OHSAA to Add Girls Wrestling, Boys Volleyball as Recognized Sports

This is the first step for these emerging sports to become fully sanctioned by the OHSAA.

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(Columbus, Oh.) – Two new sports will be added to a list of OHSAA recognized sports starting with the 2022-23 school year.

In a historic move Thursday, the Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors voted unanimously to add girls wrestling and boys volleyball as sanctioned sports under the emerging sports category.  

That means the two sports will be administered like the OHSAA’s current 26 recognized sports but will have additional requirements according to OHSAA General Sports Regulation that could lead to full sanctioning in the future.

“This move will help those sports continue to grow and allow those student-athletes to compete for an OHSAA state championship. It gives more kids opportunities and that is the mission of the OHSAA,” said Executive Director Doug Ute.

The Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association has been conducting a girls wrestling tournament since 2020, and the Ohio High School Boys Volleyball Association has been conducting its tournament since 1988.

Locally, Harrison High School wrestler Chloe Dearwester won the OHSWCA State Championship at 106 in February of 2021. She won the state championship by pinning all four of her opponents.

“We will look to keep a very similar format for the girls wrestling and boys volleyball tournaments as what the coaches associations have been doing,” Ute said. “The girls wrestling state tournament is held in mid-February and the boys volleyball state tournament is held in the spring.”

Regulations for the tournaments have yet to be developed, according to Ute.

In other news, the OHSAA has upgraded lacrosse from an emerging sport to full sanctioned. There will also be future discussions about recognizing Esports as an OHSAA recognized sport.

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