“Girls Belong In Wrestling”: Rapid Rise Of NSAA Girls Wrestling
“Girls Belong In Wrestling”: Rapid Rise Of NSAA Girls Wrestling
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LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Girls wrestling became an NSAA sanctioned sport in 2021. During the inaugural season, 711 student-athletes participated across Nebraska. NSAA assistant director Ron Higdon said interest and the initial numbers exceeded his expectations. Higdon had no idea the sport would grow at an exponential rate.
“If you look at the number we started with, that increase is unbelievable,“ Higdon said.
Over 2,100 girls wrestlers are participating this season, marking a remarkable 200% increase over four years. One hundred and eighty eight different schools across Nebraska supported a girls wrestling team this winter, prompting a second classification (A & B) for the first time.
The surge has resulted in a girls-only NSAA State Championship event, which is scheduled for next week. The opening rounds will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 18 with all consolation matches, semifinals, and finals the following day. The entirety of the NSAA Girls State Wrestling Championships will be held at CHI Health Center in Omaha.
“We knew we were going to have to make a format change,” Higdon said. “The fact that we were able to secure CHI the entire week... Is fantastic.”
Girls wrestling had previously held its state tournament in concurrence with the boys championships. Evelyn Becher, a sophomore at Lincoln High, qualified for the state meet last year and will return to Omaha next week with a 39-4 record.
“Girls belong in wrestling,” Becher said. “Its an amazing sport for them to grow in. Its a very motivating sport. You really like the feeling of the rush and the adrenaline.”
Becher is excited for a girls-only state meet after wrestling at the district tournament over the weekend. The returning state medalist believes her team, opponents, and peers deserve a spotlight for themselves.
Becher is part of a 36-wrestler roster at Lincoln High. The program began two years ago with 12 participants. The Links will send four girls to next week’s state tournament.
“The light is going to be shined on them, versus having boys next to them,” Lincoln High head coach Andy Genrich said. Genrich coached the LHS boys program for several years. In 2023-24, he doubled as the boys and girls wrestling coach. This winter, his focus is solely on the girls program.
What I really love about girls wrestling is everybody comes together,“ Genrich said. ”They’re mat-side cheering each other on. Its going to be a great event Tuesday and Wednesday next week.”
Genrich added that a girls-only state tournament will allow the wrestlers to compete with less pressure. He noted that the Heartland Athletic Conference tournament, along with other regular season duals, had drawbacks.
“It was boys and girls together,” Genrich said. “Some of them were a little more nervous because they’re like ‘What are the guys going to say about how we’re wrestling?’”
Lincoln High attended a girls-only meet at Millard West during the regular season.
“They had less pressure,” Genrich said. “It was more about them and girls in general.”
Genrich hopes that the Girls State Championships will be a similar experience for his team and all competitors. He also believes it will be a great showcase of the sport.
The rapid rise in girls wrestling isn’t unique to Nebraska, according to Higdon. He noted that 45 states include girls wrestling as a sanctioned sport, as opposed to six in 2018.
“Its been the largest-growing sport at the NFHS level,” Higdon said. “That is a testament to the popularity, growth, and the people that want to do it.”
The growth of high school girls wrestling can be traced to more youth getting involved in the sport. Additionally, females are seeking an alternative activity to basketball or swimming over the winter months, according to Higdon. Genrich said Lincoln High regularly promotes its girls wrestling program through school announcements, flyers, social media, and word of mouth.
“We’ve had schools that tell us (girls wrestling) has changed (students),” Higdon said. “They couldn’t get those girls to come to school. They were tardy all of the time. They were missing class all of the time. Now, they have something to look forward to. They come to school every day. They’re doing well in school. They’re competing. They love it. They have a team to belong to. All of that has been a blessing for a lot of them.”
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