In 2021 Illinois became the 28th state to sanction girls wrestling as an official sport, with the IHSA formally introducing a girls wrestling postseason tournament.

EPHS’ Rose Craig joined the high school’s wrestling team as the sole girl on the squad in 2021, and through her hard work and development was able to make it to the Illinois girls state championship tournament in the 2022-23 season.

Now a senior and captain of the team, she holds a 7-0 record in the 2023-24 season as she and wrestling head coach Neil Posmer look to build another successful campaign.

2021-22 Season: Early Development

Rose joined the wrestling team in her sophomore year on what some, including herself, might label as an impulsive decision.

“I had a couple of people I talked to about maybe joining, and they gave me so much excitement that I just did it,” Rose said. “And once I started, I couldn’t stop.”

She says she was very nervous when she first joined, being the only girl on the team, but was eased in thanks to some of her male teammates who made it feel like home. Rose doesn’t consider herself a natural at the sport, noting she struggled at times during the season, especially when she first joined.

“There’s so much to this sport, it really is like an art form. So when you’re just starting off, you don’t know what to do,” Rose said.

However, she didn’t let this deter her thanks to her support system of family and friends who encouraged her to stick with wrestling and keep working hard.

During the season Rose had only about 12 matches, a low number considering there were 16 varsity meets in the season, with wrestlers often having the opportunity to compete multiple times during meets. Due to the youth of girls wrestling as an IHSA sport, her opponents were split evenly between girls and guys.

Although there isn’t an official record for her season, Rose claims it wasn’t very good, but she was able to gain experience and improve her skills.

2022-23 Season: Hard Work Pays Off

Her junior year was a much different story, however, with Rose finishing the 2022-23 regular season with a 13-3 record against other girls and a 16-5 record overall. She credits her coaches and teammates for her success, saying they were very patient with her as she learned the sport.

“I just had to give it time,” Rose said. “I kept going, I was consistent, I worked hard, and things just started clicking.”

Posmer, who leads the girl’s and boy’s wrestling programs at EPHS, also believes Rose’s success can be credited to her hard work as well as her coachability.

“She shows up and works hard every day, she does the things we ask her to do,” Posmer said. “She’s really easy to coach.”

Rose would continue her success in the postseason, defeating Madelyn Sears of Oak Forest and Khloe Heerdegen of Mundelein in the IHSA girls wrestling sectionals, finishing the meet fourth overall.

This placing secured her a spot in the Illinois girls wrestling state finals, becoming the first-ever female EPHS wrestler and first overall EPHS wrestler to qualify for state since 2018, when seniors Joey Giurini and Olsi Rama qualified.

“It was a big deal,” she said. “It felt awesome that I worked so hard and I had a spot.”

Although Rose wouldn’t secure a win for herself at the state finals, she still believes it was a great experience with her getting to see and interact with other great female wrestlers in person, and something she could build off for her senior season.

2023-24 Season: Final Quest for Glory

The 2023-24 girls wrestling season is already underway, with Rose currently sitting at 7-0 on the year, including a first-place finish in the135-pound weight class at Fenton’s Weiss Invitational on Dec. 2.

The wrestling season began on Nov. 21, shortly following the conclusion of Rose’s fall tennis season — a sport that some might see as directly contrasting with wrestling.

“It’s a little weird; it’s the definition of zero contact to 100% contact,” Rose said when asked about transitioning directly from tennis to wrestling.

Rose’s success from last season is seemingly rubbing off on other girls at the high school, with freshman Sky Vazquez stating Rose’s success inspired her to join the team this year.

“I was hesitant to wrestle this year because I didn’t want to be the only girl, so her being on the team gave me the confidence to join, but it has also given me someone I can look up to and aspire to be like,” Sky said.

However, Rose understands she needs to do even more work to fully put girls wrestling on the map at EPHS. She believes this can be done if she achieves the large expectations she has for the current season, hoping to do well enough to be able to reach nationals.

“I want to leave something behind,” Rose said. “I want more girls on the team. I want my name on a banner.”

Expectations — and Life After EPHS Wrestling

Posmer also has large expectations for Rose’s season.

“Get back down state, and then obviously look to place,” he said.

These expectations are further amplified with Rose being named captain of the combined girls and boys team for the season by the coaching staff.

“She shows up every day, she works extremely hard, is respected by her teammates and coaches, and she shows gratitude for the opportunity to compete and be part of the program,” Posmer said when asked why Rose was named captain.

While Rose has gotten an offer from Morton College in Cicero to pay for her education and housing if she joins their female wrestling team, she believes she will likely instead opt to attend a military school.

Even if this is Rose’s last season wrestling, her teammate Shawn Hanton, a junior, believes that the same determination that has earned Rose success in wrestling will translate to her overall future regardless of what she decides to do.

“[Rose] has toughness, mentally and physically; she doesn’t let anything get to her and keeps going after it,” Shawn said. “I think it’ll affect her future positively, because any problems, minor or major, won’t stop her.”