Girls get to wrestle as

part of the team

By Marcy Curtis

Staff writer

12-23-2020

Girls wrestling history is being made at North Sanpete and Manti High Schools this year, as the Utah High School Athletics Association has now sanctioned the sport.

Until this wrestling season, girls have been allowed to wrestle, but they were a part of their school’s boys’ team and had to wrestle with the boys. Girls have their own teams in other states and the popularity of it has been growing.

North Sanpete currently has two girls wrestling and Manti High has six. With this being the first year, the numbers of girl participants are expected to be a little low. But the state is hoping that it will gain popularity over the next few years.

“I feel privileged to be wrestling on North Sanpete’s first girls’ team,” said sophomore Aiyana Spencer. “We actually have a chance to be part of something bigger than a girl on a boys’ team. It felt amazing to wrestle at my first tournament tonight and I look forward to it being more organized.”

The Hawk and Templar girls’ teams wrestled in the first girls division at the Manti Holiday Classics this past weekend. With the popularity not quite catching on yet, the girls are still practicing with the boys, but competing at their own tournaments.