Not many people are aware that the Lehman Campus has a wrestling team. Even fewer people know that the wrestling team is coed, meaning girls and boys compete on the same team. This new circumstance provides capable female athletes with more opportunities to shine on the mat.

Two female Bronx River students, Annkiara Bourdeau and Angelina Torres, are competing on the campus wrestling team this season, practicing downstairs in the gym a few times a week. So far, the girls haven’t played any boys this season, but if their weight classes align with other boys from schools, they’ll be thrown into their first few matches with males.

Annkiara is eager to put a match with one under belt. “I wanna see If I’m up to the task, if I’m really strong enough to take a boy down,” she said.

Angelina, who also hopes to take on a male challenger this season, recalls what it was like to compete against a boy in a previous match. Although a bit anxious at first, she was eager and ready to take on the challenge. “I’ve been wrestling for a while now,’’ she said. “Even though I didn’t win my first match against a boy, I can’t wait for another chance to win this time.’’

Although the girls wrestle with Lehman team during the winter season, they also compete in a girls wrestling league in a separate school, known as the Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists. Primarily, the girls use the coed season with the boys to practice and train for the upcoming girls season.

Wrestling competitions between schools consist of several matches. During each match, each winner earns a certain amount of points that add to the total of their team. The team with the highest amount of points is declared the winner.

With the creation of this new coed team, coaches are making plans to see how this new change could impact their standings, during this season and the girl’s future seasons. Wrestling Coach John Kernochan is excited and looking forward to seeing the girls and boys shine on the mat on the same team as equals.