The Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) Board of Directors approved girls wrestling for full recognition during its meeting on April 29, along with boys volleyball. These two sports become the 23rd and 24th sports sponsored by the IHSAA.

Girls wrestling was recognized as an emerging sport by the IHSAA two years ago, and its explosive growth led to today’s decision by the IHSAA Board of Directors.

USA Wrestling’s Girls High School Development Committee, led by Joan Fulp and Andrea Yamamoto, have recognized Indiana as the 46th state to host a state girls wrestling championship.

State Associations with Girls Wrestling in alphabetical order (46)

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

IHSAA press release: Full recognition approved for Boys Volleyball, Girls Wrestling

During its annual review of the Member School By-Laws on April 29, the Board of Directors of the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. approved for full recognition the sports of Boys Volleyball and Girls Wrestling beginning next school year (2024-25).

The Board of Directors, led by this year’s President Stacy Adams of Valparaiso High School and Vice President Chad Gilbert of Charlestown High School, approved 12 proposals, eight (8) failed to receive enough support, and one other was tabled during the meeting in Indianapolis.

All proposals are considered in the order that the rule appears within the current by-laws. The Board of Directors has four options on each proposal: affirm, deny, table or amend a rule. A simple majority is necessary to act on any measure and all approved measures become effective immediately unless otherwise noted.

With full recognition, an IHSAA state tournament will now be established for both sports with those details being announced in the coming months. Girls Wrestling will be a winter sport while Boys Volleyball will be played in the spring just as they have in previous years and during the IHSAA’s Emerging Sport Process. The Indiana Boys Volleyball Coaches Association has been administering its state tournament since 1994 while the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association has been conducting a girls wrestling state tournament since 2017.

After being added to the Emerging Sport Process in 2022, both have seen significant growth over the last 24 months.

Girls Wrestling now touts more than 1,400 individuals representing 177 different schools while Boys Volleyball teams have now climbed to more than 100.

They become the latest sports to be fully recognized following Unified Flag Football in 2018 and Unified Track & Field in 2013. Both are co-ed sports as part of the IHSAA’s partnership with Special Olympics Indiana. Prior to those, Boys & Girls Soccer became official IHSAA sports in 1994.