Girls wrestling is the most recent addition to the Warren Hills Wrestling tradition, which has been ongoing for years.
Girls wrestling has been a part of the Warren Hills wrestling tradition for eight years and the numbers have been growing each season.
According to the United States Wrestling Foundation, “ Girls participation continues to be the fastest growing girls high school sport.” Warren Hills is contributing to that growth, with eight female wrestlers rostered for the 2024-2025 season.
In 2022, Coach Micheal Arminio was named the official head coach of girls wrestling at Warren Hills. Previously, he was the boys assistant coach for 13 years.
When asked why he decided to coach the girls, Arminio said, “ I never planned on a girls team, girls just started joining.”
Last year there Nick Gorab was a new assistant coach for the boys wrestling team, but made the shift to the girls team for the 2024-2025 season.
His reasonings for making the switch was that there’s a unique chance to build something special and there are many firsts still striving for, such as first girls state champion at Warren Hills.
Through the years many girls have gone through the program, but one athlete really stood out to the coaches: 2022 grad Katrina Kling.
One of the earliest female wrestlers at Warren Hills, there was not yet a separate girls team when she participated.
Kling is a memorable female wrestler to the coaches. “ She made me realize girls are out there that take it seriously,” said Arminio about Kling.
Gorab says, “ When I wrestled for the Blue Streaks we had Katrina Kling in the room. She was one of the hardest workers I’ve seen, and she played a key role in sparking girls’ wrestling in the building.”
Kling showed that females can have a great work ethic and be able to do amazing things in a male dominated sport. She was a two time state finalist.
When asked if much has changed in wrestling since he graduated from Warren Hills in 2003, Arminio said that there is more awareness of the girls aspect of the sport now. When asked the same question, Gorab said “ Warren Hills has a proud tradition that is deeply rooted in the school and the community, that hasn’t changed.”
Arminio and Gorab both say that they’re very excited with the 2024 season and it all starts with hard work, dedication, and the amount of girls on the team.
Arminio said he is most excited “To see our young team develop.” While Gorab said, “The Blue Streaks have a rich history in wrestling, but there are so many firsts we’re striving for. Individually, we have never had a girls state champion, and girls wrestling is still growing, but if the opportunity arises, I’d love to see our team have great success.”
This year the team may be smaller than in previous years, but the girls are very hard working and are capable of a lot more than some people think.
Because many people are unaware that Warren Hills has a girls wrestling team, they have worked hard to get the word out there to broaden their fanbase.
Tradition is a word that is used when talking about Warren Hills sports–especially wrestling. Girls wrestling is an addition to the tradition that the school needed.