Madelyn Gallant signs letter of intent to wrestle for Pioneers
It seems fitting that Madelyn Gallant will be a Pioneer next school year. The Wadena-Deer Creek senior has been a pioneer for the WDC Wolverine Wrestling program and on Tuesday, the high school senior signed a letter of intent with the Northland Community and Technical College Pioneers to continue her wrestling career.
Gallant made history becoming the first women’s wrestler to commit to the new program. Northland will join Augsburg University as only the second women’s collegiate wrestling program in Minnesota. On April 10, Northland announced the formation of a women’s team to join their men’s team, which was brought back after a 43-year hiatus in 2013.
The National Junior College Athletic Association added Women’s Wrestling as an Emerging Sport in 2021-22 and held a National Invitational Tournament in conjunction with the Men’s Tournament this year. Women’s Wrestling has grown from 804 participants in 1994 to over 31,000 this year throughout the United States. In Minnesota, the MSHSL has sanctioned Girls Wrestling the past two seasons with participation rising from about 200 girls to over 500 this season.