Bishop bids for another
Highland senior and North Central commit gets stronger in pursuit of 2nd state title vs. stronger field
When extra strength training was presented to Leah Bishop as a way to improve her overall physical health, she didn’t embrace it right away.
“At first, I really did not like it,” Bishop said. “In fact, I hated it.
“But after two or three weeks, I started to fall in love with it, and now I’m asking if I can come in early before practice to lift.”
A wrestling career that started when Bishop was 4 years old left her with plenty of bumps and bruises. But a new commitment to the weight room has the Highland senior and North Central College commit ready to defend her 138-pound title at the girls state meet hosted by the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association on Friday.
It’s the fifth edition of the tournament, which remains unsanctioned by the Indiana High School Athletic Association. But the participation numbers have been trending upward. At the 2017 North Regional, 64 wrestlers competed. At the North Regional last week, there were 118 wrestlers competing.
Bishop, who’s competing at the state meet for the fourth time, said it’s been thrilling to see the sport’s growth firsthand.
“I’m so glad that I got to experience watching girls wrestling develop and grow throughout the years,” she said. “There are so many college programs opening up, and now we have our own state tournament. It’s been amazing to be part of that, to say that I did it when it was first starting and that I helped it grow.”
Bishop was a state champion at 138 last season but may have found another gear since then because of her dedication to weightlifting.
Coach Chris Kirincic has seen Bishop’s entire approach change over the past year.
“I’m not saying that she took it lightly last year,” he said. “But she’s taking it more aggressively this year. Now she’s the one saying, ‘Let’s go.’ And her strength is definitely developing.”
That added strength should help Bishop at North Central in Naperville, Illinois. The college boasts one of the top women’s wrestling programs in the country, and the Cardinals were ranked No. 5 in the preseason coaches poll.
But that’s further down the road than Bishop’s next meet, which remains her primary focus. In another sign that the sport is growing among girls and the quality of competition is improving, Bishop was not a regional champion this season. She was the runner-up after getting pinned in the third period by Logansport’s Liberty Sutton in the final round.
“The girls are getting a lot stronger, and their technique is getting better,” Bishop said. “I’d wrestled against her for the last two years, and she caught me last week.”
Bishop said she had a sinus infection and couldn’t take her usual medication because of side effects that leave her drowsy. But she was feeling better at practice this week and was eyeing a shot at redemption on Friday.
“She’s on the opposite side of my bracket, so hopefully I can see her again in the finals for a rematch,” Bishop said of Sutton. “I wasn’t fully there last week, so I’m trying to not be distracted to get my mind back to where it needs to be.”