New York high school athletes will have new state championship opportunities in girls wrestling and boys and girls swimming and diving beginning in the 2027-28 school year, following approvals Wednesday by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.
The association’s Executive Committee approved the additions at its first meeting of the 2026-27 school year at the Embassy Suites in Saratoga Springs, according to a news release. The committee also selected six championship venues for 2028-30 and approved changes to qualification procedures and several sports’ rules.
The girls wrestling dual meet championship will be held on the Saturday of Week 30 of the association’s calendar, the same weekend as the boys wrestling dual meet championship. The addition expands team championship opportunities as girls wrestling grows across New York.
The boys and girls swimming and diving team state championships will be conducted alongside the existing individual state championships.
NYSPHSAA Executive Director Robert Zayas said the additions are part of the association’s efforts to strengthen interscholastic programs and improve championship experiences for athletes, coaches and communities.
Rush selected for girls golf
Wild Wood Country Club in Rush will host girls golf during the 2028-30 championship cycle, while SUNY Cortland will host girls lacrosse. The sites are in Sections V and III, respectively.
Boys basketball will return to Harding Mazzotti Arena in Glens Falls, and girls basketball will remain at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy. Both venues are in Section 2.
LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, in Section VI, will continue hosting boys ice hockey. Greenlight Networks Grand Slam Park in Binghamton, in Section IV, was selected again for softball.
The six sites were chosen through a competitive bidding process and recommendations from the respective sports committees and NYSPHSAA staff.
Qualification and game rules change
The committee approved standardized criteria for sports to qualify athletes for state championships by a 12-10 vote. The change to the association’s Championship Philosophy is intended to make participation and qualification procedures more consistent.
For boys wrestling, athletes at the individual state championships will be required to wear section-designated singlets displaying their assigned section number. Participation in section or NYSPHSAA dual meet championships may also now count toward the association’s Representation Regulation for individual championship eligibility.
A baseball proposal to let pitchers and catchers start practice one week before the official spring sports start date was defeated.
In softball, suspended regional and state tournament games must be completed through seven innings, or six and a half innings if the home team is ahead, even if the game has reached regulation status. The requirement excludes subregional games.
The committee approved flag football classification cutoff numbers for the 2026-27 school year and a waiver of National Federation of State High School Associations uniform requirements at the subvarsity level. It also approved a handbook clarification concerning team penalties when an individual exceeds the maximum permitted number of contests.
The meeting was President Adam Stoltman’s first leading the Executive Committee. He began his term Sept. 1, succeeding Tim Mullins, and said the association’s decisions should remain focused on the educational value of interscholastic athletics and students’ experiences.
NYSPHSAA is a nonprofit, voluntary association whose members include public, parochial and private schools serving athletes in grades 7-12. It conducts 38 championship events and governs rules for its member schools.
The next Executive Committee meeting is scheduled for Feb. 3, 2027, at the Embassy Suites in Saratoga Springs. The association’s committee page lists meeting information.
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