Wrestling is growing in popularity for girls across the state. More schools are establishing teams, as the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) now recognizes it as a varsity sport in sections around New York.

Meredith Mills is captain of the girls varsity wrestling team in Saugerties, known as the Lady Sawyers.

“I had experience in like other sports and like conditioning and other things, like other sports that I’ve done in the past, but nothing was like this,” Mills said.

This is Mills’ second season wrestling but her first one on an all-girls team. The now-high school junior became interested in the sport after watching her sister and friend compete during her freshman year.

“I went to all their matches, and I was feeling left out,” Mills said.

Now, going to practice each day after school and competing in weekend tournaments, Mills couldn’t imagine life without the sport. She said the most important part is learning skills that can be used off the mat as well.

“You learn about discipline a lot, very much about like making weight, listening to your coach and doing stuff you don't want to do, and then also like just social skills,” Mills said.

This is the second year NYSPHSAA is recognizing girls wrestling as a sport.

“I’ve never really thought of it as just a boys sport. There wasn't a lot of girls who were doing it, but wrestlers are wrestlers, and if you're a wrestler, you're a wrestler,” Reid Kappler, coach of the Lady Sawyers, said.

Kappler has been wrestling since he was a little kid. When he heard a girls team was forming, he jumped at the opportunity to teach them what he grew up learning.

“You're going to learn ways to work through things that are tough. Life's tough, so might as well start learning now how to deal with that,” Kappler said.

Women’s wrestling is a fast-growing collegiate sport, so he said participating in high school can open doors for scholarships.

Mills’ sister moved on to wrestle at Utica. While she’s unsure about the future, Mills is considering following in her footsteps.

Regardless of a win or loss, Mills knows her team always has her back.

“I feel like we really support each other, and we understand what everybody's going through,” Mills said.

All 11 sections in New York have female wrestlers competing either as individuals or on teams.

NYSPHSAA is hosting its second girls wrestling invitational in January and will have its first state championship in February 2025.