Cassandra Gonzales has heard about the possible changes coming to girls wrestling in Minnesota for some time now. For the most part, the Apple Valley senior who wrestles in the 155-pound division — with three state titles already to her credit — supports anything that moved girls wrestling forward.

With one exception. She doesn’t want to give up training against the boys wrestlers.

The growth of girls wrestling in Minnesota, and across the nation, has been perhaps the biggest story in high school wrestling.

Minnesota’s high school wrestling state tournament, a big draw for amateur wrestling aficionados, expanded this year to four days rather than its traditional three-day format, to accommodate the growing numbers of girls wrestlers.

In October, the Minnesota State High School League voted to expand its girls wrestling tournament. By expanding it from four sections to eight, with two state qualifiers in each weight class, the number of participants grew from eight to 16.

When the MSHSL sanctioned girls high school wrestling for the 2021-22 season, the league noted 250 girls as participants. A few years later, Minnesota Women’s Wrestling, created to promote and support the sport, reported that 1,913 girls were wrestling at the high school level in Minnesota.

More than 200 girls qualified across 13 weight classes — 208 to be exact — for this year’s state meet, doubling the amount of qualifiers from 2025 and requiring the MSHSL to add a fourth day to the tournament.

“It’s amazing how fast this sport is growing,” Gonzales said. “I’m really grateful to so many girls that came before me, showing that girls can do this.”

The next logical step for the girls is a team competition. As it is, the girls state meet is strictly for individuals.

The interest is clearly there, but it will be at least two years before an MSHSL girls team tournament becomes a reality.

While the league has expressed its willingness to move girls team wrestling forward, it identified stumbling blocks that need to be rectified before a girls team tournament can become a sanctioned reality.

The MSHSL would like addressed the disparity between the number of programs that can fill a full 13-weight lineup. Less than a full lineup leads to forfeits, which can undermine a struggling program.

Often with small-school classifications, lacking a number of varsity-level athletes leads to frequent cooperative agreements between schools. The MSHSL does not have a set number of athletes to field a varsity program, but it does require significant interest be demonstrated to receive sanctioning.

Secondly, schools may have to figure out practices for a boys and girls team.

In wrestling, girls and boys often hold joint practices.

Separating boys and girls practices might have an adverse effect on the development of girls wrestling, as some girls say wrestling boys is the secret to improvement.

“When I was a freshman, I was wrestling guys all the time,” Gonzales said. “I practice with guys every single day. I think they push girls to get better. It lifts everybody up.”