Unit 5 welcomed Mrs. Margaret Lehr into her first year teaching FACS at both Normal Community and Normal West this school year. And although this is a new teaching gig, Lehr is not “new to the game” as she’s been coaching wrestling at Normal West since the ‘22-’23 school year.
Last year, Coach Lehr was a “volunteer coach,” but this year is her “first year as an official part of the staff.” She is really excited for the season this year.
Coach Lehr has a diverse background in wrestling as in high school, she was on the boys team. Title Nine allowed her to do so. She participated at the JV level and, eventually, she took 2nd in both the Women’s national and world championships.
She has been in the wrestling world for over 30 years and is a true testament to the fact that wrestling isn’t only for the boys. She has definitely paved the way for women’s wrestling in Illinois, and West is lucky to have her as the leader of our Women’s Wrestling team.
The Normal West Women’s Wrestling team formed and initiated their efforts to be recognized in 2021. Since then, they have grown tremendously…and are still growing.
One of Coach Lehr’s biggest goals is to grow the program as a whole. She and her girls have been working hard to get the word out about their team.
They’ve done many things in this pursuit, such as staying active on social media, participating in the homecoming parade in October, and having a booth at the activity fair.
The team has some amazing girls such as Junior Cadence Duvall, Sophomore Amelia McClure, both returners from last year’s squad. In total, the program lists 10 females on the team.
Coach Lehr’s daughter, Sammy Lehr was also a part of the program last year and has since graduated. She left a lasting legacy.
Normal west is very proud of the girls wrestling team and can’t wait to see what they have in store for the new season.
