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Photo courtesy of Angelina Jiang

Junior Angelina Jiang is declared the winner by the referee in the California Interscholastic Federation tournament at Bakersfield.

This year, Louisiana joined the 45 states that certify girls wrestling at the high school level. Of these states, Kentucky, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania hosted their first state-sanctioned girls wrestling tournaments.

In the broader scope of women’s wrestling, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced plans to add the sport as the 91st NCAA championship sport in winter 2026, with the vote set for next January. These recent developments mark the progress of girls wrestling as the fastest-growing high school sport in the country, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Despite the uptick, wrestling remains a coeducational sport at Gunn due to a matter of numbers, according to head coach Jorge Barajas.

“Financially, we would have to figure out the number to grant another coach for a girls team and recruit more female wrestlers,” he said. “But (a girls wrestling team is) definitely the goal.”

Aspects of the coed practices, in which both genders drill against each other and compete with their respective gender brackets, have been ideal for junior Angelina Jiang.

“For me, (the routine is) mostly drill with the guys during practice and then go out and compete with girls,” she said. “It’s honestly a lot easier to compete with girls after drilling with these heavier, stronger guys. It just toughens you up.”

Wrestler sophomore Aurora Woodley embraces the opportunity to grapple with her teammates’ different styles.

“Being coed is being able to wrestle with a bunch of different people, which is more important than just wrestling with people who are stronger than you,” she said.

This season, the number of female wrestlers on the team has doubled. Alongside the returning members — senior Isabella Lee, Jiang and Woodley — the team welcomed five freshman girls: Mei Elgierari, Thea Kissiov, Avni Lochan, Zara Vivekanand and Mina Van Roy.

While these girls are the minority in the male- dominated team, this imbalance is the very thing that creates camaraderie, according to Elgierari.

“During the SCVAL (Santa Clara Valley Athletic League) sectionals tournament, (the girls) each went to one another’s matches when we could, and although some of us didn’t qualify, we still stayed together and supported one another,” she said. “It really helped, especially for those who weren’t done and were really nervous.”

Emerging players may shy away from the sport because they don’t know what the wrestling experience is like for girls.

“Wrestling is super intense, but people don’t understand that it’s not something that you should fear while being a female because the team is supportive of you,” Woodley said.

At the collegiate level, women’s wrestling is still something of a niche sport, as only four NCAA Division I institutions have varsity women’s wrestling teams: South Carolina’s Presbyterian College, Connecticut’s Sacred Heart University, and Missouri’s University of Iowa and Lindenwood University.

“Right now, there are only four colleges that have DI women’s wrestling, and a lot of colleges only have clubs or they don’t have women’s wrestling at all,” Jiang said. “So it’s really hard to get a scholarship. I know a lot of really good wrestlers, some who got into Stanford, (and) couldn’t wrestle anymore because there wasn’t a women’s wrestling team up until now.”

This limited opportunity does not deter Jiang from further pursuing the sport. Rather, fellow female wrestlers — such as 18-year-old Audrey Jimenez, who became the first girl to win an Arizona state high school wrestling title while competing against boys on Feb. 18 — have become role models for Jiang.

“There have been a couple of times where I’ve considered challenging one of the boys for a varsity spot for duels, because at duels, in all technicalities, a girl (is allowed to) challenge and wrestle guys, like in a lot of other states like Arizona,” Jiang said. “It’s not allowed the other way, just because of physiological differences. It brings up the whole thing of women in men’s sports and how women can bring themselves up to the challenge if they want to.”

Barajas recalls how 2014 Gunn alumna female world-level wrestler Cadence Lee, known for pinning down boys during her high school wrestling career, paved the way for girls in the absence of sanctioned girls’ wrestling. Because of women like Lee, along with women’s wrestling advocate Lori Ayres, who co- founded the organization D1 Women’s Wrestling and helped start the Stanford University women’s wrestling club, Barajas’ wrestling perspective has experienced a full-circle moment.

“I’m able to see where (wrestling) was to where it is now,” he said. “I think (local female forefront wrestlers) help our community of wrestlers. We have a good support system for girls’ wrestling just down the road at Stanford, where Lori Ayres is that voice (saying) that girls wrestling is something that needs to be going.”

