During Monday’s annual meeting, the Indiana High School Athletic Association board of directors approved girls wrestling and boys volleyball as fully recognized sports. Both sports had previously been approved as emerging sports in 2022, with a plan to become fully recognized this year.
IHSAA commissioner Paul Neidig noted the impressive growth of girls wrestling, with participation increasing from under 300 girls five years ago to 1,444 girls from 177 high schools in the state this winter. This growth led to the decision to fully recognize girls wrestling as a sport.
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.