A Triumph for High School Athletics: Girls Wrestling and Boys Volleyball Achieve Fully Sanctioned Status in Indiana
On Monday, the Indiana High School Athletic Association board of directors officially recognized girls wrestling and boys volleyball as fully sanctioned sports. Both sports had previously been approved as emerging sports in 2022, with a plan to become fully recognized this year. The growth of girls wrestling has been significant, with participation increasing from less than 300 girls five years ago to 1,444 girls from 177 high schools this winter.
Boys volleyball was expected to experience slower growth due to the number of athletes required to form a team, but there are now 105 schools registered to participate in boys volleyball this spring, surpassing the threshold of 100 schools across the state’s three districts needed for full recognition. During a previous meeting with athletic directors at Plainfield, a straw poll showed overwhelming support for adding girls wrestling and boys volleyball as recognized sports, with a vote of 62 to 4 in favor.
This is an exciting development for both sports and their participants. As a journalist covering high school athletics in Indiana, I will continue to follow this story and provide updates as more information becomes available. For further inquiries, please contact me at (317) 444-6649.
