Oympic notes: Wrestling expansion spells opportunity for Colorado woman

IOWA CITY – No matter how many times she sees them, the Facebook posts never fail to delight Adeline Gray. Parents will explain how wrestling helped a young daughter gain confidence in school, or allowed her to find a niche that elevated her self-worth.

Gray, of Denver, is the current world champion in women's freestyle wrestling at 75 kilograms. At the Olympic trials, she will wrestle Sunday for a spot on the U.S. team that will compete in Rio this summer. After the 2012 London Games — the third to include women's wrestling — the number of Olympic weight classes was increased from four to six, with Gray's weight among those added for Rio.

According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association, the number of women wrestlers in U.S. high schools has grown from 804 in 1995 to 11,496 in 2015.

Gray said Friday she believes growth will continue, especially with visibility from expanded Olympic participation.

"The growth has been amazing,'' Gray said. "There are a lot of young girls trying out the sport and really falling in love with it. That's a right that women should have, and we should promote it more.

"More opportunities are going to put more girls on the mat. That's going to allow that dream to really grow."

Ali Bernard of New Ulm made the Olympic team in 2008 and 2012, but no Minnesota women are competing this weekend.

The group includes two No. 1 seeds in the Greco-Roman competition, Jordan Holm at 85 kg and Joe Rau at 98 kg.

Three other Greco-Roman competitors — Jake Clark (No. 3, 85 kg), John Wechter (No. 4, 98 kg) and Pat Smith (No. 4, 66 kg) — also will begin in the quarterfinals. Clark could open against unseeded Hayden Zillmer of Crosby, who wrestles No. 6 seed Lucas Sheridan in the first round.