And this weekend, they get their own state championship. The first all-girls state tournament will be held by the Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association on Saturday and Sunday at Hilliard Davidson High School.
Hiett, a sophomore, enters as the No. 2 seed in the 121-pound weight class. The third-year wrestler finished third at the Ohio Athletic Committee’s junior high state tournament in 2018 and second at the OAC high school state meet in 2019.
“She’s got big goals. She wants to wrestle in college and this is another step toward that,” Meyer said. “I’m excited for her. We’ve talked about her being the first girls state champ for us and that’s what we’re shooting for.”
Joining Hiett at state are Telles, a senior ranked No. 6 at 137 and Hicks, a junior ranked No. 10 at 126. Sophomore Ava Benoit is also registered to compete at 160. Both Telles and Hicks are in their first season of wrestling. They’re not alone.
There are about 500 high school girls active in the sport in Ohio, double from last year. The numbers are booming across the country, too. From 1994 to 2019, the number of females wrestling in high school soared from 804 to 21,124 according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association. There are more than 70 women’s varsity programs in college. And on March 6-7, the first national collegiate women’s wrestling NCAA championships will be hosted by Michigan’s Adrian College.
Twenty states hold sanctioned high school girls state championships, according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association. The Ohio High School Athletic Association is working to make it 21.
Hiett started when her male cousin needed a sparring partner. He encouraged Hiett to take up the sport after she showed potential.
“Wrestling keeps me going. It shows me how strong I truly am,” Hiett said. “It kind of helps me keep my mind focused and keep my mind right. When I’m stressed out wrestling relieves everything.”
Nearly 250 girls from 97 programs are registered to compete at state, including Badin senior Samantha Caballero (ranked No. 2 at 106), Badin sophomore Brooke Weisbrodt (111), Badin sophomore Rachel Elizondo (No. 2 at 116), Fairfield senior Kaitlyn Hughes (116), Badin freshman Rachel Nusky (121) and Fenwick freshman Emily VonDohre (150).
Hiett and her teammates have recruited classmates to join them. But Hiett understands any concerns they might have. She shared the doubt at her first match in junior high.
“I lost in overtime,” Hiett said. “I told my coach I never thought it was going to be this hard. He said it’s your first match, it’ll come to you. I felt like I couldn’t do it.”
Hiett won a match later that day.
“My coach was right,” Hiett said. “(Having a girls team) would definitely open the eyes to a lot more people who are interested in the sport. But there are girls who are scared to do it against guys.”
As for Lakota West’s male wrestlers, Hiett said they’ve welcomed and encouraged the female wrestlers. Going against the boys at times in practice and at junior varsity tournaments and duals has helped the girls prepare for state.
“The guys are definitely more active and fast. But the girls aren’t far behind,” Hiett said. “There are definitely some strong and quick girls out there. Girls are pretty good at technique.
“They’ve been very open to girls wrestling. They push us every practice. They tell us to keep going and don’t give up. They’re definitely helping us. They treat us as part of the team, pushing us to the max.”
As for Meyer, the biggest difference he’s seen between coaching boys and girls is their focus. Girls tend to be more zoned in and processing information when he’s instructing. And they’re just as physical.
“Honestly, girls are sometimes better to coach than the boys,” Meyer said. “I feel like they are more tuned in than most of my boys on the team. They work just as hard. They scrap just as hard. They get bloody noses and black eyes just the same. … “They’re all tough girls. We enjoy having them as part of the program.”
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