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DMPS names Samantha Bush as head coach of district-wide DMPS girls wrestling program

cody goodwin, des moines register
·3 min read

Des Moines Public Schools will offer a single district-wide wrestling program for the inaugural high school girls wrestling season in 2022-23, and Samantha Bush, a former Grand View wrestler, has been tapped to be the coach.

DMPS announced Tuesday that all five high schools will combine for one team for this first wrestling season. The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union added girls wrestling as an official sport last January and will begin offering it this season.

"As a school district, we take pride in being able to offer extra-curricular and co-curricular opportunities that meet the growing needs of our talented and culturally-diverse student population," Jason Allen, director of district activities at DMPS, said in a release.

"The addition of high school girls wresting further supports our commitment to expand access and opportunities for our female athletes, honoring the legacy and spirit of women past and present during the 50th anniversary of Title IX."

Samantha Bush was named the head coach of the DMPS district-wide girls wrestling program.
Samantha Bush was named the head coach of the DMPS district-wide girls wrestling program.

Bush will serve as the head coach. The Utah native previously wrestled at MacMurray College in Illinois before transferring to Grand View ahead of the 2020-21 season.

Assistant coaches will be assigned to the Hoover-North program as well as East, Lincoln and Roosevelt, according to DMPS's announcement. Bush will rotate between each school to work with all wrestlers.

"I am hoping to build the team in a positive direction. Through hard work and dedication, I am hoping to build numbers and create a wrestling team that has success on and off the mat, including academics and their personal lives," Bush said in a release.

She added: "I believe that wrestling is a great sport for young women. It teaches responsibility, self-defense and it gives a sense of great self-confidence which I believe to be very important for young women everywhere."

► RELATED: 50 female athletes for 50 years of Title IX

DMPS is the latest school district to announce a combined girls wrestling program for the upcoming season.

In June, the Ankeny Community School District announced that both Ankeny and Centennial High Schools will have a single girls wrestling program this season, with Dustin Roland, the longtime wrestling coach at Des Moines Lincoln, as the head coach.

In July, James Biscoglia was named the head coach of the Raccoon River wrestling team, another consolidated program comprised of wrestlers from four different high schools: Waukee, Waukee Northwest, Van Meter and ADM.

Girls wrestling is among the country's fastest-growing sports. According to the National Federation of the State High School Associations, national participation has jumped considerably, from 21,124 total participants in 2018-19 to 31,654 in 2021-22.

Iowa's participation numbers have continually surged, from 188 total girl wrestlers in 2018-19 to 1,023 last season, per stats kept by Trackwrestling. The Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association has helped facilitate that statewide growth, and has hosted a girls wrestling state tournament each of the last four years. which is not affiliated with the IHSGAU.

► MORE: Major changes coming to 2022-23 Iowa high school wrestling postseason schedule

The first day of practice for the 2022-23 girls wrestling season is Monday, Oct. 31. The 2023 girls wrestling state championships is set for Feb. 2-3, a Thursday-Friday, at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

"We think there's a great foundation in place for the success of this sport and we intend to fully support these Iowa girls as they continue their pursuit of championships," IGHSAU executive director Jean Berger said in a statement when IGHSAU announced that it would formally add girls wrestling as an official sport.

"As the sanctioning process unfolded, the Board was able to quickly approve this new opportunity for our girls and schools across the state," Berger continued. "The increase in participation, the growth in youth wrestling and the willingness of our schools to commit to the sport all factored into this decision."

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Samantha Bush named coach of district-wide DMPS girls wrestling team