DETROIT---The Upper Peninsula will be well-represented this weekend at Detroit's Ford Field as the Michigan High School Athletic Association holds its Individual Wrestling state finals.
And in the recently-created girls division, there will be seven young ladies from the UP hoping to earn a spot on the podium in 14 weight classes.
The Upper Peninsula contingent will be highlighted by Shayna Hruska in the 105-pound weight class. She is the Iron Moumtain Mountaineer who wrestled with the boys all winter long, and became the first girl ever to capture an Upper Peninsula championship. Hruska will start off against Ava Byars of DeWitt.
Also wrestling in that 105-pound bracket is Kaila Sylvester of Gwinn. She will have her first match against Gracie Murphy of Whittemore-Prescott.
In the 115-pound weight class, Escanaba's Linnea Britton will represent the Eskymos after wrestling multiple matches against boys this season. Her first match at Ford Field will be against Faith Burgess of Grand Blanc High School.
Bark River-Harris's Vaida Uskilith-Karja will start off against Serenity Hayes of Whittemore-Prescott in the 135-pound weight class.
Also representing the Broncos, in the 120-pound weight class, is Maddie Corrigan, who spent much of the winter wrestling against boys. Corrigan faces Tiffany Anderson of Frankenmuth in her first match at states.
In the 155-pound weight class, Gwinn's Shawna Sundholm will open up against Sam Bennett of St. Joseph. In the 100-pound weight class, Keira Wilson of Ishpeming will start her tournament run against Tricia Pyrzweski of Gladwin High School.
All of the girls will wrestle in 16-person brackets, with no byes, so it takes four straight wins to capture the state championship in that bracket. You can follow all of the action throughout the weekend at www.mhsaa.com.
