CPU girls’ wrestling program growing in numbers and in talent

SOLON — At this time last year, Center Point-Urbana junior Tara Crowley was a newbie to the sport of wrestling.

She vividly remembers her debut last season against Independence. It was a junior varsity contest against Kennedi Bevans, which ended in Crowley getting pinned in the first period.

Fast forward to now. Crowley kicked off her 2024-2025 campaign with back-to-back falls in Tuesday night’s triangular between Center Point-Urbana, Independence and host Solon.

Crowley was down 9-0 in her first match of the night against Independence’s CeCe Priebe. With her choice to start the third period, she chose top, and went on to pin Priebe in 4:23.

Crowley’s Coach, Chloe Loyd, asked her a simple question, “what do you want?” That very question gave her the spark she needed.

“I said top right away and felt comfortable,” Crowley said. “I thought I could succeed there. I got the double wrist roll and went along with it.”

Crowley got a second pin on the night, decking Solon’s Lucy Miller. The Stormin’ Pointers fell to Independence, 60-24, and Solon, 48-30.

While still relatively new to the sport, one aspect of Crowley’s wrestling that is top of mind is developing a strong mindset.

With the help of the Stormin’ Pointers coaching staff and her teammates, Crowley believes she’s getting there and is proud of the improvements she’s made on the wrestling mat.

“It’s amazing the growth you can have in a year, especially with the amazing coaches who have provided me the tools and the mindset,” she said.

Loyd has noticed Crowley already is beginning to execute the team’s mindset for the season, which is “ignite the fire, shatter the limits.”

“She’s really good at pushing through the limits she sets herself,” Loyd said.

Her drive to push past her limits is positioning her as one of the team’s leaders — and someone Loyd said is making a positive impact on the team.

“She definitely has that leader personality and has really taken on that role,” Loyd said. “She keeps everybody together and accountable. She’s also good at uplifting the rest of the team and keeps good standards for each of them.”

Just as Crowley has grown in her wrestling career, so has the girls’ wrestling program at Center Point-Urbana. Last season, the Stormin’ Pointers had six girls on the team. This year, that number has risen to 14.

Additionally, the girls’ wrestling program now has separated from the boys’ program, which has been an exciting feat for Crowley to achieve with her team.

“It’s a big step, and I’m proud we were able to (have our own program),” Crowley said. “Being from a smaller school and not thinking there’d be many girls going out, it’s just so exciting to see the program grow.”

As for Loyd, the growth of girls’ wrestling at Center Point-Urbana is exciting but also will pose some challenges in filling their lineup, especially for dual meets.

“We’ve had huge growth, but we obviously don’t have the depth in weights yet, but a lot of them are making strides so early in the season,” Loyd said.

That won’t stop the Stormin’ Pointers from continuing to grow not only their program, but their skill and knowledge for the sport of wrestling.

“This sport is a hard one,” Loyd said. “You can’t be too hard on yourself. Every loss is a learning experience, and we don’t take it to heart. We learn from it and keep getting better. I’m really excited about this group of girls, and we’re building something special at Center Point-Urbana.”