NIAA creates Girls Invitational alongside Nevada boys state meet, becoming 28th state with girls wrestling

Photo of Team Nevada's girls team at Fargo, courtesy of Team Nevada Girls Facebook page.


The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA), in its recent Board of Control meeting, approved a Girls Wrestling Invitational to be held alongside its Boys State Wrestling Championships, beginning next season.


The organization issued the following statement today:

"The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association's Board of Control approved, during its regularly-scheduled summer season meeting, having a girls (specific / standalone) wrestling invitational during the traditional state meeting. Details of how many qualifiers -- and how girls will qualify for their invitational -- and how many weight classes will be determined at a later date. The NIAA is committed to the advancement of high school girls wrestling as a sport in the Silver State and will work cohesively with directors and coaches to include as many participants as possible in this invitational."

-- Donnie Nelson, Assistant Director, NIAA.


This makes Nevada the 28th state to approve an official state high school girls championships or make girls wrestling an emerging sport, or began the process to making girls wrestling a sanctioned sport.


The state associations with girls wrestling (alphabetically) are: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin


USA Wrestling’s Girls High School Development Committee, led by Joan Fulp and Andrea Yamamoto, are working with groups such as Wrestle Like A Girl, the NWCA and numerous other grassroots organizations to promote opportunities for high school girls to wrestle.