Calling All Wrestlers! A New EU Team Is On The Scene

Photo by Ava Valderrama

Calling all female wrestlers, it is officially Elmhurst University’s first season with a girl’s wrestling team!

According to the head coach of the team, Andrew Demos, this season is not going to disappoint — with past state qualifier Veronica Cosio, high school champion Medina Kadic, and 13 other incredible wrestlers ready to hit the mat.

Although these ladies have yet to start competing, Demos wants them to be ready right out of the gate. “There’s not really any point in dodging the competition,” said Demos.

Having mixed experience levels and some natural athletes on the team, their first competition should be one for the ages. This brand-new team is now in the hands of past high school and college champion wrestler, twenty-five-year-old coach Demos.

Being a younger coach may seem like a disadvantage, but Demos has made it clear that being a younger individual is only a plus. Demos has a lot of love for the sport, seeing as his sister was a wrestler herself.

However, Demos had his own wrestling dreams, which he achieved as a state qualifier at Warren Township High School while moving up in the ranks with the University of Nebraska to become National Champions.

After this, he spent two years coaching and sending off state qualifiers and national champions at North Central College.

With all this experience, he came to Elmhurst University and is ready to lead this season’s wrestlers to victory.

From being able to keep up with his athletes on the mat, to keeping up with the other coaches in the conference room, Demos knows it’s not all about wrestling, and he has every plan to keep this team on track.

According to Demos, many schools in the CCIW (College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) are bringing female representation into the sport, starting their own girl’s wrestling teams, and preparing them to go against our very own Bluejays.

Cosio and Kadic both know champions don’t happen overnight, there’s training over many long days and nights and they are ready to put in the work to get to the top. This team means everything to the women on it, this isn’t just wrestling to them. This is a family that they are working very hard to make together.

Having already made history at their schools in the past, they want to continue making a name for themselves at Elmhurst. However, dreams like those don’t come without certain anxieties.

Both wrestlers have worries about coming to a school that doesn’t already have an established women’s wrestling team. Knowing that the male wrestlers haven’t shared their space with women before has struck up some concerns.

Cosio and Kadic know that they are all here for the same thing, to wrestle. But that doesn’t mean respect goes without saying, which is one of the biggest concerns for them. Specifically everyday challenges they deal with as women on the mat. What happens when a girl gets her period mid-match?

Another concern is discrimination from the men who can sometimes forget that women are indeed very different from them, emotionally and physically.

“I don’t want the girls to get discouraged and leave,” Kadic says after discussing the mental and physical toll that wrestling can take on a woman’s body and how male wrestlers can sometimes forget that.

While the actual sport of wrestling is the same, there are huge differences between women and men in wrestling. Being on an all-girls team has brought some excitement into their lives, such as having the opportunity to wrestle comfortably without being concerned about immense strength and size differences.

Cosio and Kadic have advice for any girls who might be interested in joining the team: just do it!

“Never second guess yourself,” Cosio says, assuring potential wrestlers that everyone starts somewhere.

Although their season starts later this winter; the team will start hitting the mat this October. Anyone with wrestling on their mind should reach out to Coach Demos, who emphasizes that the team is flexible, inclusive, and willing to work with anyone to help balance schedules.