NORFOLK, Neb. -- After what coaches called a successful pilot year, Norfolk Public Schools has made girl's wrestling an official activity.

The decision was made Monday night during the board of education meeting in a unanimous 5-0 vote. During the past wrestling season, 11 girls in the program participated with two girls earning runner-up finishes at state.

The team as a whole placed second and also won their district. With the decision, the 2022-23 season will be the first season that wrestling is recognized as an official sport in NPS.

The decision also led to a motion to hire a new assistant coach for the program. While the inaugural season had a number of volunteers, NPS officials said they felt it was important to open a position to match the official status of the program.

The coaching staff has also been assigned which teams of wrestling they will be a part of. Moving forward, Justin Grey will serve as head wrestling coach for both girls and boys. Tony Brown, Kodiak French, and Jeremy Eusterwiemann will continue as the boys assistant coaches. Eusterwiemann, along with the new assistant yet to be hired, will be the girls assistant coaches.