Hays High School participated in the first girls state wrestling tournament on Feb. 27 in Salina.

Freshman Sarah Zimmerman was representing HHS for state. This was a historic event to be attended, because this was the first year that the Kansas State High School Activities Association sanctioned girls wrestling as a sport and sponsored a state tournament for it.

The tournament marked the end of the girls wrestling season but the beginning for a new world of girls wrestling. Prior to this year, any girls participating in wrestling had to wrestle against boys, but this year, KSHSAA sanctioned girls wrestling to get more girls involved in the sport.

At state, Zimmerman finished sixth in her weight class due to a technicality with the rules. KSHSAA rules state that a wrestler is only allowed to wrestle five matches in a day. Zimmerman had already wrestled five, and the girl she was facing had wrestled four, automatically putting her a place behind her opponent.

“If they had changed state to a two-day tournament like the boys, that probably wouldn’t have happened,” Zimmerman said. “But, it was the first year, so there was bound to be some mistakes.”

Zimmerman is the first girl to go to state for wrestling in school history, and some believe she could have taken a higher place if she was not forced to forfeit. She has been wrestling since she was young for Hays Wrestling Club, and now, she gets to represent her high school.

“My whole family has done wrestling, and my parents thought it would be something good for me to do to toughen me up since I was so small in grade school, and I kind of got picked on for it,” Zimmerman.
23mtaggart@usd489.com