The Green Hope women’s wrestling team hit the mat and immediately made history rejecting stigmas and engaging in global competition. Their first season began with a win and a masterclass from the World Champion Ukrainian women’s team.
When Sienna Drumgo (’27) saw a flyer for the new Green Hope women’s wrestling team, it immediately intrigued her. Drumgo thought about how exciting it would be to have an outlet for her talents in karate and other martial arts. A few days later, she joined five other girls and Coach George Jenkins in establishing the first ever Green Hope women’s wrestling team.
The team started their pre-season workouts in the fall and have not stopped practicing since. Although they currently are a team of six, which is half of what they need for a full team, they anticipate to have a full team of 12 by next year’s season.
On Nov. 18, the team won their first ever match at Chapel Hill, making school history with a 30-12 win. The girls proved that despite being a new and upcoming team, they are ready to go against all odds.
Emily Jenkins (’25) states that she sees a fast moving progression within her teammates. “For instance [one of my teammates] started wrestling and she’s very academic [but] I feel like [wrestling] has really built her confidence,” Jenkins explains. She adds that in a rigorous academic environment like Green Hope, sports like wrestling are essential for helping students find the balance of mental and physical strength.
Their first win not only confirmed the anticipation of a successful season, but also reflected the current state of the team as a whole.
“There’s many girls that actually really want to do sports like [wrestling],” says Drumgo. “A lot of times it’s kind of overlooked in the sense that they only look at the guys or the boys teams, but I think it’s important to really look at both.”
The team is currently striving to work against this stigmatization of women in wrestling this season. With a women’s team, girls are able to try wrestling for the first time in a comfortable environment, full of other female athletes to support one another.
As the competition weekend progressed, the women’s wrestling team traveled to Greensboro College on Nov. 19 to experience a once in a lifetime opportunity. The team learned new skills and techniques through a masterclass with the Ukraine women’s wrestling team, who hold a World Championship title. As they were learning about the art of wrestling and contrasting dynamics, the masterclass revealed personal anecdotes from women in the professional league of wrestling.
The recent establishment of the women’s wrestling team has added to the diversity of Green Hope Athletics, with a bright future to come. The team continues to practice daily and attend matches.
“This journey is about changing views of girls in wrestling,” says a determined Coach Jenkins. “By sticking with it, I believe Green Hope will become a leader in the state.”
