Girls’ wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, and according to the National Coaches Wrestling Association, over 50,000 girls participate in the sport. The boost in popularity comes as many states and universities begin to expand their current wrestling programs.
The 2022 wrestling season was the first year where the IHSA offered a State series. In their second year as a program, the DGN girls’ wrestling team qualified two wrestlers for the IHSA State tournament. CTE teacher Marcos Rico is the head coach of the girls’ wrestling program, and his goal is to promote the sport as much as possible.
“For me, having taken on this opportunity was in part because my daughter wanted to wrestle,” Rico said. “To be an advocate for girls’ wrestling helps my daughter see that this is a wonderful thing to be a part of.”
Senior Kayleigh Loo and junior Natalia Cruz-Arias were the first Trojans to represent DGN in the sport at the State level. Loo has been wrestling for five years and is coming off an ACL tear that sidelined her for the entire 2022-2023 season. Loo finished her high school career with a record of 52-2 and placed fourth at the IHSA State tournament Feb. 24.
“I started wrestling in eighth grade and I had a lot of fun, so I continued into high school and was the only girl on the team my freshman year,” Loo said. “I’ve been able to wrestle so I count that as a great season for me.”
Loo was the only senior on the team, so with the rest of the squad returning next year, Rico has high hopes for the program.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity because not everyone is going to go out and play a typical sport,” Rico said. “Having two state qualifiers this year allows me to envision what we have to come and I’m hoping we can continue to grow as a school and program.”
Cruz-Arias went 20-9 this season, and with one more season left, her biggest hope is that more girls will give the sport a chance.
“As a freshman, I wanted to try new things. It sounded interesting and I hadn’t heard of many girls wrestling,” Cruz-Arias said. “The girls in the sport are looking to support each other and grow the sport. If you join you’re going to see yourself grow and get better. This season, it was great to see more girls join and have that team aspect.”
