by Riley Rayome
When someone mentions wrestling, do you ever think about women’s wrestling? Most people don’t, and that’s exactly the problem. However, North Central College is beginning to challenge that stereotype, rising to the top as a powerhouse program building a stronger future for the female athletes to come.
Since the beginning of women’s wrestling, the sport has lacked the support needed. This means no media coverage, no funding from the schools, no sanctioning, little career opportunities, and little to no college wrestling. Though in 2018, changes began when North Central established the female wrestling team. They started out as a small group of just eight girls, but four years later, they won their first national team title.
North Central College quickly battled stereotypes, beating out the top programs in the country. What’s so incredible about this feat is that while North Central can’t give athletic scholarships or provide a substantial number of athletic facilities for their girls, they still beat Division 1 Iowa. This shows how much time and effort female wrestlers are giving. Every single female in this sport is working toward a better future that holds more respect and attention.
This shift isn’t just happening at North Central, but all over the nation. Women’s wrestling is now the fastest growing sport in the nation and has quadrupled in size since the early 2010s. With this growth, female wrestling has become the 91st NCAA sport as of 2025, and the first National Tournament was held in March 2026 where the North Central Cardinals took third as a team, showing again that they come to play.
Many female wrestlers, including myself, have been waiting their whole lives to see this change. It’s been a long battle filled with obstacles that seem unmovable at times. We’ve had to fight stereotypes, wrestle the guys, run with no funding, and more. Most states didn’t have sanctioned women’s wrestling until recent years, forcing women to compete with the men’s division. We never had funding, so we were forced to wrestle in the cafeteria on cheap roll out mats.
We’ve come a long way since we first started, rising to levels we once could only dream of, like having our own NCAA tournament, Division 1 schools, funding, streaming, Olympic dreams coming true, and so much more. We’ve opened the doors for a bright future, and though female wrestlers have begun to pave the way, the path isn’t finished yet.
