RIO DE JANIERO — Of the four female wrestlers representing the USA here, none attended a high school with a dedicated girls’ team. Only two wrestled on a women’s team in college.
The remaining pair, Elena Pirozhkova and Adeline Gray, went directly from high school into the sport’s senior circuit, attending college on the side — Pirozhkova at Pikes Peak Community College, Gray at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs and DeVry University.
According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, just 28 NCAA schools sponsor a women’s wrestling program; in comparison, 350 schools have a men’s program.
So largely unlike their male counterparts, it’s been a difficult road to these Olympic Games.