Wrestling isn’t new in Oklahoma. It’s been around for ages, producing top wrestlers like Olympian Kendall Cross from Mustang and local Lincoln County legend Jerry Best, who is the only undefeated four-time state champion from Chandler High School.
However, Oklahoma is now producing a brand new crop of wrestlers - young girls.
Girls’ wrestling started as a pilot program at the OSSAA in 2020 and became a fully sanctioned sport in 2021. Wes Ruth, OSSAA assistant director over wrestling, said it’s the fastest-growing sport in the state and in the U.S.
“We went from having one class only for girls in 2021, 2022, and 2023 to two classes in 2024,” he said, adding they had around 1,600 girl wrestlers last year, with that number likely growing to over 2,000 this year. He credited the growth in part to the increase in women’s wrestling programs at the collegiate level.
Currently, 157 universities and junior colleges across the U.S. offer fully sanctioned women’s wrestling programs with scholarships. Most are NCAA D3 universities, but nine D1 schools have programs. The NCAA said in a recent Associated Press article that it’s on track to become a championship-level sport in 2026.
In Oklahoma, Oklahoma City University, Northern Oklahoma College and Carl Albert State College offer sanctioned women’s wrestling. It’s a club sport at The University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University.
Ruth added that more young girls are looking for an opportunity to do something and branch out.
“Winter sports, at times, can be limited. There’s a lot of sports you can play outside, but not a ton inside,” Ruth said. “And once the momentum starts at a young age, I think that there’s more people want more opportunities.”
For the girls’ wrestling coach at Chandler, it’s a dream come true.
Kallie Jo Petrie graduated from CHS in 2002 and grew up around wrestling. Her mother, longtime teacher LaCricia Jones, was in charge of mat maids at the high school for longer than Kallie can remember, and her brother, Justin, was a wrestler. Kallie Jo was a mat maid and would go down to the wrestling room and practice with the boys. She competed in every sport that she could - except wrestling.
Now, she teaches girls that they can be as strong as they want to be.
“I love the individual accountability wrestling gives to each athlete. You are the only one on the mat winning or losing the match,” she said. “It is a sport that makes you take a deep look inside at how tough you are and how hard you work.”
Chandler’s program is still small and young—it started in 2022-23. There are three junior high girls and three in high school, but they work really hard. In a competition the week before last, every girl medaled, Petrie said. Two CHS grads are now wrestling with the OSU women’s wrestling club.
They need numbers, she admits, but there’s a good chance of that in the not-so-far future.
“I tip my hat off to the youth program because Shane Earp has a great program, and there’s a lot of little girls,” she said. “I’m there with that as often as I can to make sure I high-five those girls that are wrestling so that they want to do it in junior high and they want to do it in high school.”
She said that it helps that the wrestling program has a passionate booster club with parents who go above and beyond to support their wrestlers - both boys and girls.
McLoud has the only other girls’ wrestling program in the area. Coach William Winters said they currently have 16 girls wrestling at the junior high level and 14 in high school. They were regional runners-up the last two years, finished fourth at state last session, and have produced six state placers in the last two years.
“Over the last three years, our program has exploded. Before, we only had a few girls wrestling each year, and now we can fill the majority of the 14 weight classes,” he said.
Winters said wrestling is an opportunity for girls to try something that hasn’t been an option for many generations. Even within the McLoud community, the biggest reason parents tell their girls they won’t let them wrestle is that it’s a “boys’ sport.”
“It’s an opportunity that empowers these young girls right now to be the first generation of young women wrestlers in their communities,” he said. “And, for the parents that allow their girls to wrestle, those girls gain so much confidence and self-esteem from participating… These young ladies all over our state and country are getting to experience wrestling for the first time and fall in love with it and, in the process, become trailblazers.”
He said having a girls’ wrestling program is important because girls deserve the opportunity to find something they love and overcome challenges to accomplish goals. Winters added that their girls are tough, and the coaches don’t cut them any slack.
“They practice with the boys and they have to be able to endure everything the boys do. I truly admire our girls and everything they have accomplished,” he said. “The community has noticed their efforts and accomplishments, and now more girls are wanting to follow their lead.”