From 15 to over 50 athletes—don’t worry, it’s not an exponential word problem, just Northwood’s fastest-growing sport: wrestling. Practically tripling in size over the past three years, wrestling’s on-the-mat success proves that with increased quantity, there can still be quality.
The team tied for second place in league with Woodbridge and won three duels, the most since Kyle Ennis took over as head coach three years ago.
The program also had multiple successful solo campaigns, including wrestling girls captain senior Anavai Swider, who went undefeated in league. She credits her success to a major program milestone: the creation of the first girls team at Northwood.
“Last year, I would drill either mainly with one girl because we were the only two, or I would be drilling with boys,” Swider said. “This year, there’s more girls to rotate through and practice with. It’s made a big difference whenever we go to tournaments, and we feel more like a team.”
Ennis mentions that the creation of an organized CIF regulation team has provided newfound identity and led to better results. This reflects a broader national trend, as girls wrestling has had a 60% increase in participation in the last year alone. According to The Associated Press, the number of girls wrestling in high school quintupled through last year.
“It’s really important that we teach girls how to defend themselves and show that they can participate in what’s traditionally known as a men’s sport,” Ennis said. “It’s time to give the girls some spotlight.”
The team has certainly shined, with 16 CIF qualifiers, three individual league champions along with standout moments like Northwood’s first duel win over University High School and freshman Sudo Vang’s impressive spladle pin.
Ennis credits much of the success and growth to word-of-mouth promotion between family and friends. However, the program’s expansion has also brought new challenges that the team has had to adjust to, such as limited gym space.
“It was perfect when I had 20, but now I have so many kids that some have to sit out while we wrestle, and we have to alternate kids in,” Ennis said. “They are talking about putting in an extra part of the gym, and I’m waiting to see what happens, but I think that having a grittier, smaller gym gives us that attitude. I don’t care where we are as long as we have a team and some mats to work on.”
In the future, Ennis plans to extend tryout days and summer camp training, hire former alumni as assistant coaches and potentially host Northwood’s first home tournaments. The team hopes that these efforts will support their continued growth and position them as a strong contender for future league titles.
“If you’re not going to put in the work, then don’t join the sport,” wrestling boys captain senior Michael Tran said. “But if you really put discipline and have the right mentality for working hard, then you will enjoy wrestling. It’s a life changer.”
