Following the success of the Great Bend High School girls wrestling team that was runner-up for the first state championship trophy in February, the USD 428 Board of Education voted Monday to approve girls wrestling as an official sport at the middle school level for the 2020-2021 school year.

Superintendent Khris Thexton said other schools in the Western Athletic Conference, including Liberal, Dodge City and Garden City, are following suit. Last year, the Kansas High School Activities Association approved girls wrestling as the 23rd sanctioned championship sport in Kansas. Great Bend came within four points of winning the state tournament.

Middle school wrestling continued as a mixed team sport, until now. GBHS coaches hope a middle school team will feed the high school team for continued growth.

“There was a lot of interest at the middle school level to start a program,” Thexton said.

Great Bend High School had over 30 girls start the last wrestling season and a survey of students showed similar interest at GBMS. As many as forty girls might sign up, he suggested.

The sport will coincide with the middle school boys basketball season, and boys wrestling will coincide with the girls basketball season, which means middle school girls will no longer have to choose between wrestling and basketball.