A pioneer in central Ohio high school girls wrestling is set to become a head coach in the sport at 20 years old.
Taryn Martin , a 2021 Olentangy Orange graduate who won two state titles for the Pioneers , will take over the program at Olentangy, pending school board approval. She would replace Sam Fuchs, who guided the team for one season and is the new boys coach at Orange Middle School, where Martin's father, Jeff, is the girls coach.
Martin went a combined 42-0 during her junior and senior seasons, the first two years of girls wrestling in the state. It became an OHSAA sport last season .
"Taryn understands the sport being a two-time state champion and wrestler in college," Olentangy athletic director Jay Wolfe said. "Wrestling for coach (Brian) Nicola at Orange has really given her an idea of the program that she wants to build and how to do that."
Martin, a junior at Tiffin, has been limited to about 35 matches in her collegiate career following two collarbone injuries. She broke her right collarbone during her sophomore season and reinjured it before her junior season while also suffering a torn right labrum.
"Obviously, I had my goals, but I'm more looking at the bright side of things," Martin said. "This allowed me to take this job, so it's creating more opportunities for me at the same time."
Martin, who is majoring in psychology in human services and minoring in sports psychology at Tiffin, said she will graduate next year. She will be able to graduate early since she took college classes during high school.
She is unsure if she will return to the Columbus area after graduating or continue to commute to practice and matches. Tiffin is about 70 miles north of Olentangy.
"I'm super excited for Taryn," Orange assistant coach Vanessa Oswalt said. "It's going to be weird that she's not going to be with us at Orange, but it's pretty exciting that she's going to be able to help develop and coach her own team and help develop her as a young coach as well."
Martin is looking forward to coaching against her alma mater.
"That's what I'm super excited for," she said. "I'm thankful because they've all helped me get to where I am, but it's something that's also on my own, so being able to be in the same atmosphere is supporting but challenging at the same time."
Martin has coaching experience, assisting with the Orange youth program and an Ohio girls team at nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
"I don't like talking about my accomplishments, but I want to give (my team) my ideas and to be grateful for the opportunity," Martin said. "I want to give back to the community because what that community has done for me for so long."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio girls wrestling champion Taryn Martin named coach at Olentangy
