In 2020, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) approved women's wrestling as an emerging sport. Since then, athletes, coaches and other leaders have recognized that its policies need to differ from those of men's wrestling.

Wrestling is a sport that divides competitors into weight classes or weight categories; how much athletes weigh at the time of competition is a vital component to determining the most equal opponent. Wrestlers at the high school and collegiate levels are required to complete a pre-season weight certification — consisting of a hydration test, a weigh-in and a body composition assessment — to determine the wrestler's minimal wrestling weight, which then dictates the lowest weight class they will be eligible to compete in.

When creating the initial weight policy for women's wrestling, the NCAA set the body fat percentage to determine an athlete's minimal wrestling weight at 12%. However, recent research led by Andrew Jagim, Ph.D., the director of Sports Medicine Research at Mayo Clinic, has determined that a 17% body fat percentage may be a more reasonable and safer alternative to use.

"There has been scrutiny and concern among sports medicine professionals that the 12% value may be too low." Dr. Jagim says. "It could predispose female wrestlers to disordered eating patterns, frequent weight cycling and risks of certain health conditions such as the Female Athlete Triad."

Dr. Jagim says the Female Athlete Triad is a condition that consists of a trio of health issues including menstrual dysfunction, hormonal imbalance and reductions in bone health.

Here, Dr. Jagim answers questions about his findings.

What has your research shown about the current state of determining minimum weight for female wrestlers?

Values calculated during the preseason weight certification are established to discourage excessive weight cutting and frequent weight cycling throughout the season. Previously, a body fat percentage threshold of 12% was used for female wrestlers, which meant that a wrestler could reduce their weight to a point that would equate to a body fat percentage of 12%. Our work, however, has identified that 95% of current female wrestlers have a body fat percentage above 17%, which indicates that not a lot of female wrestlers are engaging in excessive weight cutting to achieve the lower body fat percentage of 12%. Our work on this topic has helped provide evidence to the National Collegiate Athletics Association to encourage revision of their policies and adopt a new threshold of 17% for collegiate wrestlers. In the spring of 2025, I will be presenting our research to the National Federation of State High School Associations and recommending a threshold of 19% for high school wrestlers.

Why is it important to change how the minimum weight for these athletes is calculated?

It is important to continually evaluate sports policies to help promote a safe sporting environment for athletes. With the emergence and rapid growth of women's wrestling, we are learning more about the sport and subsequently have more information to make more informed decisions regarding safety policies. While it doesn't appear to be a major issue yet, as the sport continues to grow, we will likely see wrestlers face more pressure to gain a competitive advantage — and in wrestling, that often means trying to compete in the lowest allowable weight class. If the 12% body fat threshold were to remain in existence, we may see an increase in female wrestlers engaging in excessive weight-cutting practices that could significantly increase health risks and lead to various negative outcomes such as the Female Athlete Triad and an increased risk of injury and illnesses.

What can athletes, coaches and parents do better to protect the athletes' health?

Some of the most important and effective things that can be done to protect the athletes' health is to follow evidence-based guidelines regarding optimal performance strategies. In brief, this means:

• Getting at least eight hours of sleep per night as frequently as possible.
• Following sports-specific fueling strategies (i.e., eating enough overall calories to support the high level of training and eating enough of the right macro and micronutrients to support the growth, development and recovery needs of a highly active young athlete).
• Properly managing the training loads of an athlete, meaning trying to avoid excessive amounts of high-intensity training year-round and making sure to incorporate planned periods of rest or active recovery.

From a wrestling-specific perspective, it's important to find the optimal weight and body fat percentage that allows the wrestler to feel their best, reduces the pressure of having to frequently cut weight throughout the season, and allows them to eat a healthy diet that provides the essential nutrients that their bodies require.

Related Articles