Oswego high schools add girls wrestling as IHSA sport

Oswego School District 308 is moving ahead to add girls wrestling as a new high school sport starting in the fall.

At the April 8 school board meeting, board members voted unanimously to add girls wrestling as an IHSA sport starting in the 2024-25 school year. The decision follows on the heels of the board’s vote last month to add boys and girls lacrosse as an ISHA sport starting in the 2024-25 school year.

“Expanding opportunities to female students will help to address the historical imbalance where male sports have traditionally received more attention and resource allocation,” Dan Arntzen, the district’s executive director of high school instruction and K-12 assessments along with Oswego High School Athletic Director Darren Howard and Oswego East High School Athletic Director Tony Millard told School Superintendent Andalib Khelghati and school board members in a memo.

They said that girls wrestling will follow the same procedures and protocols as boys wrestling. Athletic trainers will be available to all athletes in SD308 to help ensure safety and injury prevention.

In 2022-2023, IHSA began a state series for girls only. Girls currently compete in the Oswego School District boys wrestling program. A student interest survey conducted between December 2023 and January 2024 shows 61 girls in grades 8-11 are interested in wrestling.

“This level of interest and the nature of the sport indicates that both Oswego High School and Oswego East High School will have teams of their own,” according to the memo. “Our survey results from current 8-11 graders show numbers that would sustain the girls wrestling program for at least the next five years. As the success of the program continues, interest will likely remain high.”

The cost of the girls wrestling program for the first year is expected to be $24,700. That includes the cost of uniforms, transportation, coaching stipends, officials and workers fees and miscellaneous expenses