Get to know the Cumberland Valley girls wrestling team
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — Undefeated. Ranked 20th in America. 50 girls on the roster. The largest girls wrestling team in Pennsylvania.
Cumberland Valley (CV) Girls Wrestling is on fire and ready to dominate the sport not just locally but statewide.
鈥淓arly on when we did our first informational meeting, I said to the girls, 鈥業 am sure a lot of you are here for a variety of different reasons. It could be some of you love wrestling, want to get in the best shape of your life or even looking for a team, a sisterhood. Maybe you are here to gain self-confidence or learn self-defense. Regardless of your intentions, our team will have one goal to share together – and that is to win a state championship on March 12, 2023. That鈥檚 the journey we are on! And I believe that we can get all the rest of those desires on the way,鈥欌�� begins head coach and Colonel Ryan Seagreaves.
The momentum of this sport is absolutely electrifying.,鈥� first-year assistant coach, Rachele Dominick exclaims.
Girl’s wrestling is on the rise as one of the fastest-growing sports in both Pennsylvania and America. Last year as the girls went into the state tournament there were about 22 official school teams. This year the number of teams has almost quadrupled to 96 school teams. 鈥淲e only need 100 teams to put us over the threshold and into a PIAA-sanctioned sport. We are hoping for that to happen for 23-24 next season,鈥� explains Seagreaves.
Cumberland Valley is leading the way by taking the club in 2022 to a full-fledged official school-sponsored sport. The resources the school district has provided for the girl’s team make all the difference. 鈥淔rom day 1 as an official school sport there has been an incredible support. Basically, anything I ask for, the answer I always get, is yes. Mike Craig, Athletic Director at CV is committed to fully equipping the team. Having that type of backing has been incredible and has allowed us to focus on our goals,鈥� continues Seagreaves.
鈥淎dditionally, an astounding number of girls came out during the preseason and the interest in the sport only continues to grow, which is giving CV our power in numbers to achieve great things. Being an official school team this year gives us all of the accessibility and resources that we need: transportation, athletic trainers, funding, etc,鈥� agrees Dominick.
“Wrestling has improved both my physical and mental well-being,” explains CV senior, Kyra Rau. “It has put me on a standard daily schedule and has taught me how to be a healthier individual overall. I love learning all of the physical techniques of the sport. There鈥檚 so much to learn, and it really helps me grow not just as a wrestler, but as an athlete overall.”
The coaches knew they were onto something when they had voluntary practices and they would average 30 girls a night. 鈥淓ven when I thought there may be some significant attrition as workouts got harder and we started wrestling live – the opposite happened – we had more girls interested,鈥� Seagreaves added.
Overall, the team has been successful in large part because they have put in as much or more work as anybody in the pre-season. The coaches have tried really hard to give the girls the opportunity to train with voluntary 2 practices a week in the summer as well as 3 practices a week in the fall. With the season in full swing, the team practices 5 days. 鈥淲hen it was optional those girls showed up and did the work. If you practice for 8 months as opposed to 4 it鈥檚 inevitable that the person who did it for longer is probably going to be more skilled,鈥� explains Coach Seagreaves.
Eliana White-Vegaa junior at CV wrestles every chance she can get. “I love wrestling because it allows me to unleash a warrior inside me that we all were meant to develop. In life, we need to persevere and be strong and courageous, and wrestling is a sport where blood, sweat, and tears need to be poured in order to achieve high goals. I love that mental and physical push. I aim to glorify God through all I do. Every match, every practice, every plane flight, and every competition involves more and more people that could be reached by Him. So, through every win and every loss, all glory be to God. I aspire to win and to lose humbly knowing that I wrestle to let Him shine through me. Wrestling is just a gift to enjoy and to use as a means to show His impact in my life, and knowing that I have that as my purpose frees me to leave everything I have on the mat. I love the fire and the fight.”
The bottom line, 鈥淚f you have not seen these girls in action – you should check it out. They are a sight to see. They are pretty inspirational,鈥� the coach finishes.
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