Girls make wrestling debut at Nebraska-Maine Exchange in Grand Island

GRAND ISLAND, Neb. (KSNB) – The annual Nebraska-Maine Wrestling Exchange is over 40 years old, but this year featured girls wrestlers for the very first time.

Northwest High School hosted the inaugural event, which had 16 total bouts, featuring local athletes from Kearney, Northwest, Grand Island, Lexington, Adams Central and other area schools.

The wrestlers selected to compete included state medalists, as well as state champions, such as Johnson County Central’s Jocelyn Prado, Adams Central’s Kayden Sipp and Grand Island’s Anyia Roberts.

Organizers said the event finally coming to fruition is a testament to the growth and popularity of girls wrestling.

“It’s exploding, this is Nebraska’s fourth year of being sanctioned. Maine is going into their second year, they don’t have the numbers yet that we do, but it’s growing. A lot of these girls have wrestled all over the Midwest, all over the country, in national tournaments, so it is exploding everywhere,” said Jeff Paige, Northwest girls wrestling coach.

When all was said and done, Nebraska was the winner of the first-ever girls wrestling exhibition, topping Maine 49-24.

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