Wrestling fans set new high watermarks for NCAA Division I dual-meet attendance after packing into college gyms and arenas in record numbers this year.

As reported by The Open Mat with figures compiled by Denny Deihl, dual-meet spectator numbers have never been more robust over the past 15 years than during the 2016-17 season. 

Nineteen programs averaged at least 1,000 fans at every home dual, including four teams that averaged over 5,000 per match.

Programs from the state of Iowa led the way, with the Iowa Hawkeyes finishing with the highest average attendance for the 11th straight year with 9,860 spectators per dual meet. Iowa State came in sixth place with 3,280, and Northern Iowa came in at No. 10 with 1,603. No other state had multiple programs in the top 10.

Rutgers hosted the largest dual of the year, when it beat Princeton inside High Point Stadium in a match billed as The Battle at the Birthplace. The meet drew 16,178 fans, the second-highest total in NCAA history, behind Iowa's staggering record of 42,287 set last year when the Hawkeyes hosted Oklahoma State at Kinnick Stadium, traditionally their football team's home turf. 

A beautiful day for @RUWrestling to host @tigerwrestling outdoors at Battle at the Birthplace. Thousands of fans here! #IMGLgameday pic.twitter.com/j5XpbJdpYK

— IMG Learfield (@IMG_Learfield) November 19, 2016

The NCAA Championships, often described as the crown jewel of collegiate wrestling, was also in rude health this year, as far attendance is concerned.

Over the course of three days and six sessions of wrestling, 111,454 tickets were sold at the Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis, the third-highest total ever. In the finals, 19,657 fans were on hand, second only to 2015's NCAA tournament, also held in the Scottrade Center.  

St. Louis also bore witness that weekend to the long-awaited rematch between CP and Nomad. About 10 or 12 guys crowded into a Holiday Inn hotel room to watch, also an NCAA record.