The 2009 Division II National Championships Festival represents a couple of firsts for wrestling. For one thing, it’s the first time the festival has been staged for winter sports, so wrestling (along with swimming and diving, and track and field) will get its inaugural festival experience.

The second first is that the Division II Wrestling Championships will make its initial appearance in Texas, which is either an opportunity or a concern, depending upon whom you ask.

Because there are no intercollegiate wrestling programs in the state of Texas, one belief is that taking the championships into uncharted territory is an opportunity for stakeholders to expose the sport to those who don’t have the chance to attend college wrestling meets.

That’s the positive side. The flip side is the concern that championship attendance will suffer because of an unfamiliar fan base.

Despite there being no NCAA wrestling programs in Texas, the state has more than 300 high school teams competing in the sport. Texas also has a separate state championship for girls’ wrestling, so there appears to be passion for the sport in the area.

“I would hope that the high school students and coaches understand that Division II is taking a national championship to their state,” said NCAA Division II Vice President Mike Racy. “Hopefully, they can investigate and discover more about the Division II institutions that offer wrestling and consider them when making their college choices.”

At least a couple of those high school wrestlers from Texas did just that a few years ago. Nebraska-Kearney coach Marc Bauer recruited TervelDlagnev, the 2008 Division II heavyweight champion, from the state. Dlagnev produced Nebraska-Kearney’s final points in its 2008 NCAA team title. Junior Marty Usman, who hails from Arlington, Texas, will compete for the 174-pound title this year.

“We held a team camp in Houston last summer,” said Bauer, who is taking six student-athletes to this year’s finals. “We wanted to spark some interest in our program, and we are hoping that some of those kids show up at the national tournament.”

“Texas has taken off and there are good wrestlers in that state,” said Central Oklahoma coach David James. “Hopefully, those people will come out and support this event.”

The concern may be compounded by a slumping economy that could discourage parents and extended family of Division II wrestlers from the “wrestling belt” in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic states from traveling so far to see the competition.

But Todd Hart, wrestling coach at Taylor High School in Katy, Texas, says Texas will be ready to welcome Division II wrestling’s marquee event with open arms. Hart has been instrumental in attracting 50-60 volunteers to work the event.. “I sent e-mails to coaches, and bam, everyone wanted to be part of it,” Hart said.

Hart has received permission to take some of his high school wrestlers to the first day of the Division II tournament. He hopes having the championships in Houston will spark some of the colleges in Texas to notice how popular the sport is at the high school level.

“There are tons of recruits that Texas schools could get for their programs,” Hart. “Because there is no college wrestling in the state, most of the kids just seem to fade away. We’re in a time where colleges are dropping wrestling, but it is not an expensive sport when compared to others.”

To be sure, stakeholders in the sport are keeping a watchful eye to see how much impact the Division II National Championships Festival will have on a sport and a state that are hoping to become more familiar with each other.