Girls wrestling on the rise in NewsTribune area

When La Salle-Peru senior Danica Scoma walked into the wrestling room for her first practice this year and saw a room full of boys with only a handful of girls, she admits she had some reservations.

“That initial practice that I went to was really nerve racking,” Scoma said. “I’m a soccer player. I don’t do this. This is a full body sport. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.”

Scoma, a talented soccer player at L-P who was the 2023 NewsTribune Girls Soccer Player of the Year, was recruited to wrestle by the team’s coaches, who she said were persistent enough to convince her.

She’s glad they did.

Despite the initial nerves, Scoma has fallen in love with her new sport.

“I was just thinking about trying something new my last year at L-P,” Scoma said. “I really wanted to find a nice community to bring myself into. I really found good people here. The team is amazing. My coaches are amazing. The support. Definitely the physical and mental toughness it gives you I think is going to help me excel at my other sports and through life.

“Being one of the only girls in a room full of guys is really intimidating at some points, but it’s also very empowering at points, too.

“I wish I did it sooner.”

Scoma is one of two new girls on the L-P roster this season. The Cavaliers started the season with seven and now have three with some quitting and some getting hurt.

Sarah Lowery also is new to the team, while sophomore Kiely Domyancich is back after being the only female out last winter.

“I love it,” Domyancich said about having more girls on the team this season. “It’s fun to travel with them. They’re all really nice, and I definitely get a lot of support from them, and I love seeing other girls succeed at the sport.”

L-P coach Matt Rebholz said he has posters up around the school letting people know wrestling is open to girls, and he’s constantly having female students express interest in the sport.

“It’s really nice to see that the sport is opening up,” Rebholz said. “I’m excited. The more people who wrestle, the happier I am because it’s a sport I love and a sport I enjoy being around.”

Girls wrestling is rapidly growing throughout the country. The National Federation of State High School Associations showed a 55% increase in girls wrestling in its High School Athletics Participation Survey released Sept. 21. There now are 44 states that offer a sanctioned girls state tournament.

The sport is on the rise in the NewsTribune area as well.

Mendota had 10 girls start the season and currently have seven. Princeton has six girls on its roster, up from three last winter. The Tigers normally have about five girls, coach Steve Amy said.

“It’s great that it’s growing,” Amy said. “That’s what we want as coaches and fans of the sport.”

Amy said he thinks wrestling is becoming more popular among girls because it’s a new experience, and once they get involved they get hooked.

“It gives them something different to do, then once they start doing it, they start to fall in love with it just like the boys,” Amy said.

That’s what happened with Domyancich.

She’s a cross country runner and distance runner in track and field and joined wrestling at the suggestion of L-P cross country/girls track coach John Beatty.

“I got into it, and now it’s my main sport,” Domyancich said. “I like I get to be aggressive. I think it’s very rewarding. You definitely see the physical effects. When you get your hand raised (after a win), you feel the mental effects, too.”

Domyancich had a successful debut season last year.

She made area history along with Putnam County-Hall’s Bailey Herr as the first two girls in the NewsTribune area to qualify for the IHSA girls state tournament.

After going 0-2 at state last year, Domyancich hopes to place this winter.

The IHSA is holding girls regionals for the first time after beginning with sectionals the past two years. Girls regionals are set for Jan. 26 and 27 with sectionals Feb. 9 and 10 and state Feb. 23 and 24.

Domyancich said she’s glad to see more meets for girls throughout the season.

“It’s great because then I get more wrestling time,” she said. “I like to see other girls get encouraged to be stronger, not only mentally, but physically as well.”

Amy said it’s important to give girls more opportunities to wrestle.

“Trying to get them more matches,” Amy said when asked how to keep the growth going. “There’s more girls events popping up. Around here, both Geneseo and Ottawa do a girls scramble where they bring a bunch of teams in and match you up to get two or three matches with people you might not normally see.”

At Princeton, the coaches have been trying to encourage more girls to try the sport.

“It’s something we’ve been trying to push,” Amy said. “We make it fun for them. They’re doing the same workouts alongside the boys, and they’re learning in the process.”

Scoma is planning on doing her part to recruit more girls to wrestling.

“I’ve already planned on talking to so many girls about this,” Scoma said. “I really believe this is an experience that anyone should try. I really think this sport can put you through the ringer, but in the best way possible. You really build a nice community around you, and it just gives you mental toughness.”

Domyancich said she’d like to see even more girls participation as well.

“I would say it’s the best decision you can make,” Domyancich said. “You develop so much mentally and physically. You get to see a part of yourself that society doesn’t really like to see in females, and it’s just really nice to get out there and be able to put it out in a positive way.”