For Barajas, coaching Jiang and Lee at the Feb. 22-24 California Interscholastic Federation State Wrestling Championships came against an important cultural backdrop: larger girls wrestling tournaments in the future. Girls state tournaments are now held at the same level as the boys’ and have full brackets. According to Barajas, brackets were around 20 girls, but now they reach 32-40 girls.

“If (this growth) continues, I could see the girls, within next year, at a 64-person bracket as well,” he said. “It’s just that fast-growing.”

Woodley has found that wrestling entails more than mere physical prowess, requiring intellectual and mental strength.

“I think it’s so important that wrestling teaches women how to deal with pain and loss and how to fight for yourself in the real world,” she said. “I’ve learned to just have the fearlessness to stand up for myself.”

That being said, the team does expect some changes. Co-captain senior Mihlaan Selvaretnam noted that the differences in Barajas’ and Creighton’s training styles may impact the integration of newer wrestlers onto the team.

“With Jorge, we drill a lot more instead of just learning the technical skill,” Selveretnam said. “(This season) is going to be a little different, and (the captains) might need to help out a little bit more. But besides that, I think it’ll all be okay.”

Fellow co-captain senior Myles Stoltz echoed that, despite differences, he’s not worried about Barajas’ coaching — and believes that some of the differences might actually prove to be improvements.

“I think the main differences we’ve seen are that he’s quite a bit younger, and in some ways, that helps,” he said. “He can relate to you a lot more and give more advice, even (advice) not about wrestling.”

Some team member, however, have mixed feelings and concerns about whether they will be able to maintain their technical skill or perform well against other teams in SCVAL’s upper division. Teams who place low in their divisions may be moved down, and the possibility of that happening worries some wrestlers. Others are concerned that the current coaching staff isn’t large enough to handle the number of new members on top of continuing to help older members improve.

Barajas is not concerned about the technical skill level of the wrestling team.

“We have a lot of varsity (members) from last year who are really helping out the new team, and a good amount of new members that are willing to put in the effort to be good at wrestling,” he said. “I’m confident in our team that we have the ability to wrestle against those teams (in the upper division). Our talent level is right up to par, if not better than, some of those schools.”

Barajas also stressed the importance of being not just a coach but a mentor, and how those two roles may clash at times.

“You want to be able to be the leader for them, but also for them to have an outlet where they feel comfortable talking about things that might be happening in their lives — not just wrestling,” he said.

Senior wrestler Amar Srivastava is surrounded by teammates during a match against Saratoga High School on Jan. 11.

The girls varsity soccer team celebrates their senior night during a game against Paly on Feb. 16. The game ended in a 1-1 tie.

Baseball player Ryan Barahona pitches the ball during a game against Fremont High School on April 14. Boys varsity baseball won the game 9-5.

On Nov. 20, the girls water polo team poses at the D-III CIF NorCal State Championship after winning first place.

Players fight for the rebound in the Paly vs. Gunn game held on Jan. 25. Gunn narrowly beat Paly with a score of 33-31, marking the first victory against the high school in 24 years.

Girls varsity track and field compete in a meet against Los Altos High School on March 2.

Softball player Kylie Liu hits a home run in the April 28 game against Paly. Gunn won with a score of 8-1.

Written by Jennifer Gao

The weather is growing frigid, but the friendly competition is heating up on the mats in the Gunn wrestling room.

This year, wrestling is coached by Eric Cramer, Ian Cramer, Blaze Lee, Dennis Chan and Glenn Smith, all Gunn alumni. All wrestlers can receive one-on-one coaching from these five coaches during each practice. “I really like our new coaching staff because there are a lot of them so they focus on everyone, rather than specific people, and they also teach you everything they know,” junior Kayla Lin said.

As the team has a title to defend, head coach Eric Cramer has high hopes for his team to succeed in tournaments and dual meets. “Most importantly, I want to see our team improve throughout the season and capitalize on our potential,” he said. “Everyone on the team has the ability to do well in the sport, and I want to help everybody get there.”

A typical practice consists of a 15-minute warm-up and 30 minutes of old drills, followed by new techniques and live wrestling at the end, according to senior Eric Wei. “After live we cool down and stretch, and then end with a few updates and inspirational words from our beloved coaches,” he said.

