Breaking Ground: Miranda O’Donnell, South Dakota’s First Female College Wrestler
Miranda O’Donnell wrestled for MacMurray in 2016-2017. Photo credit: McHighlanders.com
by guest writer, Mark Geary
Mark: When did you start wrestling?
Miranda: I first started competing my freshman year of high school in 2012 but I wanted to wrestle since I was in 5th grade.
Mark: What made it fun for you?
Miranda: So I have a really fun-competitive personality. The competition and challenges that I faced with other wrestlers actually made it very fun. Also the fact that I was beating guys in “their” sport and with it I was proving to people that I did deserve to be there and so did every other girl. I also found so much joy in the moment that I walked onto the mat where everyone was either saying or thinking “this is just a girl, she shouldn’t be here, this isn’t fair to the boys” but as soon as the whistle blew I showed everyone that I was right where I was supposed to be. Then after walking off the mat no matter the outcome I also got the respect from the opponent.
Mark: How did your family feel about you doing it?
Miranda: Most of the men in my family wrestled and my family always knew how serious I was about wanting to wrestle and they’ve always been really supportive of me. My older brother was also four years ahead of me in school and being a wrestler as well, my parents transitioning into me being the one competing was not any different for them.
Mark: What were your parent’s reactions?
Miranda: My parents first reaction to me wanting to wrestle was not really different from any other sports that I had done. I’ve always been doing things that weren’t seen as being “lady like” or what other girls were normally doing. My mom was just like me at my age so she really didn’t push me to be like every other girl and stay in female sports. They knew I was always trying to keep up with what the boys were doing and that I was going to do exactly what I set my mind to. They also knew there was no stopping me or telling me no.
Mark: What were your siblings’ reactions?
Miranda: Whenever I was younger my older brother and I really didn’t get along. Our sibling rivalry was very good. It was almost like you had three boys in the house instead of two boys and a girl. So when I first wanted to start I couldn’t just because our family couldn’t handle us being on the same team. But he always knew how serious I was about wrestling. So on his breaks from college my brother would always come home to help train me. Whether it was him helping run my practices, coaching me at my meets, getting me in the weight room to lift, even dropping me off to run back home. He was always there.
Mark: What were your friend’s reactions?
Miranda: My friends at the time really didn’t respect the sport of wrestling or understand the point but they did always support me in it. The high school I attended didn’t even really respect wrestling either; they were all a lot more worried about basketball and the players. Such as when basketball players signed for college they had the whole school attend and stop classes. When I did my signing my family was there, my coach and school counselor. However, it’s sad to say but just because I was a girl in a guys sport I was supported a little bit more than my fellow male teammates.
Mark: What was hardest for you about wrestling in HS?
Miranda: The hardest part for me about wrestling in high school was honestly the sport of wrestling and I was not being taken seriously enough, by the high school I attended, coaches, teammates, and the other competitors. The amazing opportunities that I saw other wrestlers getting, just because of the support they were receiving from their schools, coaches and teammates; it really drove me to show why I needed to be taken just as seriously. More like I did it to show why all wrestlers, female or not, should all be taken seriously when it’s a sport they dedicate themselves to.
Mark: Do you have three memories of especially challenging times in HS that you can share?
Miranda: There were a lot of challenging times that I faced that I think are really common for any female in a male dominated sport to experience. At the beginning of my wrestling career I had the simple issue of tournament programmers having no idea what to do with me. Where to weigh me, who to weigh me and other legal obligations they had to abide by. I got used to the fact that I would be the very last person to get weighed in each time and most likely would be doing it in a random broom closet with a student of the school or mother weighing me in. Of course I had the normal parent banter during matches and after depending on my results.
Miranda: One time at a triangular I had a very upset mother yelling at her son during our entire match and being in a confined place it was very clear what she was saying to me since she was the only one yelling. It took until the match was over for her to be escorted out by his coaches. I’ve heard parents yell such things as “throw her like a man since she wants to wrestle,” “throw her since she wants to be a boy,” “God didn’t make women to wrestle,” “she will be an easy match,” and “you are just a girl not a wrestler.” With these all being on the nicer end of what was said and what I was told by parents and some coaches and their thoughts of why I wrestled.
Mark: What was best about wrestling about wrestling in high school? What gave you joy?
Miranda: The best part about wrestling in high school is it’s a level where everyone is on the same page of wrestling. Some people had been wrestling a little longer but most of the towns near us people were just starting out in high school. So I was really able to use my female strengths in ways men physically couldn’t and did not realize. They had me beat whenever it came to arm/shoulder strength but when it came to hips I beat them each time. My favorite moves in high school were throws. I loved throwing the guys because that was when I was able to insert my strength and determination. I also was nicknamed “the face” in high school because I made a ridiculous face whenever I wrestled.
