Eighth-grader Jameson Strickland is on the boys’ Northley Middle School wrestling team in Aston. She’s been wrestling since she was 7 and was often the only girl competing, writes Katherine Scott for 6abc.

These days, she does have company. There are three other girls on the Northley team.

“Women’s wrestling is the fastest growing sport in America,” said Tom Ellis, head wrestling coach at Sun Valley High School.

In January, Sun Valley was the 95^th school in Pennsylvania to approve girls wrestling as a sponsored sport.  

The school wanted to show the state and Delaware County that sanctioning girls’ wrestling was important to the girls, said Pat Rafferty, Penn Delco Athletic Director.

In February, Pennridge High School in Perkasie became the 100^th Pennsylvania school to add a girls’ wrestling team.

That meets the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association’s criteria to have the sport sanctioned in Pennsylvania. There’s hope that the PIAA will vote to sanction this spring.

That would give Strickland a shot at becoming state champion for her high school.

“I would love to make it to the states in Hershey just like the boys do,” said Strickland.

Read more about Jameson Strickland and the growing interest in girls wrestling at 6abc.