On Saturday, November 11, Highland High School hosted the inaugural Highland Girls Open, an all-female wrestling tournament. Griffith was one of the teams eligible to wrestle this year. Coach Sojka trusted his female wrestlers with their techniques and asked them to compete. The Griffith wrestlers who participated in the tournament were Grace Pinkleton, Paola Villarruel, and Aubrey Miller-Ramirez, all placing. Pinkleton and Miller-Ramirez took 2nd place in the tournament, with Pinkleton in the 100 lb weight class and Miller Ramirez in the 190 lb weight class. Villarruel took 1st place in the 120 lb weight class. The female wrestling team is an important mark for Griffith athletics.
In the history of Griffith Wrestling, there has never been an official girls wrestling team until this year. With Sojka as head coach, he looks to the past to help define the outcomes for the female wrestling team. “After years of creating history with our wrestling program through undefeated wrestlers, national champions, and people that coach at the college level wrestled for Griffith. We are now breaking another ceiling by having a girls team, not just girls wrestlers, but a team of girls for the first time ever, and that’s history,” Sojka said.
The female wrestlers on the team include Grace Pinkelton and Paola Villarruel, with newcomers Aubrey Miller-Ramirez, Rachel Sheline, and Madelynn Zematis. Miller-Ramirez gave her thoughts about wrestling in a male-dominant sport. “It’s definitely a lot different because you’re a female, and you’re in there practicing with males and everything, but I feel like it’s better to step out of your comfort zone,” she said. She also considered the program’s future and what it looks like moving forward. “It’s definitely exciting because we’re going to be one of the first ones to start a team at Griffith. It’s nice to have some girls in there with you when you’re with all the boys,” Miller-Ramirez said.
When Pinkerton was asked about the new team, she responded, “I’m really excited because we’ve always been looking for girls to wrestle, and we’ve been waiting for it. I know Coach Sojka was really happy to have a girls’ team, and it’s going to be fun!” She also advises other females looking to get involved with wrestling. “You should join it because it’s a really fun experience. You get to meet a lot of new people, and it’ll be great,” Pinkerton says.
Griffith High School boasts a rich wrestling legacy, with notable wrestlers like Angel Escobedo, Connor Cervantes, and several other state placers. The female wrestlers on the team have an opportunity to contribute to this legacy by becoming state qualifiers themselves, and adding their names to the long list of exceptional wrestlers who have represented Griffith.