Mark: When did you decide you wanted to wrestle in college?
Miranda: I honestly did not know that there was a women’s college wrestling association. I only thought there were male teams for college since I was receiving offers for male teams mistaking my gender. I was really interested in furthering my career especially after attending Sara McMann’s Wrestling and MMA clinic. I actually decided I wanted to wrestle at the beginning of my senior year whenever I had Coach Dave Michaud from Pine Ridge ask me my plans for wrestling. He informed me about the different opportunities for women and even offered me a spot on his summer freestyle team.
Mark: What made you choose MacMurray State?
Miranda: I had over 10 offers from different schools for wrestling and whenever it came to the decision I chose my coaches not the school. I wanted to make the right coaches fit and Coach DiPol was the most consistent and persuasive.
Mark: How was wrestling under your college coaches different from your high school coaches?
Miranda: Well I wrestled under Coach Pete DiPol and Randi Miller, both individuals are well trained, and knowledgeable in working with female wrestlers. Whenever I transitioned to new coaches I also transitioned from folk style to freestyle. So with Randi Miller being an Olympic bronze medalist that knows that it takes to be the best, when it came to working under her it was intense and demanding. She was the best opportunity for me though because she knows wrestling and any issues we had to deal with, she had already dealt with before in her career. There was nothing comparable like that intensity and determination that she brought to our practices.
Mark: How was being on an all-girls team in college different from being on a mainly boys team in HS?
Miranda: It was all really different being on an all girls team from an all boys team. Weigh-ins were different, sharing rooms at overnight tournaments, the jokes. Even the intensity of practices changed when it came down to it. Some of my female teammates had also only wrestled male leagues so they also had the drive of wanting to prove to their place in college as well. Wrestling practices were just so much more intense being with all females.
Mark: What did you major in? If you did not graduate, do you have plans to finish up somewhere else?
Miranda: I am currently attending the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, SD and I am majoring in Psychology and Art while also receiving my certification for Arts in Health. I will be graduating later on this year in December. My plans are to become an Art Therapist and wrestling coach.
Mark: Looking back on your wrestling career, are there things you would have done differently if you could?
Miranda: Looking back at high school there are a lot of changes I would make with my dieting plans and weight lifting regime. Poor training that lead to a lot of preventable injuries.
Mark: Will you want your child to wrestle, if you have children someday?
Miranda: Whenever I do have children I do want them to wrestle because it is a sport that instills a lot of drive, dedication and personal growth.
Mark: Are there any “life lessons” that wrestling has taught you that you wish to share with young girls starting wrestling?
Miranda: To any young girl that is starting their wrestling careers whether it be in a male or female league, you are exactly where you should be. Break those barriers and everything after comes easy because nothing can break you, whether it’s 6 minutes long or 30 seconds, you are a wrestler. You are a fighter and this is your life to decide what to do with. Also when it comes to wrestling make sure that everyone is supporting you to become the best you can be. When deciding on a school or a team make sure that those align with what you want out of life.
Mark: Is there any advice you could give high school coaches wanting to encourage girls to go out for wrestling?
Miranda: Do not doubt the girls or let them doubt themselves, because it might take a month or even years but she will succeed. As a coach you are responsible for equipping each wrestler with the right moves, strength and conditioning. Show her what you can do for her and what services you can provide with your wrestling team. Making sure that she knows that she is responsible for everything that happens on the mat. It took me until my second year of wrestling until I got a win or even dominated a match. They might not have any wins at first and as a coach it’s your responsibility to push her. She can and will become successful even if her wins don’t come from the mat.
Mark: Is there any advice you would give a boy having to wrestle a girl?
Miranda: Wrestle her like you wrestle anyone else. As a wrestler she will stay and battle just as any boy will. Never take her with ease because she is just as strong as you if not stronger.
One way for girls to feel like they can do it is by having seen that someone else has. Or even they could be the first and make history. Just having the experience is worth it and I hope to see more girls able to soon.
About the author: Mark Geary is a long-time fan, coach and official in the sport of wrestling. While coaching high school at Oviedo HS in Florida, he had a few girl wrestlers in the early 90s. He has a child that wrestles and has run two girls wrestling clinics at Crow Creek HS, one with Leigh Jaynes and one with Pete Di Pol. He also teaches reading comprehension, technology and children’s literature at Dakota State University. Mark is the former Women’s Wrestling Director for SD USA Wrestling, and an admin on the South Dakota Girls Wrestling FB page.