Two years following the sanctioning of girls wrestling, the athletic activity has now become the fastest-growing sport in the state of Nebraska. With over 125 programs in high schools across the state, girls wrestling has built a welcoming community for girls who are interested in trying something new.

For senior Jenah Jacobson who began wrestling for South before girls were given their own team, the growth has brought her a second home.

    “Looking from my sophomore year to now, the sport has grown so much. It means something special, watching more and more girls take the risk to try something new,” Jacobson said. “As someone who had to wrestle with the boys, it’s just an amazing experience to go from having one other girl to a whole team by your side. We’ve grown to become a family,” she said.

After watching girls like Jacobson and junior Stormy Hampton, who became the first female wrestler to compete at state for the Patriots, many girls took the risk to try out for the team. 

“I was definitely nervous to join at first,” junior Lauren Corey said. “I was scared that I was going to be by myself and that everyone was going to do their own thing. But looking back, I’m glad I joined. All of the girls are so supportive and we’ve gotten super close.”

For girls who grew up wrestling against the boys, the sanctioning of the sports brings new opportunities.

“Growing up, wrestling on a boys team, it was different,” freshman Millie Jensen said. “It was definitely harder. There was more competition and the guys were a lot bigger than me. So coming into high school and having this group of girls, it’s exciting.”

The sport shows no sign of slowing down, building a foundation for girls like Jensen to come.

“I love seeing all the girls taking that leap of faith and having fun,” Jacobson said. 

“Having each other every step of the way, we’ve all helped each other gain confidence and become better wrestlers.”