Takedown Report

Michigan H.S.A.A. adds girls wrestling state tournament for 2021-22 school year

By Patrick Nothaft | pnothaft@mlive.com

Michigan’s top girls wrestlers will celebrate championships alongside the boys at the individual state finals beginning next year.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association announced Thursday the addition of a fifth division at the 2022 individual wrestling state finals that will crown girls state champions at 14 different weight classes.

Previously, girls needed to compete against boys in their quest for a MHSAA state title in Divisions 1, 2, 3 and 4, which are divided up by school size. Girls can still choose to compete in the traditional divisions under the new format, but they cannot compete in both the girls and the boys.

The move is a result of the MHSAA representative council’s annual Spring Meeting on May 3, which also took into consideration 19 committee proposals and dealt with a variety of matters regarding high school sports, including mascot names, officiating and specific regulations for bowling, competitive cheer, golf, softball and tennis.

But the most significant development of the council’s biggest yearly meeting was the creation of a wrestling state finals division designed specifically for girls.

“Obviously wrestling fans are fans of boys and girls wrestling, but it’s a different community that’s been building and working to get to this point, and they’re going to be really excited,” said Michigan Wrestling Association President R.J. Bourdo. “They’re going to bring a whole other level of excitement, and it’s a pioneering event, so, especially next year, it’s going to be absolutely special. It’s hard to put it into words, but just a lot of hard work has gone into getting it to this point, so I think there are going to be a lot of a lot of people with eyes on that event next year, which is which is good for everybody.”

RELATED: Girls high school wrestling continues to grow in Michigan

Girls wrestling has been a sport on the rise in Michigan, with the number of girls competing at the high school level rising from 159 to 250 to 327 to 401 in the four-year span between the 2016-17 season and the 2019-20 campaign.

That growth prompted the Michigan Wrestling Association to start its own girls individual state finals with sponsorship help from the MHSAA, and in its 2019 inaugural year, it drew 167 competitors to Adrian College. A year later, that number increased to 254, and while the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to that number dropping to 210 competitors in March 2021, the MHSAA was confident enough in the growth trend that it decided to bring the tournament under its umbrella.

RELATED: See who won championships at 2021 Michigan girls high school wrestling state finals

“There are 30 other states that have sanctioned girl wrestling in some way, shape or form, and this validates that our state association recognizes and sees the value, the growth and the potential of girls wrestling as a viable division under their leadership,” said former Michigan Wrestling Association president Casey Randolph. “The MHSAA has been an integral part in helping develop girls wrestling and they believed in it from the start, so I think that through our partnership with the MHSAA and the Michigan Wrestling Association, we developed a product that everyone sees value in and sees the opportunity and potential for girls in the sport of wrestling within our state and across the nation.”

RELATED: Jackson-area female wrestlers spur growth, change in wrestling community

Randolph, who also coaches the girls wrestling team at Clinton High School, said moving the girls tournament to the same venue as the tournament primarily dominated by boys will be a boon for the sport.

“It’s proven that in other states, once the state association takes over girls wrestling, it has around an average of 300-percent growth, and I think that once girls, coaches, and people across our state see the MHSAA is now offering a fifth division in girls wrestling, they’re going to be more apt to try the sport, which is a step in the right direction toward growing girls wrestling tournaments and growing girls wrestling competitions. … rest of story at https://www.mlive.com/highschoolsports/2021/05/mhsaa-adds-girls-wrestling-state-tournament-for-2021-22-school-year.html?mc_cid=987a3385bf&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

May 17, 2021 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment