The Indiana High School Athletic Association has officially sanctioned boys volleyball and girls wrestling as high school sports, marking the first new sports to be recognized in six years. Girls wrestling will join the winter sport slate, while boys volleyball will become a spring sport.
Both sports have worked hard for years to gain full recognition from the IHSAA. They were added to the Emerging Sport Process in 2022, where they held matches during their respective seasons. Now, with full recognition, both sports will have an IHSAA state tournament. Details about the tournaments will be announced in the coming months.
Boys volleyball has been hosting a state tournament since 1994 through the Indiana Boys Volleyball Coaches Association, while girls wrestling has been holding their own tournament for the past seven years thanks to the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association. Both sports have experienced significant growth during their time in the Emerging Sport Process, with over 1,400 wrestlers from 177 schools participating in girls wrestling and more than 100 schools participating in boys volleyball.
The addition of these two sports marks a commitment to inclusivity in high school athletics as they are co-ed and partnered with Special Olympics Indiana. Unified flag football was the last sport to gain recognition by the IHSAA back in 2018, while unified track and field was the only other sport to join in this century back in 2013.
