The Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) board of directors recently approved girls wrestling and boys volleyball as fully recognized sports during their annual meeting. Both sports had previously been approved as emerging sports in 2022, with a plan to become fully recognized this year.
Impressive growth in the number of participants in girls wrestling led to its recognition as a sport. In just five years, participation increased from under 300 girls to 1,444 girls from 177 high schools across the state this winter. This growth was highlighted by IHSAA commissioner Paul Neidig during Monday’s meeting.
Although the growth of boys volleyball was expected to be slower due to the need for a larger team size, there are now 105 schools registered to play the sport this spring. This surpasses the 100 school threshold required across the state’s three districts for full recognition.
In a straw poll at a meeting with athletic directors and administrators, there was overwhelming support for adding girls wrestling and boys volleyball as recognized sports, with a vote of 62 to 4 in favor. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting development. Contact Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649 for more information on this story that is still unfolding.
