CALEDONIA, Mich. — Student-athletes from across the state, including multiple West Michigan communities, are arriving in Detroit for the 2024 MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals.
This year marks just the third season that the MHSAA has a girls division in wrestling, previously female wrestlers had to compete against boys.
"Having like a women's division now has opened up so many opportunities for so many girls," said Maddie Hayden, a sophomore wrestler from Caledonia who is the defending state champion in the girls 155lbs weight class.
She began wrestling in third grade, and said she recalled wrestling against high school aged boys, saying the experience pushed her to become the athlete she is now.
"One of my bigger goals was to have my plaque on the wall, and it's a little bit harder in the men's division as a girl, and especially at the weight class I'm at," said Hayden referring to the champion title plaques for Caledonia wrestlers.
She became the first girl to have a plaque on that wall.
"With women's wrestling being introduced, knowing that I can get my name on the wall, it doesn't just have to be some crazy dream," said Hayden.
In the MHSAA the girls division is currently an open division, meanwhile, boys wrestling currently has four divisions.
Female wrestlers make a decision earlier in their season is they would like to compete with boys, or compete in the girls division, as Hayden says girls competing in the upper weights may find better success in the girls division.
"There's a lot of girls, especially lighter weights, who have a lot of success wrestling in the boys, and that really is like a good option for them," said Hayden.
Shawn Veitch, the Caledonia wrestling coach and principal of Dutton Elementary, said Michigan is one of the fastest-growing states for girls wrestling. He also said the state now has over 1000 girls competing.
"I anticipate if the numbers do continue to grow, that you may even see girls team state finals, where they start to develop the team aspect," said Veitch.
He said boys currently have both individual and team state tournaments.
"I think as we start to build more of these opportunities for our female wrestlers, I think that is what has just generated this growth in the sport," said Veitch.
Hayden said she has enjoyed seeing the competition in girls wrestling continue to advance, and hopes to see numbers grow to begin creating divisions, along with more weight classes.
She also said she hopes the growth of girls wrestling in the state can lead to similar growth in other sports.
"Pushing more girls to try a sport that they like, even if it means that they are going to be one of the only girls in the room."
The 2024 MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals will be held at Ford Field in Detroit from March 1-2.
More than 1,000 wrestlers will be competing, including 224 girls in the girls division.
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