During a meeting held on Monday, the Indiana High School Athletic Association board of directors voted to fully recognize girls wrestling and boys volleyball as official sports. This decision comes after both sports were previously approved as emerging sports in 2022, with a plan to become fully recognized this year.
The growth of girls wrestling has been impressive, with participation increasing from under 300 girls five years ago to 1,444 girls from 177 high schools in the state this winter. This led to the decision to fully recognize girls wrestling as a sport.
On the other hand, while the growth of boys volleyball was expected to be slower due to the number of athletes needed for a team, there are now 105 schools registered to play boys volleyball this spring. This surpasses the 100 school threshold across the state’s three districts required to make it a fully recognized sport.
During a straw poll at a meeting with athletic directors and administrators, the vote was 62 to 4 in favor of adding girls wrestling and boys volleyball as recognized sports. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story. Contact Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649 for more information.
