More Than a Sport: How MSJ Women’s Wrestling Is Building a Bond on and off the Mat

I had the opportunity to speak with both a veteran wrestler of over ten years and Coach Rob Dearwester, the head coach of the women's wrestling team. He joined the coaching staff in October of 2025.

Dearwester has been coaching wrestling for over 20 years. In 2015, he, alongside his daughter, created the Athena Wrestling Club, the first all-girls wrestling club in the tri-state, located in Harrison, Ohio. Athena-wrestling.com tells the story of the club well. The website states, "In the 9 seasons since we started this journey, it has been obvious to us many times that currently wrestling is still very much a sport designed for boys' comfort. No area is this more apparent than when it comes to singlets. Last spring, it finally annoyed our daughters enough that they started drawing and designing their own singlets that they would actually like to wear. While it started as a way to fill time driving to tournaments, we realized it might be something that other girls would be interested in, and with that, the vision for Athena Wrestling began."

I was also really struck by Athena Wrestling's mission statement. The website listed above continues, "With Athena Wrestling we hope to give our girls and young athletes around them growing the sport options and a voice in the future they are creating." This is especially powerful.

Dearwester was impressed by how quickly the Mount's team bonded. He notes that most of the girls have known each other from wrestling over the years. He even taught some of the girls since they were young.

"Having that familiarity was a nice relief when starting a new program," he says. "We also have a few newer girls, and the bond that has formed between everyone is something special. We are building something great here, and I'm proud of this team and the young women we have!"

Dearwester was drawn to coaching wrestling, as he once wrestled at the Mount and described it as, "one of the best times of my life." Now, he can give this team the same joy and excitement that he felt while wrestling in college.

In the 2003-2004 season, Dearwester suffered an injury and could no longer wrestle. He felt lost and confused as to what he was going to do next. Wrestling was his passion, and just like that, it was taken from him. But coaching gave him a new way to stay involved in wrestling.

"It also gave me the opportunity to help develop my own daughters in the sport that has meant so much to me," he says.

He talks about witnessing the girls grow as people. "I enjoy helping athletes grow not only as wrestlers, but also as students and people. Watching them gain confidence, overcome challenges, and achieve goals they once thought were impossible is what keeps me passionate about coaching."

Although the season hasn't started yet, Dearwester looks forward to the season. He's proud of his team and the talent on it. He brings up another point.

"They had many colleges and programs to choose from, but they chose Mount St. Joseph and trusted me to help lead them," he says. "That means a lot to me, and I'm excited to see what we can build together."

I also interviewed freshman Caiden Baird, who's been wrestling for over ten years. She was just one of multiple siblings who wrestled. She was coached by her father.

Like Dearwester, Baird also talked about the family that wrestling gives her. "I love becoming close with all the girls on the team and just creating this awesome team culture and always having a great time together," she says. "The bonds you make in this sport are the closest friends you'll have."

When I asked Baird how she prepared for a match, she mentioned that music always helps her get in the mood to wrestle. She also talked about how she gets energy from honey and stretches. "I make sure I'm all stretched, and my body is ready to wrestle," she says.

I was curious how Baird juggles all her classes and wrestling all at once. "Sometimes it is a struggle, but you just have to learn good time management and make sure you are keeping your grades up and still able to do well in the classroom as well as on the mat," she says.

Baird has learned things about herself through wrestling. Wrestling seems to have made her tougher.

"This sport is also tough on the mental side, and I've went through those things, and I think I can say I'm pretty tough when it comes to those things," was what she said. She talked about getting into the grind of things. Waking up early to work out and the difficult training.

The women's wrestling team is a fun new team, with a bright future ahead of it. It has great talent like Caiden Baird and is coached by the passionate Rob Dearwester.