PIERRE – South Dakota has become the 25th state to sanction girls’ high school wrestling. In its recent meeting, the South Dakota High School Activities Association Board of Directors approved a Girls’ Wrestling division for the 2020-21 school year.
SDHSAA Executive Director Dr. Daniel Swartos expressed his pleasure with the decision, saying, “I am very proud of our member schools for embracing this concept, and I am excited to provide this opportunity to student-athletes in South Dakota.”
For the first season of girls’ wrestling, there will be one classification and four weight classes. They will be evenly divided among certification weights of the competitors. Top eight participants in each weight class, which will be determined by TrackWrestling criteria, will qualify for the State Wrestling Tournament February 25-27 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City. In the future, expansion of weight classes will be determined by participation number.
About potential expansion of girls’ wrestling, SDSHAA Assistant Executive Director Dr. John Krogstrand said, “In every other state that has implemented Girls Wrestling, they’ve seen tremendous growth in participation numbers over the first several years. We anticipate the same in South Dakota and will adjust weight classes according to growth as we move into future years.”
Nebraska, Montana, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri also offer girls’ wrestling.
