Union's Riley Aamold rebounded from a loss to place third at last year's Mat Classic. Her pin in her final match clinched the state title for the Titans. (Samuel Wilson/for the Columbian)Photo Gallery
For Nevaeh Cassidy, the change in the Union wrestling room was subtle but noticeable.
To be clear, the girls on the Titans team had always felt welcomed by their male counterparts.
But after earning the first team state championship in Union wrestling history, Cassidy and her teammates felt a new level of respect.
It’s the kind of respect that has nothing to do with gender. It’s the type that is only earned by rising to excellence among your peers.
“We’ve definitely had to earn our place,” Cassidy said. “We’re the first champions overall, so the boys have a lot of respect for us. But we’ve definitely had to earn that.”
Girls wrestling has grown rapidly since becoming a WIAA sanctioned sport.
At Mat Classic in 2007, the first girls tournament had 72 wrestlers across nine weight classes. This year’s Mat Classic state championships will involve 224 athletes across 14 classes.
That has mirrored growth in girls wrestling nationally. According to USA Wrestling, the number of girls competing in high school has grown from 804 in 1994 to 16,562 in 2018. Fifteen states now sponsor girls championships.
There are currently 46 collegiate women’s wrestling programs in the nation with another 14 to be added within the next two years.
Girls wrestling has been vibrant in Southwest Washington with four individuals winning state titles last year. But no local girls team had won the state title, though Washougal, Kelso and the previous year’s Union team had all placed second.
So when Riley Aamold was told Union would clinch the state title if she won her 125-pound third-place match, she got a surge of adrenaline.
“I went out there and just focused on doing it for the team,” she said.
Aamold won that match by pin. It was part of a stellar tournament for the Titans that saw two wrestlers win state titles, two finish third and one place sixth.
Now Cassidy, a senior, and Aamold, a junior, are aiming to keep Union among the state’s elite girls programs.
That starts with supporting each of the 14 girls on Union’s roster.
“On the first day this year, I told all the new girls that we’re a family here,” said Cassidy, who placed third in the state at 155 pounds. “We’re going to take care of you like you’re my little sisters.”
That support involves encouragement when a workout is tough or a task becomes intimidating.
It extends off the mat, as well. The team often attends school functions together. Many of Cassidy’s teammates gathered at her house for “Friendsgiving” last month.
“We’re going to stick together and have each other’s backs,” Cassidy said. “Being in a male-dominated sport, it can be threatening. But that’s what I’m trying to teach these girls. We’re just as strong. We’re just as good. And I’m going to be here to support you.”
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