Watch: Girl wrestler becomes 1st to win Arizona state championship against boys

Arizona high school wrestler Audrey Jimenez become the first girl to win an Arizona state title against boys, and then followed with a Pan-Am medal.

A senior high school wrestler in Tucson, Arizona, made history last week as she became the first girl to win the state’s top title while competing against boys.

Audrey Jimenez of Sunnyside High School (Tucson, Ariz.) won the Division I title at 106 pounds against male competitors, defeating four opponents to help the team win its seventh straight boys’ team championship.

Jimenez, who won three straight girls individual championships, filed an appeal with the Arizona Interscholastic Association to wrestle on the boys side this year. She and Everest Leydecker of Desert Vista (Phoenix) were given the go-ahead to compete against boys.

“For me, wrestling against the boys is going to test me a little bit more,” Jimenez told the Arizona Republic in December. “Either way, wrestling against the boys or the girls, I’m happy to represent Sunnyside.”

See highlights of her victory here:

According to FloWrestling, Sunnyside won with 312 points and had 13 total placers, eight of whom were champions.

Just days later, she was back on the mat in the Pan-American Championships, securing third place against Canadian Katie Dutchak.

It was a remarkable way to tie a bow on a dynamic high school wrestling career. Jimenez, a top wrestling recruit, could have graduated early but chose to stay for her senior season in hopes of competing in the boys division, according to FloWrestling. Her decision and hard work paid off.

2 new high school championship girls sports sanctioned in Alabama

The girls flag football season will feature two championship games at Bryant-Denny Stadium on December 6.

While the NFL remains the most popular thing in the country, the industry’s most significant growth is in youth sports and women’s sports.

We got more evidence of that growth this week when the state of Alabama officially approved two new championship sports for high school girls: Flag Football and Wrestling, per Pat Byington at Bama Buzz.

In a statement, the Alabama High School Athletic Association Executive Director Alvin Briggs called it great news.

“This is great news for our girls’ student-athletes… growth we have seen in both sports has been amazing in a very short time.”

Seventy-six schools across the state have approved girls wrestling, and 89 are putting together girls flag football teams. The 2023 Alabama high school girls flag football season will feature two championship games at Bryant-Denny Stadium on December 6.

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Girls wrestling approved as high school sport in Pennsylvania

The PIAA has officially approved the sport, with the inaugural season set for the 2023-2024 winter schedule.

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) has officially approved girls high school wrestling in the state, with the inaugural season set for the 2023-2024 winter sports schedule.

It’s the 38th state to sanction the sport, with neighboring New York making headlines in 2022 as the most recent to join the growing list.

California, North Carolina, Colorado, Arizona, Florida and Georgia are among the other notable states that have officially recognized girls wrestling.

Lenape’s Isabella Prem controls West Deptford’s Jaden Bennett during the 145 lb. final bout of the South Region girls wrestling tournament held at Williamstown High School on Sunday, February 19, 2023. (USA TODAY Network)

The decision by the PIAA goes into effect on July 1, with the state championship slated for March 2024 at the Giant Center (Hershey, Pennsylvania), which coincides with the boys championship.