Taking Over the Mat

Wrestling is becoming a bigger co-ed sport than people ever imagined. 

“Coming from my freshman year, wrestling round robins at every tournament to going to those same tournaments now and being in a 32-man bracket is an unexplainable feeling,” Macali Lade, a Senior at Siuslaw High School in Florence Oregon said.

Girls teams in high school are doubling in numbers by year. 

According to USA Wrestling, girls’ wrestling has improved by 102% since 2021-22 now having around 64,257 girl wrestlers.

Why wrestle? 

Halley House, a sophomore at East High School, in Cheyenne Wyoming said that it is amazing how much girls wrestling is growing because it shows how girls can do the same thing as guys can.

Some schools are just starting a wrestling program, while others have enough for a full girls’ JV and Varsity team. Lakeland High School girls wrestling team has grown from five 2023-2024 to eight in 2024-2025.

“Our girls’ team grew from four girls last year to eleven girls this year,” Isabella Banaszynski, Junior at Arundel Senior High School in Maryland Gambrills said.  “We actually had enough girls for a full girls’ team. This is the first time in my school’s history.”

Girls have joined wrestling for many different reasons and end up falling in love with the sport.

Lade started wrestling her freshman year because her friend dared her to. Although she joined as a joke, she continued to grow as a wrestler and won state in her sophomore year of high school.

Banaszynski said she had fallen out of love with volleyball and had officially stopped playing and decided to join wrestling because she knew some girls on the wrestling team.

Bailey Haag, an 8th grader at Lakeland Middle School, started wrestling because she wanted another contact sport. Ella Gillian, a senior at Bountiful High School in Utah started wrestling because her brother wrestled.

Opening Doors

The sport has opened doors for young girls everywhere and makes everlasting impacts. Beyond the mat, wrestling instills life skills like perseverance, teamwork and leadership. It inspires girls to pursue their dreams and shatter limitations. 

“I know that wrestling is a great sport for girls because no matter on the mat or off, wrestling provides a beautiful gift of being able to have a growth mindset always,” Shai Prime, Junior at East High School in Cheyenne Wyoming.

The girls’ wrestling community has grown so much that they have all-girl camps available for girls to grow as wrestlers with just other female wrestlers. 

“I have found that the girls rooted in the sport are some of the most supportive girls you will ever meet and your biggest cheerleaders when you’re wrestling,” Prime said.

Some camps are Roberts wrestling and Purler, all-girls camps.

Family Support

Parents signing their girls up and supporting them through the way is a great way for the sport to grow.

“My parents have impacted me the most through my wrestling journey in the way that they have supported me all the way through the ride,” Neveah Therrien, a Junior at Bonners Ferry High School said.

House grew up watching wrestling with her dad making her truly passionate about the sport.

Sports are supposed to be a family and help you grow as a person and girls wrestling has shown that in so many ways.

Teammate Support

“I love that girls’ wrestling is growing. It’s a great sport and a great community,” Keira Balch, Junior wrestler at Lakeland High School said, “We all support each other no matter what school we go to, we’re all here to see each other and ourselves improve.”

No matter what happens on the mat, win or loss having teammates on the side of the mat is a boost of confidence.

“My coaches and teammates have made this sport mean more to me than anything, we are like a huge family,” Lade said, “It has taught me that you learn more from your biggest losses than your biggest wins.”

Girls all across the world support each other throughout their wrestling careers. “Someone who has tremendously impacted me in a positive way is one of my wrestling partners Bree Padilla,” Prime said. “Bree has pushed me to not only expand my horizons as a person and my mental health but as well as pushing myself to the limits.”

Wrestling is described as one of the toughest and most mentally draining sports in the world.

Strength for Wrestling

“After the match whether you win or lose you have to shake your opponent’s hand,” Hunter Edmonson, a sophomore at Sandpoint High School said.

The conditioning and the practice are draining, and the dedication to this sport is necessary.

“Being consistent is so important, wrestling isn’t easy, it generally affects all aspects of your life socially, physically, and mentally,” Banaszynski said. “100 percent of what you put in is 100 percent of what you get out.”

It takes your entire body’s muscles working together for 6 minutes on the mat. Not only is physical strength necessary, but mental stretch is needed just as much. 

“I think girls wrestling is a great sport for girls because it makes us tough mentally and physically, it teaches us to deal with the hardest things life can throw at us,” Aryana Loran a senior at Dickinson High School, Dickinson North Dakota.

Lessons Learned

The lessons learned through wrestling will leave an everlasting impact on the females that go through the sport. They all are affected in different ways.

Isabella Rice, a junior at Post Falls High School explains she learned you can never do anything without god.

Addie Lisenbe, a freshman at Lakeland High School said, I have learned perseverance and hard work.

Therrien explained wrestling teaches you hard work, independence, discipline, and most importantly respect.

Zxyloh Johnson, a junior at Sandpoint High School, learned self-discipline and to never give up on what you truly want.

Coaching Support

The coaches have a huge impact on athletes and having good coaches in your corner makes a difference. 

“My coach, Stravia, has impacted me the most,” Loran said, “We have had our ups and downs but he is like a father to me; he believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself.”

With girls wrestling growing as fast as it is, it takes coaches with patience and love for the sport to instill the skills and push their athletes. 

“My coach Abel has impacted me the most in the sport because he pushes me to do better not only in the room but in school and in life,” Rice said.

House said her coach inspires me the most because no matter at her best or worst, he always pushes her. 

Balch said his coach Chad has given her the support and the technology she needs to improve without her having to ask.

With the ability to make or break the sport for young athletes male and female coaches have stepped into the new world of girls wrestling and continue to support the growing sport.

Collegiate Changes 

Girls Wrestling has been officially added into the NCAA as the 91st championship sport at D1, D2, and D3. 

Through making it an official NCAA sport it shows that women can compete at high levels just like males. It allows women to continue pursuing the sport that they have fallen in love with.

The bigger the community grows the more opportunities and opponents grow with women’s wrestling.

“The bigger it gets, the more girls that are stepping outside of their comfort zones and opening up more opportunities for younger generations,” Haag said.