WELCOME BACK: In first year back, Southwestern Michigan claims their first MCCAA wrestling championship
It has been almost 30 years since a Southwestern Michigan College team competed in the MCCAA Wrestling Championship and their highest finish ever was runner up in the 1980 MCCAA Championship. Coincidentally, that was the last year the MCCAA sponsored wrestling until it came back in 2018. On Saturday, in their first year back in the MCCAA Southwestern Michigan College served notice that they are back by winning their first ever MCCAA wrestling championship. The Roadrunner scored 74 points and finished 17 points ahead of runner-up Muskegon CC. The Roadrunners won four weight class, finished runner up in four more and claiming third in the other two classes. The Roadrunners last MCCAA Championship was in February of 1996 when their women's basketball team won the MCCAA crown. In the fall of that same school year their men's cross country team claimed the MCCAA championship.
Winning their weight classes were Gabe Livingston (Battle Creek, MI/Lakeview) at 133, Zam Thompson (Stevensville, MI/Lakeshore), Hunter Heath (Niles, MI/Brandywine) and Shane Edwards (Battle Creek, MI/Pennfield). Edwards only wrestled a grand total of a minute and 24 seconds, In the semi's he pinned the St. Clair County Community College wrestler in ten seconds. In the championship he pinned the Marian University's Ancilla College wrestler in 1:14 to claim the title. All four wrestlers were named All-MCCAA Award winners.
Muskegon CC finished second, winning three weight classes. Jacob Blawat (Muskegon, MI/Reeths-Puffer) won at 124, Gerrit Andrus (Muskegon, MI/Reeths-Puffer) took the 174 title and Dakota Veltman (Byron Center, MI/Byron Center) claimed the 197 title. All three wrestlers were All-MCCAA as well
St. Clair County Community College finished third winning two winning two weight classes. Xzavier Seuss (Croswell, MI/Croswell-Lexington) won the 157 pound weight class and Jimmy Colley (Otisville, MI/Davison) took the title in the 184 pound division. Colley was named Freshman Wrestler of the Year. Henry Ford finished fourth and won the 141 pound weight class. Sophomore Jager Kwaitkowski (Livonia, MI/Franklin) was also All-MCCAA and was named the MCCAA Wrestler of the Year. Full results can be viewed here.
