Ilwaco High School girls wrestling coach Frank Womack instructs sophomore Emily Morris, left, and freshman Abigail Doan in techniques during a recent practice. Nine high schoolers have turned out for the team, and the coach is enthused to build the program.

Frank Womack is as pleased as any coach can be as the season looms.

Ilwaco Girls Wrestling

Ilwaco Girls Wrestling

Dec. 2 Rainier

Dec. 8 Warrenton

Dec. 13 Astoria

Dec. 16 Aberdeen

Dec. 20 Hoquiam

Dec. 30 Puyallup

2024

Jan. 5-6 Kelso

Jan. 10 Home meet 4 p.m.

Jan. 13 Black Hills

Jan. 17 North Beach

Jan. 20 Fort Vancouver

Jan. 24 Winlock

Jan. 27 Home meet 8 a.m.

Jan. 3 TBA

Jan. 10 TBA

Postseason TBA

He is the head wrestling coach for the Ilwaco girls.

WIAA rules allow schools to compete as a team if they have eight or more student-athletes.

And Womack is busy tutoring nine.

The squad’s prospects include Bailey Womack and Abigail Doan, members of an enthusiastic freshman class that includes Kaylee Anderson, Ophelia Wise, Lyla Inskeep and Angel Salas.

Bailey Womack is the oldest of the coach’s three daughters; Sage Womack, a seventh grader, also demonstrates significant wrestling abilities and attends practices.

Older students on the squad are junior Keowah Iyall and sophomores Emily Morris and Emma Smith.

Iyall and Morris have family wrestling connections; Morris’s brother, Ryan, wrestled for a year at Ilwaco. “Emily has been showing pretty good promise in the mat room,” her coach said.

The squad will cover weights ranging from 105 pounds to 235, although most will compete in the lower divisions.

Womack is in his fifth year coaching, eager to use this year’s enthusiasm to build a program at Ilwaco.

“This is exactly what I have been pushing for,” he said.

Girls wrestling in Washington dates back years. At first, girls had to wrestle with boys, then WIAA established a state program featuring exhibition bouts before it began a separate competitive girls program in 2007. Ilwaco’s female wrestling pioneers included Kylee Lewis in 2006, Nakasha Custer, who placed fourth in 2010, and Raven Rogers, who placed seventh in 2013.

Just before the covid shutdown, Serena Kuhn advanced undefeated through regionals before going 1-2 at state in 2020. She and Aidyn Cohen, another former IHS wrestler who qualified to wrestle at that tourney, are assisting Womack with coaching.

While the boys are working to have perhaps a half-dozen athletes advance to state this year, Womack is realistic and taking time. “I am setting a different tempo for the girls, instead of going too intense too soon,” he said. “It’s early, but they are excited.”

The IHS girls’ schedule begins Dec. 2 at Rainier, with meets Dec. 8 at Warrenton and Dec. 13 at Astoria. It doesn’t entirely dovetail with the Ilwaco boys’ travels, except for three league meets in January and a couple of tournaments.

• The Hilltop Middle School wrestling program features 25 boys and five girls. It is coached by Matt McKinstry and Michael “Mikey” Rodda, a 2021 IHS graduate who placed fourth at state at 285 pounds in 2020.