Loy Norrix Sophomore Wrestler Headed To 2nd Straight State Tournament
Last year was Michigan's first individual girls wrestling tournament that was hosted by the Michigan High School Athletic Assocation (MHSAA) as we see the sport of women's wrestling take off. Before last year the girls would have to compete in the boy's bracket for their weight class, now they get to go to battle on the mat against each other.
Heaven Cole is a sophomore wrestler at Loy Norrix High School who will be attending her second straight MHSAA individual girls wrestling state tournament this year. Last year she placed third place at her individual regional tournament to earn a spot in the state tournament as just a freshman. This year, she has returned better than last and ready for another shot at the state title.
Last year, in her first trip to the state tournament as a freshman, she placed in 4th place at 170 pounds, just missing the medal stand by a few points. She went 2-1 on the first day seeding matches and this was enough to grant her with all-state honors as a freshman. Even though she didn't win states her first year, she vowed to be back.
Over the summer Cole continued to put in work and found herself coming out victorious on the mat once again. Last April she competed in the Nuway Nationals in Lansing Michigan and took home first place for the 15U 170-pound girls division.
Just last week, Heaven made good on those words as she punched her ticket to the MHSAA individual girls state wrestling tournament again. This time she went on to claim first in the girls regional individual tournament, improving upon her 3rd place finish from the previous year and carrying the winning momentum into the state tournament.
The Individual state finals will take place in two weeks, the first weekend in March which will be March 3rd and 4th in Detroit. The Individual state tournament is always held at Ford Field at this time and Heaven Cole will be looking to come out on top and earn the highest royalty in high school wrestling, the state title.