This year, Seward County Community College made history by starting its first-ever women’s wrestling team, and it all began with just two athletes. Abagail Soppe, from Louisiana, and Baylee Rogers, from Topeka, Kansas, are the only two wrestlers on the team so far. Even though it’s just the two of them, they’re proud to be the ones leading the way. Right now, they practice in the wrestling room at Liberal High School, but soon they’ll move into a space on campus once everything is ready. The official season will begin in 2026–2027, but they’ve already started training and preparing for the future.

“We’re starting everything from scratch,” Soppe said. “We’re getting mats, gear, uniforms — everything. But it’s exciting because we get to be the first ones.”

Their coach, Cody Cole, who is also the athletic director at SCCC, says the team was created to meet a real need in the area. According to Cole, wrestling is popular in southwest Kansas high schools, but there haven’t been many colleges nearby offering wrestling for women.

“We wanted to give more girls a chance to keep wrestling after high school,” Cole said. “There aren’t many junior colleges in the region with women’s programs. This was the right time to start one.”

Recruiting happened around June, so the team is starting small — but it won’t be for long. Next year, they expect to bring in around 20 new athletes.

For the two current wrestlers, this season means more than just learning moves and going to practice. It’s about proving that girls belong in every sport, even the ones people don’t usually expect.

“It’s important because there aren’t always as many sports opportunities for women,” Soppe said. “We’re showing that girls can do tough things, too.”

Soppe has been wrestling since she was a kid and says she has always loved the sport. She tried volleyball at one point but didn’t enjoy it as much. Now, wrestling gives her something to work toward — and something she’s proud to be part of.

“What I love most is where wrestling can take you,” she said. “You get to travel, compete, and learn so much. And it teaches you how to stay focused and work hard.”

When asked what makes a successful team, Soppe didn’t hesitate.

“It’s all about mindset,” she said. “You have to want it. You have to be ready to put in the work. A good coach helps, and having the right gear is important, but at the end of the day, it’s on you.”

Rogers, who has been wrestling since her sophomore year of high school, said she was one of the first girls to join her school’s team.

“I had to wrestle guys at first,” she said. “It was weird in the beginning, but it made me tougher. Eventually, our school started a girls’ division, and that helped the sport grow a lot.”

Her path to wrestling started in an unexpected place: Her algebra teacher encouraged her to join after learning Rogers had trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu for three years.

“I just decided to try it,” Rogers said. “And once I did, I realized how much I loved it.”

Now entering her fourth season of wrestling overall, Rogers says transitioning from high school’s “folkstyle” to college “freestyle” wrestling has been a challenge, but one she’s excited for.

“Freestyle allows more throws and suplexes, which I think is really fun,” she explained. “It gives you more freedom.”

Although there are only two wrestlers on the roster, Rogers says the small team doesn’t bother her.

“It’s kind of weird, but I’m used to it,” she said. “In high school, me and my best friend were the first two girls on our team. So this feels familiar — like starting something new all over again.”

Both athletes said that while practicing at the high school is temporary, it comes with some funny moments.

“It’s a little weird having all the high school boys around,” Rogers laughed. “When they find out we’re college wrestlers, they get all excited.”

Despite the challenges, both wrestlers have big hopes for what’s ahead. Soppe said she plans to wrestle at SCCC for two years before applying to dental school, while Rogers hopes to improve her freestyle skills and help grow the team.

“My goal is to get better every day and to help bring more girls into the program,” Rogers said. “I want other girls to see us and realize they can do it too.”

Cole says his biggest goal this year is simply to get the program off the ground and find the right kind of students: Athletes who are serious, motivated and ready to grow.

“Starting a new team is exciting,” he said. “You get to build something from the beginning, set the tone, and create your own team culture. That’s really special.”

Cole’s focus this year is on building a strong foundation.

“Starting a new team is exciting,” Cole said.

When asked what she’d say to girls considering wrestling, Rogers offered simple advice:

“Just try it. You have nothing to lose. Do it for a year, and if you don’t like it, that’s okay — but you might end up loving it.”

Even though the team is small now, both Soppe and Rogers are confident that this is only the beginning of something much bigger.

“We want to grow, compete, and represent SCCC everywhere,” Rogers said. “It’s exciting to know we’re the first — but we definitely won’t be the last.”