the MN State High School League, provide opportunities for wrestlers to showcase their skills and improve their level of competition. To qualify for the State tournament, a wrestler must earn a top-two finish at a District qualifier, and the top three wrestlers from the Regional Qualifier will move on to the State tournament. In the tournament, wrestlers will compete against opponents in the same grade level, with divisions for pre-school and kindergarten wrestlers, 1st and 2nd grade wrestlers, 3rd and 4th grade wrestlers, and so on up to 8th grade.

Team region registration is open!
  1. Register your team for region through the member portal. Pay the entry fee today and rosters are due the week of the tournament.
  2. This year will mark the 30th year of NYWA! We’re looking for photos from the early years (1996 and on). Please email them to info@nywa-mn.com
  3. TWO EARLY BIRD QUALIFIERS COMING UP! The Grizzly Growler on Sun. 2/8 and the Lumberjack on Sun. 2/15. View the tournament fliers here.
  4. GIRLS STATE REGISTRATION WILL OPEN MONDAY 2/9. This is an open tournament; to register, click on the “Member Portal/Registration” link above.
2026 NYWA State Tournament (view March 26-28 itinerary); girls itinerary listed below.
NEW YEAR - NEW DOMAIN!! NYWA's website is now just www.nywa.com (no longer nywa-mn.com).

2026 Girls State Itinerary

Team region registration is open; the entry fee is $240.  Pay the fee today to secure your spot; final rosters are due the week of your event. All team members will need a current NYWA membership or they cannot be added to the roster.

Congratulations to Wabasso for their win over Wayzata at the North vs. South team dual at the U of MN!  It was a 44-27 victory and a very fun event with great wrestling!

NEW FOR 2026:

Parents will begin receiving text messages from NYWA regarding registration deadlines and any other pertinent information regarding deadlines, tournament time changes due to storms, etc.  If you receive these messages, you can opt out at any time.

Interested in being part of the girls’ wrestling team for region 3?  Please complete the appropriate form if so:

K-4 team or 5-8 team

 

NYWA Memberships

Purchase or renew your NYWA membership for the 2025-26 wrestling season (membership fee $30).

Membership Info

2026 Tournament Calendar

MN State High School Wrestling:
February 26 – 28
NYWA Early Bird: WEM/JWP – February 8
Cloquet – February 15
NYWA Districts: March 1, March 6-8 and March 13-15 (additional dates may be added)
NYWA Regions: March 20-21 (team dates will vary)
NYWA State Tournament: March 26-29
NYWA Girls State: April 3-4 (Friday & Saturday due to Easter, April 5)
Girls State Itinerary
Easter Sunday: April 5

View 2026 Itinerary

Tournament Photos

View or purchase photos throughout the 2025 NYWA State Tournament at Shot in the Dark Studios!

TOURNAMENT PHOTOS

Looking for a Hotel?

Our company has compiled a comprehensive list of hotels for you to choose from for your upcoming tournament. All of the hotels on our list have been carefully selected to provide the best possible experience for our customers.

View our Hotel Information