Olentangy girls wrestlers learn the ropes from two-time state champion Taryn Martin
As Taryn Martin was progressing toward her second consecutive girls wrestling state title as a senior at Olentangy Orange in 2021, Cori Young was closely monitoring Martin’s success while competing for Liberty Middle School.
Now a junior at Olentangy, Young and her Braves teammates are learning firsthand from Martin. She is in her first season as coach, having taken on the position while still attending Tiffin University.
Martin, 21, may be a novice high school coach, but when it comes to girls wrestling, no central Ohio competitor from the past few years is more accomplished. She went a combined 42-0 in her junior and senior seasons, which were the first two years of girls wrestling in the state.
Girls wrestling became an OHSAA sport last season.
“I knew she kind of founded the girls program at Orange, so I was excited to see what she could help us with here,” Young said. “She brings a lot of techniques, so we’re excited about that. I watched her at the first girls state tournament and I thought, 'Wow, she’s good.' ... She’s great in the corner, great with conditioning.”
After competing at district as a freshman, Young finished fourth last season at state at 120 pounds. She is 23-6 this season after winning the 115 championship in the Pioneer Classic last weekend at Orange.
The Braves finished 17th (73) behind champion Orange (207) in the tournament, which was a homecoming for Martin. She said it felt normal, even though she was coaching one of her alma mater’s rivals.
“That was my first time there as a coach,” Martin said. “I’ve been around them. I’ve seen them at tournaments. It wasn’t necessarily odd or anything.”
Martin succeeded Sam Fuchs, who coached the team for one season and is now the boys coach at Orange Middle School.
As a competitor, Martin helped Orange become a state power. Now, she has a chance to do the same thing as Olentangy’s coach.
“It’s a young team,” she said. “There has to be a drive. Obviously, having Cori up on our wall and placing last year (at state) was a huge success and something that motivated the girls coming in. Being able to do the offseason lifts, the offseason competitions and practices is going to be huge, because it doesn’t just happen November through March.”
Upon taking over the program in September, Martin shared her success with her new wrestlers, hoping her experiences would provide inspiration and motivation.
“Our first meeting, when I met all the girls, that was something I talked about a lot,” she said. “I had them ask me questions because it definitely is very different than what they have now. I grew up wrestling boys, so I started a bit differently than them. Obviously, stepping in as a female coach is different than what they had before for the girls who have wrestled previously. I enjoy sharing (my story).”
Orange assistant coach Vanessa Oswalt, who served as the Pioneers’ head coach last season, is impressed with Martin’s coaching and Olentangy’s performance this winter. Oswalt also was an assistant when Martin competed for Orange.
“Some of the girls were wrestling when she was coming through, so that has helped with the connection,” Oswalt said. “It’s very cool to see her engaging with the girls and leading the team. Her in front of a team of girls is very exciting.”
Martin’s father, Jeff, closely follows his daughter’s progress, but not just because they’re related. He is the girls middle school coach at Orange.
“When the opportunity came, it was a growing opportunity for her,” Jeff Martin said. “It didn’t matter where it was at. Being close by in Olentangy schools is important. It’s an opportunity where she can grow in the sport, not just on the mat, but as a leader.”
After graduating from Orange, Martin had an abbreviated wrestling career at Tiffin, limited to about 35 matches because of 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.
Martin, who is majoring in psychology with a concentration in human services, will graduate from Tiffin in the fall. She drives from Tiffin to Olentangy, approximately 70 miles each way, for practices and matches and said the commute doesn’t bother her.
“It’s definitely different being in a coaching position than just being one of the wrestlers, but I enjoy it,” she said.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio girls wrestling champion Taryn Martin embraces coaching role
