Sunday Spotlight: Wrestling Playoffs Start This Week for Area Grapplers

Adam Haselius

 
By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

(February 5, 2023 7:00 AM) Two area wrestlers will have a chance to repeat as state champions as the Michigan High School Athletic Association wrestling tournament starting this week. 

Adam Haselius of Northwest High School and Danni Swihart of Hanover-Horton High School look to repeat as state wrestling champions. 

Haselius won the MHSAA Division 2 state individual title at 189 pounds a year ago. 

Swihart made history by winning the first state championship by a female in Jackson County when she won the 135-pound title in the first MHSAA sponsored state wrestling championship at Ford Field.

Both have similar backgrounds in the sport, are 4.0 students, and have signed to wrestle at Division 1 programs next fall. 

Haselius will be attending Columbia University in New York City next fall after signing to wrestle at the school. It’s a pretty big jump from a kid from the Jackson area.

“I will always accept and embrace that competition … and come out on top,” Haselius said for a JTV Sunday Spotlight in January.

Which is where Haselius hopes the Mounties’ team ends up this season (on top). Fueled by a very good senior class and a number of upperclassmen, Haselius believe Northwest can make it to the state team finals. 

“We are flying under the radar now,” the senior said of the 2023 Northwest wrestling squad. “We are working toward becoming that team at the end of the season. 

“We have a special group of seniors.”

Swihart signed to wrestle at the University of Iowa. She will be on the first all-female team at Iowa – a school known for its wrestling program. 

In November Swihart became the first female wrestler in Michigan to sign a Division 1 letter of commitment to wrestle at the University of Iowa in the newly formed women’s team. 

Last year Iowa become the first NCAA Division I, Power Five conference institution to offer the sport of women’s wrestling.

Swihart will get onto the ground floor as the Hawkeyes begin competition in 2023-2024 season. 

“I haven’t wrapped my head around it yet … it’s huge,” Swihart said after signing the commitment to Iowa. “Iowa has all of my academic interests.”

Swihart said she hopes to “pave the ground for other women in Michigan who also want that dream.”

Team district wrestling starts on Wednesday or Thursday and individual districts are on Saturday. 

The winning team at district tournaments advance to the regional rounds next week. 

The top four finishers in each weight class at district tournaments advance to the regional round. 

Here is a listing of team and individual districts for Jackson County schools. 

Wrestling Team Districts

Feb. 8 or 9 

Division 2

Feb. 8 at Marshall

Charlotte, Coldwater, Marshall, and Western

Division 2

Feb. 8 at Mason

Jackson, Mason, and Northwest

Division 3

Feb. 9 at Napoleon, 5:30 p.m. 

Columbia Central, Michigan Center, Napoleon, and Onsted

Division 4

Feb. 8 at Manchester, 5:30 p.m. 

Grass Lake, Manchester, Sand Creek, and Whitmore Lake 

Division 4

Feb. 8 at Jonesville

Concord, Homer, and Jonesville

Division 4

Feb. 8 at Vermontville Maple Valley

Delton Kellogg, Saranac, Springport, and Vermontville Maple Valley

Division 4

Feb. 9 at Addison, 5:30 p.m.

Addison, Hanover-Horton, and Vandercook Lake 

Division 4

Feb. 9 at Dansville

Dansville, East Jackson, Lumen Christi, Leslie

Team districts normally start at 5:30 or 6 p.m. based on the number of teams in the district. Check with your local school for times. 

Wrestling Individual Districts 

Feb. 11

Division 2 at Battle Creek Harper Creek

Battle Creek Harper Creek, Battle Creek Pennfield, Charlotte, Coldwater, Edwardsburg, Marshall, Niles. Paw Paw, Richland Gull Lake, St. Joseph, Stevensville Lakeshore, Sturgis, Western, and Vicksburg. 

Division 2 at Jackson (Middle School at Parkside)

Adrian, Chelsea, Fowlerville, Haslett, Jackson, Lansing Eastern, Lansing Everett, Lansing Sexton, Lansing Waverly, Mason, Milan, Northwest, Pinckney, Tecumseh, and Ypsilanti Community. 

Division 3 at Williamston

Adrian Madison, Blissfield, Clinton, Columbia Central, Clinton, Durand, Eaton Rapids, Hillsdale, Laingsburg, Michigan Center, Napoleon, Olivet, Onsted, Quincy, Stockbridge, and Williamston. 

Division 4 at Leslie

Addison, Bath, Byron, Camden-Frontier, Dansville, East Jackson, Hanover-Horton, Hudson, Leslie, Lumen Christi, Morenci, Perry, Reading, and Vandercook Lake. 

Division 4 at Manchester

Capac, Detroit Cristo Rey, Erie Mason, Grass Lake, Madison Heights Bishop Foley, Manchester, Memphis, Monroe St. Mary, Riverview GR, Rochester Hills Lutheran, Royal Oak Shrine, Sand Creek, and Whitmore Lake. 

Division 4 at Bronson

Athens, Bellevue, Bronson, Colon, Comstock, Concord, Delton Kellogg, Galesburg-Augusta, Homer, Jonesville, Mendon, Saranac, Springport, Tekonsha, Union City, and Vermontville Maple Valley. 

Individual districts normally start at 9 or 9:30 a.m. Check with your local school district’s athletic website for times and further information.