Senior Travis Haro advises athletes who are new to the sport of wrestling to go in with an open mind and have fun. “You’ll have a great time and will bond with everyone on the team,” he said. “No one ever gets on you if you lose or make a mistake; everyone always tries their best to bring you up or help you out so that you come back the next match better than before.”

According to Cramer, there are several team activities that bring the athletes closer together, such as playing games during warm-up, and doing a “primal yell” before a meet to help get them excited for their wrestling matches.

Although wrestling is an individual sport, Wei describes the team as a close-knit family. “Everyone eventually gets to know each other throughout the season, and through our special team bonding activities,” he said. “After we have a dual meet or tournament, we usually go out for pho and have a good time.”

The season has already begun, but it is not too late to join the wrestling team. “We will always welcome more teammates,” Cramer said. “If you even think for a second that you might be interested, you should come and try it out.”

The next stages of the season are the freshman/sophomore and girl’s varsity tournaments on Dec. 2, varsity boys and girls’ first competition on Dec. 9, and dual meet season beginning in January.

Playing a sport is a difficult task: the combination of physical exertion and time consumption can be a major commitment in the life of a student. However, some accomplish the incredible feat of participating in a sport for all three seasons during the school year. Senior  Andy Maltz is one such example—he plays football, wrestling and throwing for track and field at Gunn for all three athletic seasons.

While it can be difficult to balance sports and school, Maltz is grateful that he has multiple extracurricular activities going on at all times. “When it comes down to it, there’s no rest for the weary,” Maltz said. “It really helps with my time management because there’s all sorts of things you have to juggle.” With the combination of football, wrestling, and throwing taking up a majority of his time, Maltz has adapted his life to accommodate for his athletic time commitments.

Playing three sports would seem like it causes unwanted stress, but for Maltz it is just the opposite. After a long day of school, there’s nothing he enjoys more than throwing someone on the wrestling mat or making a tackle at football practice. “It’s almost relaxing to [do] the sports. At the end of school, you’ve gotten out of eight and a half hours of working, and it’s a chance to take a break,” Maltz said. In addition to loving the exercise, Maltz dedicates his time and effort to athletics for the camaraderie it fosters. “I have made a lot of my greatest friends at practice, and they are athletes as well, so we all enjoy being there,” Maltz said.

For athletes such as Maltz, sports plays a significant role in their lives. Many athletes only need to plan around practices for one season a year. However, Maltz is forced to learn valuable life skills due to the fact that he has three seasons of athletic work. For instance, Maltz believes that he owes his time management skills to his athletic ventures. Each day presents new challenges, but by balancing his time, Maltz is able to thrive. Maltz attends at least two hours of practice a day and still remains a dedicated student. Although being a triathlete isn’t easy, Maltz believes that every day he comes out stronger. Part of the reward for him is knowing that every time he is competing, he is improving. “It’s exquisite pressure, and under pressure you are able to do great things,” Maltz said. “Pressure forces you to balance all of this together at the same time.”

Coached by Chris Horpel, former Stanford varsity wrestling coach, the wrestling team has had an impressive season so far. The team is 4-2 overall in dual meets and 1-2 in league, with losses to Wilcox and Fremont.

Wrestling may be an individual sport, but all the competitors will be the first to say that they play a team game. “We are all like a family,” sophomore Emily Milner said. “Everyone is really close and supportive of each other.” Milner hopes to to qualify for CCS.

Successful in and out of league, the team has many rising stars with impressive records. In the Bianchini Invitational, junior Andrew Maltz won in his weight class, adding to his 11-2 overall record with a 6-0 undefeated league run.“I had my first varsity tournament ever, and ended up winning it, which was huge for me,” Maltz said. “It just really showed me what I have been doing for the past six years has amounted to something.”

Maltz’s goal for the season is to qualify for CCS and make it to the state competition. “My goal for the league is to just do my best and keep working as hard as I can and be the best that I can be,” Maltz said.

In the Girls’ Harbor Invitational, sophomore Romi Miller placed second in her class along with junior Natalie Jue. Sophomore Emily Milner and Miya Miller both received third place honors.

The next stages of the season are the CCS and league meets. “I hope that we have people who continue on,” Horpel said, “They have to qualify for CCS by placing 6th or better in league [out of 15 teams], and we have a pretty big girls’ squad. So overall, I think we will end up qualifying a good number [to] CCS.”