On the heals of NCAA’s Jan. 17 decision to recognize women’s wrestling as a championship sport, OH senior Kiyah Chavez earned second place in State Sat., March 1.
“I’ve really started to love wrestling, and it does make me sad that I’ll never do it again,” Chavez said about her State win and end of wrestling. “My parents say all of the time that if I had started wrestling younger, I probably would’ve done it in college instead of softball.”
With her weekend title, Chavez became the first All-State female wrestler in school history. OH senior wrestler Aaliyah Roldan also qualified for State competition, dropping her first match and winning her following two.
When women’s wrestling became the 91st championship sport at the NCAA convention in Nashville, it opened up new opportunities for OH girls’ wrestling and women’s wrestling worldwide, such as more college scholarships, competition, recognition, recruitment, and growth.
“This is one of the biggest milestones in the history of women’s wrestling,” said Athletic Director Daniel Arntzen. “We’ve already seen tremendous growth at the youth and high school levels, and now, with the NCAA backing it as a championship sport, we can expect an even greater expansion.”
The NCAA’s addition of women’s wrestling will help expand women’s wrestling programs all around. It is encouraging the next generations of females to pursue wrestling.
Women’s wrestling is growing daily, and this achievement of a woman wrestler proves the future acknowledgement and reward that female athletes will gain, especially with the new NCAA championship opportunity.
“This news will inspire more young girls and women to start wrestling. For one thing, it’s another way to earn an opportunity to get your college paid for, which always draws people in. Bigger than that, though, is the fact that it is so engaging and fun,” said Chavez.
This milestone validates the hard work of female wrestlers and paves the way for opportunities in the sport for women. Now, with the NCAA adding women’s wrestling as a championship sport, it is clear that in the near future, young girls and women will be even more intrigued and will want to be a part of the sport and all the offers it has to give.
“I think that NCAA announcing that this is now a championship sport will bring a lot of light to the sport and the women who currently compete within the sport,” said sophomore wrestler Helena Torres.
The NCAA’s decision to grant championship status to women wrestlers provides better resources to the sport and gives wrestling teams worldwide the motivation and power to show off their skills at higher levels.
“Women’s wrestling, especially in high school, is still sort of looked at differently because it is so new, so as it becomes more common I think it will gain respect similar to what the boys get,” said Chavez.
As more female wrestlers show off their skill and dedication on bigger stages like the NCAA championships, the perception of women’s wrestling will shift and gain more recognition.
This change is a significant step toward growing women’s wrestling and gender equity in this sport.
“With the NCAA now offering an official championship, more colleges will invest in their women’s wrestling programs, which means more opportunities for scholarships and competition at the highest level,” said Arntzen.
NCAA’s decision will encourage more schools and colleges to strengthen their women’s wrestling program, while also creating a competitive environment that attracts talent from many women athletes.
