Wrestle Like a Girl

By Barbara A. Preston | Posted January 26, 2023

Did you know that women’s wrestling is one of the fastest-growing sports at the scholastic and collegiate levels throughout the United States? Well it is, according to Christopher Manente of Belle Mead.

Montgomery wrestlers. Back row, from left: Lucy Li, and Callie Chudy. Front row, from left: Ellie Li, Audrey Andes, Quinn Manente, and Camille Peggott at a recent all-girls match in North Hunterdon.

“Last year the Montgomery Youth Wrestling team began promoting our team as inclusive and welcoming for female athletes,” Manente says, noting that his seven-year-old daughter, Quinn, was the first girl to join. “I am pleased to report that we now have seven girls on our team, ranging in age from six to 11 years old.” Manente is the founding executive director of the Rutgers Center for Adult Autism Services.

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Wrestling clinic for girls

Montgomery Youth Wrestling is sponsoring an all-girls youth wrestling clinic on Wednesday, February 8 at the Upper Middle School from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. Julia Salata, a women’s national champion wrestler and director of operations for Princeton University Wrestling, will facilitate the clinic. Salata is an advocate of women’s wrestling, and serves as a leader of Wrestle Like a Girl, an organization that provides opportunities for women in the sport. Girls from Montgomery and surrounding towns (Hopewell, Princeton, Hillsborough) are invited to the clinic. “We are hoping to get the word out to more girls who might be interested in joining our team,” Manente says. “We are working to ensure that our wrestling team is a welcoming place for every athlete that wants to participate.”

Email Manente at cmane001@scarletmail.rutgers.edu for more information.