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Anna-Lee Boerner Joins Cowgirl Wrestling Club as Brand Manager

Cowgirl wrestling is building something special.
Taylor Skieens|
Feb 25, 2024; Stillwater, Okla, USA; Iowa's Drake Ayala wrestles Oklahoma State's Troy Spratley at 125lbs in front of a sold out crowd at Gallagher Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Alcala-The Oklahoman
Feb 25, 2024; Stillwater, Okla, USA; Iowa's Drake Ayala wrestles Oklahoma State's Troy Spratley at 125lbs in front of a sold out crowd at Gallagher Iba Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Alcala-The Oklahoman | Mitch Alcala for The Oklahoman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Living in the shadow of one of the most prominent wrestling programs in the nation can be somewhat difficult. Yet the Oklahoma State University Cowgirl wrestling club has continued to prove they are here to stay. The Club is coached by two-time All-American Izzak Olejnik and recently added volunteer Assistant Coach and wrestling royalty John Smith. The Executive Director, Rebecca Roper, was the former museum manager of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum.

As the Cowgirl wrestling brand continued to grow, the Pokes needed someone to spearhead the growth of the Club. The Cowgirl's found the perfect brand experience manager when they recently hired Anna-Lee Boerner.

"My relationship with the sport of wrestling has been complicated. I’ve trusted this sport and so many of the hearts in it for the entirety of my life, but I’ve never wrestled. Growing up, there was a prominent boundary to limit women competing in the sport for various reasons. As I took on roles running tournaments as a pairing official, as I learned to take photos and created content and even as I worked completely removed from the sport, there was always a piece inside of me that didn’t get to experience what it meant to be on the mat or truly find my place in an environment I have experienced for most of my life," Boerner said in a recent interview with OK State on SI.

"Throughout championships, trauma and building my own path in wrestling, that still remains. Investing my media, marketing and PR capabilities translates to helping others pave the way for less girls to be limited by those same boundaries that I experienced in this sport." 

The Cowgirls are only a wrestling club but they have continued to draw in some of the top female wrestling talent in the nation. The brand is rapidly growing and Anna-Lee is proud to be on board for the future growth of the club.

"Oklahoma State has a culture that enhances and empowers the sport of wrestling in ways words don’t convey. Witnessing the depth of passion and support that the Cowboy Wrestling Family has for the future of the women’s program, the investment from the community and more makes building this brand more powerful. There is a standard and expectation that comes with the Oklahoma State Wrestling brand, and our priority is to uphold that, while still telling the story of each of the trailblazers in the room. Each of our athletes holds value in ways the world may not see, but it is my priority to make sure their names and stories are told and remembered in ways that impact generations of Oklahoma State Cowgirl Wrestlers," Boerner added. 

The Cowgirl wrestling club is still trying to find their footing in the sport. They are a growing brand and the wrestling world is slowly taking notice. Ultimately the Cowgirls have an inspiring mission of empowering young women through the sport and Boerner is here to tell their stories.

"Each path of life creates its own experiences, which majorly impact our perception of content or news," said Boerner. It’s not my job to speak about our athletes' stories. It’s my job to help them convey theirs in a way that best reflects their journey. We’ll develop their individual brands while creating the foundation for Cowgirl Wrestling through structure and consistency, but also through their personalities. Our athletes are more than just wrestlers, so we’ll find ways to tell their untold stories.

"What happens on the mat is one thing, but the emotions in the hallways is often forgotten, although most raw. Through interviews, behind the scenes looks, developing PR and more, the Cowgirl brand will rise and become something younger generations identify with. They’ll see a place where their future belongs because of the work put in by the athletes they connect to now."

Published
Taylor Skieens
TAYLOR SKIEENS

Taylor Skieens has been an avid sports journalist with the McCurtain Gazette in Idabel, Oklahoma for seven years. He holds the title of Sports Editor for one of the oldest remaining print publications in the state of Oklahoma. Taylor grew up in the small lumber town of Wright City Oklahoma where he played baseball and basketball for the Lumberjax.

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