A look at Talawanda’s growing wrestling program
Wrestling has become one of the fastest growing sports in recent years. Talawanda High School has joined this recent growth, with this past season seeing high participation from both boys and girls.
On Jan. 17, the NCAA officially added women’s wrestling as the 91st championship sport in the organization. The first NCAA women’s wrestling championship is scheduled for 2026.
Wrestling overall has seen increased participation at both the collegiate and high school levels in recent years. The US Wrestling Foundation reported that more than 350,000 high school wrestlers participated in 2023, the most since 1976. This included a 25% increase in boys’ wrestling and a 102% increase in girls’ wrestling, according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
Talawanda High School has also joined the recent popularity in wrestling. This past season, the Brave saw high participation from boys and girls.
Andrew Merrell, the head coach of the Talawanda wrestling team, said the growth of girls’ wrestling is a good sign and anticipates a higher level of competition in the next few seasons.
“It’s getting so much harder now because it’s growing so fast,” Merrell said. “At a state tournament, you might have had 100 girls a couple years ago. Now, you have close to 1,000 girls going to those tournaments. Even at the youth level, my daughter went to the state [tournament] this year at the youth level, and I couldn’t tell you how many girls there were. It was a packed house.”
Merrell wrestled in high school. He coached other sports after graduating, but he eventually returned to wrestling because of the impact it had on his life.
“Getting back into wrestling was always a priority of mine,” Merrell said. “I dabbled with coaching football, [and] I always enjoyed playing football, but wrestling was my favorite to be involved with. There’s just no better sport to really find out who you are.”
Merrell moved with his family to Oxford during the COVID pandemic. When his daughter started wrestling at the youth level, he walked into the Talawanda Middle School gymnasium to see between 50-60 kids participating. At the time, he didn’t think anything of it.
When he learned this participation was nearly double compared to five years prior, he realized just how much more interest there is in Oxford now.
“All these kids here, they’re going to be in high school one day,” Merrell said. “Even if the retention rate is half, you’re still looking at 30 kids at the high school level per grade, which is nuts.”
During his first year coaching the Brave, Merrell saw kids join with no prior experience and become serious competitors at the state level. He said growth and development are his primary focuses as a coach.
Last year’s roster featured 21 boys and three girls, including Mili Malohn, a rising sophomore. As a freshman, she joined Mikaela Lema at the OHSAA District Tournament as the girls’ representative for the Brave.
Over the summer, Mili competed in the U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals wrestling tournament in Fargo, North Dakota. Going into her second year at Talawanda, she will serve as a team captain.
She said the best way to recruit new wrestlers is to convince people to try an open mat practice or give it a shot to see if it’s for them.
“I’ve heard lots of girls want to come and at least try it a little bit, see if there’s an open mat,” Mili said. “We try our best, [and] I’m gonna tell my teammates to try and find more wrestlers as we try and grow. Girls’ wrestling is definitely one of the fastest-growing sports.”
Mili will also be joined by her mother, Morgan, who will enter her first year as an assistant coach for the Brave.
Morgan said one deterrent for many potential girl wrestlers is that they’re worried they will have to wrestle against boys, like they did in middle school. At the high school level, however, Morgan said girls only wrestle other girls. She said more people knowing that has led to a growth in attendance at all age levels.
Despite the boys and girls practicing and competing separately, Morgan said everyone is supportive of each other and keeps up with the other side’s events and standings.
“They do great,” Morgan said. “They tell each other how their meets went. They go back and forth a little bit, but they also are encouraging each other. The boys do great, the girls do great, and it’s one big team. Yes, we’re separate, we go to different events, but really we’re one team, and everybody sees it that way.”
With the expansion and growth of the middle school and high school wrestling programs, Merrell created a petition this spring explaining the need for a proper wrestling facility at Talawanda.
The high school wrestling teams currently practice at the field house. Merrell said the petition was less about urging the school board to build a new facility immediately, but more about showcasing to the community how much involvement there is in wrestling.
“Would it be great to have a dedicated facility? Absolutely,” Merrell said. “Do we need it right now? No. I am just thrilled to see the support that we got towards growing, and it’s definitely going to be there in the future as far as our growth and our numbers. I love that we’re being recognized now as a team that is growing.”
While a new facility may be far down the road, Merrell said the program will continue to grow at each age level, and he appreciates the support shown by the school board and the Oxford community.
The wrestling season begins in November. The roster seems to grow more and more each year, and Mili said she’s ready to see the new girls on the team and to begin her trek towards the state tournament next spring.
“I’m ready for the middle schoolers to come in so I can wrestle them and see how much better they’ve gotten,” Mili said. “I’m also excited for more girls to come in. If we can recruit some more, that’d be awesome … I want to see how much better I’ve gotten because I know I can get myself to states this year and really show up for Talawanda.”
