Tiffani Baublitz

Staff Writer

Mia Macaluso is in her second season as the Head Assistant Coach for East Stroudsburg University’s women’s wrestling team and a former ESU standout athlete. She is also a multiple-time Collegiate National placewinner.

Coach Macaluso describes a time when women’s wrestling had little visibility. “When I was younger, the girls’ divisions were tiny,” she said. “Now young girls are hitting moves older athletes weren’t doing when I was their age. The younger generation is scary good, in the best way. I think it all began with girls showing up, even when they weren’t welcomed.”

Macaluso expressed gratitude for “the older generation of women pushed boundaries and made people realize we’re here to stay.” Macaluso said “they refused to settle for a spot in a boys’ room and instead fought to build their own space. Everything we have now comes from those women who kept showing up.”

According to data from Wrestle Like a Girl (2025), Until 2010, Hawaii and Texas were the only states with girls’ wrestling state championships recognized by a state high school executive association. This stands in contrast to the 46 states that now sanction the sport.

Macaluso credits the rapid growth of women’s wrestling to the pioneers who she said paved the way, “Just to name a few, Tricia Saunders is the first U.S. woman to win a world championship. Helen Maroulis is the first American woman to win Olympic gold. Adeline Gray is a six-time World Champion. These women carried the sport during years of limited visibility.”

She emphasized that these women were a part of a wider movement of women across the country fighting for opportunities. “When I was in high school, we only had a few role models,” Macaluso said. “Now, young girls can look up to entire teams of successful women. That can challenge what they believe is possible.”

Jade Huerta, Jr., is on the East Stroudsburg Women’s Wrestling Team. Before college, she never had a female coach. “I came from a high school where there were only male coaches; that’s pretty commonplace. It is nice having a female coach because it’s easy to connect with her.”

Macaluso is part of a broader wave of women stepping into coaching roles. Katie Kriebel, USA Wrestling’s Manager of Athlete Career Transition & Women’s Inclusion, recently published a list highlighting wrestlers transitioning from athlete to coach.

Macaluso said, “More women stepping into high-level coaching is great. Girls need to see women in leadership positions. Representation matters.”

According to The 2022 State of Women in College Sports published by the NCAA, “Women hold approximately 25% of all NCAA head coaching and athletics director positions and 30% of conference commissioner positions” (NCAA). These percentages are an 11% increase over five years. More women are stepping into coaching roles, but not at a proportional rate to their male counterparts.

NCAA. (2022, June 23). Title IX report shows gains in female participation, though rates lag increases by men. https://www.ncaa.org/news/2022/6/23/media-center-title-ix-report-shows-gains-in-female-participation-though-rates-lag-increases-by-men.aspx

Wrestle Like a Girl. (2025). State sanctioning report for girls high school wrestling. https://www.wrestlelikeagirl.org

Follow ESU Women’s Wrestling on Instagram- @esuwomenswrestling