Stoughton High School’s wrestling team has been one of the most prestigious programs in all of SHS sports. Having the state record of 55 individual state champions, 169 individual place winners, and even two Olympians, wrestling has long been a key part of SHS’s sports identity, with both boys and girls stepping onto the mat to represent the school. While womens wrestling has recently gained broader recognition through the rise of professional leagues, Japan was the first country to initiate an “All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling” in 1980. It then later started to get international recognition with the first World Championships in 1987, and it was not until 2004 that it first debuted in the Athens Olympics in the freestyle category. By late 2010, dozens of U.S. states had sanctioned a girls wrestling team as an official high school sport. Although some may say it has progressed slowly, the SHS wrestling team will officially endorse a girls wrestling team for the next 25-26 season.
SHS wrestling has seen steady growth in female participation over the years. Three years ago, only one girl was on the team. By last year, that number grew to three. This year marks a milestone, with 10 girls signed up for the 2024-25 season. For the first time, SHS can create a dedicated girls wrestling schedule and host events for female wrestlers.
SHS wrestling Head Coach Dan Spilde has been coaching wrestling for 31 years. With the help of others, they are trying to make the girls team more separated rather than combined. “It is developing into a separate team and starting next year, there will be girls duels within our conference to make girls conference champion; there will also be a girls wrestling postseason,” said Spilde.
As we move forward and embrace new transitions, the upcoming new team will have enough girls to start practicing, and there will be an actual coaching staff specifically geared towards girl events. For now, three former SHS wrestlers played a key role in helping to establish the girls wrestling program. These alumni include Claire Spilde, Rose Ann Marshall, and Reese Koepke—each an accomplished athlete who brought distinction to the team during their time at SHS and who were also highly decorated wrestlers. Even though their free time was limited because of college, they still brought the foundations for the girls.
“For the past years, all girls have been seniors. I think the most exciting thing is that there are now underclassmen, and we hope they have a great experience,” Spilde said.
SHS senior Autumn Bonti is a first-year wrestler who wanted to try out a new experience during her last year as an SHS student. “My freshman self would have exploded if I told her I was doing wrestling. It was never on my radar. I didn’t know anything about it,” Bonti said.
This year’s wrestling team includes many new seniors, providing them with the opportunity to have unique experiences and create lasting memories before they graduate.
“The physical demand is pretty hard, but for me, it’s mostly the mental game. I haven’t tried a new sport in a while, and I’ve forgotten how frustrating it can be when you’re at the bottom of the team. You have to learn to keep a cool head while getting slammed on the floor,” Bonti said.
At the Stoughton Invitational on Dec. 7, the girls put up a close fight for their first-ever meet as an almost official team. Freshman Kylee Soderling won first place and went undefeated in all three rounds. Senior Brianna Woelke and freshman Mikayla Weesner placed second. Freshmen Abigail Izaguirre and Malia Becker both placed 3rd at the invitational.
“Getting out of your comfort zone brings experiences and opportunities. It’s ok to be afraid; it’s just not ok to let that stop you from exploring your potential,” Bonti said.