West High’s girls wrestling team became officially sanctioned in 2022, marking a significant milestone for the school. This effort was spearheaded by Kody Pujil, Earth and Space teacher and Assistant Boys Wrestling Coach, who initially sought to establish a program in the summer of 2019.

Pujil’s journey began by gauging interest from students; in the fall of 2019, he distributed a survey to the student body, and following that, he held an informational meeting with the girls who expressed interest.

“In the winter of 2019, we started with 23 girls.  By the end of the season, we still had 19-20 girls on the roster,” Pujil said. “They competed at the unofficial state tournament with Mami Selamani ’20 placing second and Salima Omari ’20 winning a state title.  This group of girls was the first wrestling team in West High history. However, since the sport was unsanctioned, their records are not counted.” 

To officially sanction the sport in Iowa, the IGHSAU set certain requirements.

“Individual districts had to establish a girl’s program, show funding for the program, commitment of coaches, show they had uniforms and practice space.  Once this number was reached, then the state sanctioned girl’s wrestling.  This was a multi-year effort by a lot of committed individuals,” Pujil said.

To Pujil, the impact of girls wrestling has been profound, providing opportunities that weren’t available before.

“Girls’ wrestling gave an entire population of students a chance to learn, compete and succeed in something that they never had true access to before.  After our first unofficial season, two of the wrestlers earned full-ride scholarships to compete in wrestling,” he said. 

Looking back on how far the program has come, Pujil expressed pride in the rapid growth of the sport.

“It is amazing to see where girls wrestling is now and where it came from in five years: from an unofficial state tournament, becoming the fastest growing sport and now already having to split into two classes.  I would really like to see the program at West High continue to grow and more girls take the chance to give it a try.” Pujil said.

Since West High officially established the girls wrestling program, participation has increased. This season, the team’s roster is dominated by freshmen, a shift Mettenburg credits to the foundation laid at Northwest.

“Like over half the team is freshmen, and that is not a product of me or my assistant coaches. That’s a product of what they did last year at Northwest,” he said.

Mettenburg is in his first year as head coach after Elijah Sullivan stepped down last year. While he had hoped for a woman to take on the role, he was willing to take on the responsibility, recognizing the importance of building a solid program for the girls.

“I really care about the team and I would love to see West have, like, a really good girls wrestling program and be perennial competitors at the state tournament, and just be a solid program,” Mettenburg said.

The growth of girls wrestling in Iowa has been dramatic in recent years, with an increasing number of teams and wrestlers joining each season.

Previously, West struggled to fill its entire varsity roster. However, now, although the team still lacks wrestlers in the lightest weight classes like 100 lbs, the varsity lineup is nearly full, and a JV team has been established to provide further opportunities for growth.

During the first year of the program, the team was already showing promise. Jannell Avila ’23 emerged as a standout competitor, making it to the state tournament and competing in the finals match during her first year on the team. Her success didn’t stop there — Avila went on to wrestle at Baker University, continuing her wrestling career at the collegiate level.

Her early success and leadership left a lasting mark on the program.

“She’s kind of like that North Star for our program. We have a team handbook, and her pictures are on it, at the podium. She’s great because our first year, all of a sudden, now all the girls have a bar that they’re reaching for. When you have that model in your school, you think it’s more attainable, like that’s something I can do. So her legend lives on,” Mettenburg said.

In the second year of the program, West saw even more success on the mat. Trinity Myers ’25, Helen Orszula ’24 and and Peyten Van Dyke ’27 all qualified for the state wrestling tournament, building on the momentum from the team’s first year. That same year, Northwest introduced its own girls wrestling team, which has had a noticeable impact on the high school program.

One of the athletes benefiting from that pipeline is Noah Overholt ’28, who wrestled at Northwest before joining West’s team. Overholt has already made a strong impression this season, quickly becoming one of the team’s top performers.

She has worked her way from the JV roster to varsity after showcasing impressive dedication. Overholt has the third-most takedowns on the team, and her relentless work ethic has earned her a spot on the varsity roster at 125 lbs.

“She’s such a hard worker. She’s at every practice, and she never misses one,” Mettenburg said.

When reflecting on her success, Overholt credits the program at Northwest for helping her build a foundation.

“At Northwest, obviously they don’t teach everything in detail but they teach the important things to a degree that’ll work,” Overholt said.

As the high school program continues to grow, girls wrestling in Iowa is quickly gaining momentum and making history. This year marks the third year that high school girls wrestling has been officially sanctioned as a sport in the state, and for the first time, it is split into two classes. Iowa now boasts 162 programs representing girls wrestling, a significant milestone that reflects the rapid growth of the sport.

West High’s Myers competed at the state tournament for the second year in a row, finishing with a 1-2 record. She wrestled the final match of her high school career at the tournament. Although Myers may not have made it to the finals, there is a bright future ahead for the girls’ wrestling program at West High, as young athletes like her continue to pave the way for success.