The Story of UC’s Women’s Wrestling Team
By Shayra Calderon
The University of the Cumberlands added women’s wrestling as a sport during the1998-1999 season, with only three girls being original team members. Initially, there were only six weight classes in the women’s division; there are now ten. Women’s wrestling was not as popular among college students as it is now. Only one other college offered women’s wrestling when UC began to offer the sport. Today, there are over 30 colleges that offer women’s wrestling.
Assistant coach Jay Perez explains that “the growth of high school wrestling has triggered a growth in youth wrestling, which has made college wrestling more competitive and has given girls the opportunity to wrestle more in college.” Women’s wrestling has become one of the fastest-growing sports in high schools nationwide, allowing colleges to begin recruiting for their teams. At the University of the Cumber-lands, there are over 50 girls on the roster; the team that started with three girls has now exceeded all expectations and continues to grow each year.
Over the years, the women’s wrestling team has acquired over 40 All-Americans and countless team accomplishments. Assistant coach Jesse Kirby says that “[he] feels] like we already have a good foundation, and we are] just expanding on it. We have great returners that are going to continue working hard, and we brought in a great group of freshmen and transfer|s]. We are going to make waves.” The key component to having a good team is having a good environment and team atmosphere. The women’s wrestling team at the University of the Cumberlands does many team activities that help develop close bonds and a family-like environment.
Although people perceive wrestling as a very dangerous sport that causes several injuries. the sport produces fewer injuries than expected. During practices coaches show wrestlers ways to prevent injury and avoid hurting others. How-ever, injuries are not always avoidable, which is why athletic trainers are essential assets to not only the women’s wrestling team but every team at the University of the Cumberlands. Hannah England, one of the athletic trainers at UC, does her best to ensure that an athlete heals fully before returning to physical activity.
This year, UC’s women’s wrestling team has a new head coach, Sarah Allen. Allen is 28 years old, from Huber Heights, Ohio, and has wrestled for 16 years. Before earning her head coach spot, this UC alumni was the women’s wrestling team assistant coach for many years. Allen says that “[she] [is] excited to be taking over where [she] wrestled at and that it is exciting to look forward and move into a positive environment with a great group of girls.” The women’s wrestling team has come a long way since 1999 and continues growing yearly. Ultimately, this team has a stellar attitude toward their future and the growth of women’s wrestling, which makes them one of UC’s most exceptional groups.
