Wrestling is often seen as one of the most demanding sports, requiring discipline, grit, and unwavering commitment. At CHS, senior Caroline Collins has exemplified all three, becoming the first female wrestler in CHS history to earn a college scholarship to continue both her academic and athletic career.
Caroline was introduced to wrestling by her father and younger brother. Inspired by their passion and encouragement, she developed her own interest and drive for the sport throughout her high school years.
“My brother did wrestling at the local kids club, and my dad had done wrestling in high school, so I started practicing with the kids club,” Collins said. “Eventually, when I got to high school, I joined that team and was on varsity from there on.”
Junior Joe Iredell, one of Caroline’s teammates, admires her for her relentless work ethic, noting how she constantly pushes herself to improve while also motivating and supporting her teammates both on and off the mat.
“As a teammate, her work ethic and dedication to the team and the sport are super rad,” Iredell said. “She kind of sets the precedent of what everyone else should be doing, and especially because she’s one of the only girl wrestlers on the team.”
Collins explains the process behind her decision to continue wrestling in college and how she decided which school to commit to. For her, a supportive community is one of the most important things to have, which is what she found at Dakota Wesleyan University.
“I chose Dakota Wesleyan for wrestling because I felt like the environment was really welcoming and somewhere where I would fit in,” Collins said. “I felt that the coach was someone who understands my style of wrestling and is able to advance my technique and make me become a better wrestler.”
Caroline also expresses how smooth the recruitment process was for her. For many other athletes, it can be difficult to decide what school to go to and whether or not the school would even want you there, but for Caroline, her decision was clear-cut.
“The recruitment process was relatively simple for me,” Collins said. “I learned that the college in the local city where [my uncle lived] had a girls’ wrestling program, so we scheduled a visit. We met with the admissions officer, and we talked about scholarships and other things of that nature. It took a couple of months of practicing and keeping in contact with the coach, but I knew that it was the place for me, so I committed.”
Iredell feels a strong sense of happiness for Collins as she moves on to this next chapter in her life. Throughout Caroline’s years in the wrestling program, her impact on the team as a whole has been especially appreciated by Iredell as well as her other teammates.
“Honestly, I just feel really proud because I know the hard work and commitment that she puts in every single day to achieve her goals,” Iredell said. “So just from a teammate’s perspective, it’s just really rad to see how she has impacted me and the rest of the team, she kind of just holds us all together.”
Freshman Charlie Collins, Caroline’s brother, has been deeply inspired by his older sister’s work ethic and commitment to wrestling. Seeing her grow up not only in wrestling but in life has shown him what kind of person she is.
“She’s just inspired me to keep doing wrestling and just keep moving forward with it,” Charlie said. “Like, at times wrestling is really difficult for me and I feel like giving up, but Caroline’s always there to motivate me to keep going.”
Caroline shares her goals and what she hopes to accomplish in this next chapter of her athletics and academics. Caroline still has a strong drive for wrestling and has set big goals to achieve for her first year of college wrestling.
“Going into college, my goals are to get the starting spot at my weight class, and also to go to tournaments and place,” Collins said. “My ultimate goal for the end of the season is to qualify for the national tournament and wrestle some of the best wrestlers in the country.”
Lastly, Caroline shares advice with other female wrestlers who are hoping to get to the point that she is at. Caroline knows firsthand that the journey to wrestling in college is not easy, but it is also just the start.
“My main piece of advice for younger female wrestlers is to take all opportunities you can,” Collins said. “If you hope to advance in wrestling, you have to make the most of every opportunity you can get because failing will always make you better.”
