OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — After years of work, it finally culminated Friday.
High school girls, who in the past were wrestling unsanctioned or against boys, competed in their own bracket at state, with thousands watching in the stands.
“It’s overwhelming watching the crowd having thousands of people watching us,” said Diana Cervantes, a senior at West Point-Beemer.
Cervantes has been looking to compete at state since middle school. In 2018, she told 3 News Now of her dreams to make it to, and win, matches at state.
Friday she experienced it, pinning her opponent in her first match.
“Down here I looked up everybody is looking at us, a lot of girls are looking up because they’re making history here, it’s so different compared to everything I've ever been to, it’s crazy,” said Cervantes.
Her coach, Ray Maxwell, has been pushing for girls to compete next to the boys for a while now.
“It took five years to get the thing sold, but we got sold. We're here now so it’s exactly what we wanted,” said Maxwell.
While the venue and crowd may create nerves for some of the girls, Maxwell is happy the 144 girls wrestlers across Nebraska get to experience the emotion of the event.
“To get into this venue to see all these people, to see this type of audience, it’s just, it’s a rush,” said Maxwell.
For the Nebraska School Activities Association, the move to a girls-only bracket at state was eventually inevitable, as Nebraska is the 33rd state to sanction girls wrestling.
NSAA Associate Director Ron Higdon believes the packed stands watching the girls will help fuel even more growth in the sport.
“I promise that there are some girls in the stands right now that are like oh yeah, I want to do this, I want to be here next year,” said Higdon.
