HILLSDALE COUNTY — Voting is now open for the 2026 reader’s choice wrestling MVP award. In order to qualify for a nomination, wrestlers had to earn a spot at this year’s state finals. This year, four grapplers qualified for the state finals and are up for this year’s MVP award, recognizing the grappler of the year for Hillsdale County (ISD) wrestling.
Readers can vote as many times as they want, and the Daily News Choice MVP will be printed alongside the reader’s choice winner after the poll has been closed. The poll will be monitored for foreign I.P. addresses. The poll closes Friday, March 20 at 11:59 p.m. (EST).
Nominees
Brody Arnold – Hillsdale Wrestling – 138-weight class Division 3
Hillsdale junior Brody Arnold entered state finals weekend on the heels of a breakout postseason — third at district, runner‑up at regional, and his first trip to Ford Field.
His opening-round matchup at the state finals pitted him against Swan Valley’s Javen Gomez, the Region 11 bronze medalist. Gomez controlled the match and ultimately defeated Arnold by a 24‑9 tech fall. Dropped into the consolation bracket, Arnold’s season came to an end via pinfall against Central Montcalm’s Sullivan Ryan.
Despite the early exit, Arnold finishes his junior campaign at 38‑19, highlighted by a dramatic 13‑12 regional semifinal win over Delton Kellogg’s Evan Stampfler and a championship appearance against undefeated Aiden Durham of Grass Lake. He earned a 22-9 major decision at regionals.
Arnold earned four wins at districts, including two tech falls and a 16-11 decision to win the bronze medal. He was one of the most consistent grapplers this season for the Hornets, earning an early season Hillsdale Daily News Winter Sports Athlete Award for his efforts.
He helped lead Hillsdale’s varsity wrestling team to a district match appearance against Bronson. He earned two tech falls during team district duals. He also won three of his matches during the LCAA team tournament. He was a nominee for Athlete of the Month for February.
He will return next year as one of Hillsdale County’s top contenders for a repeat trip to Detroit — and potentially his first all‑state finish.
Blake Ryan – Jonesville Wrestling – 113-weight class Division 4
Jonesville senior Blake Ryan walked into Ford Field as the Comets’ lone state qualifier and left knowing he pushed his final season as far as it could go.
Ryan fell by pinfall in his opening championship round but responded in the consolation bracket with one of the biggest wins of his career — a second‑period pin over Mancelona’s Austin Barnhart to reach the blood round.
Ryan’s win put him into the top 12 of his weight class at Ford Field.
From there, the senior was one match away from guaranteeing a place in Saturday’s medal rounds. But Martin’s Jacinto Lopez ended Ryan’s run with a pinfall victory, closing out a 35‑13 senior season and a career defined by steady improvement.
Ryan qualified for state by surviving the blood round at regional, placing fourth, and earlier this postseason claimed the Cascades Conference title and district runner‑up honors in the 113-pound weight class.
At regionals, Ryan defeated teammate Briggs Baker for a state qualifying ticket with a 9-4 decision victory. At districts, he earned two pinfalls wins to put him into the title match. Ryan won the 113 Cascades Conference title with a pinfall win and a 16-8 decision win over Tevor Ohm of Addison in the championship bout.
Ryan helped the Jonesville Comets win three of their five duals in the Jonesville Team Invitational. He earned eight total victories over the Holiday stretch that helped fuel his runner later in the season.
Isaac Westfall – Reading Wrestling – 215-weight class Division 4
Reading junior Isaac Westfall surpassed many milestones on his way to the all-state podium at Ford Field, his second all-state in his career.
In addition to multiple first place invitational medals, the junior crossed the 100-win milestone during the Holiday season. He was the Daily News Choice February Athlete of the Month heading into his state finals appearance, looking to follow up a runner-up finish last season. Westfall had to battle back from a close semifinal loss at the state finals in Division 4’s 215-pound weight class.
Westfall won his first two matches at the state finals with pinfalls under a minute. He fell via 5-2 in the semifinals but bounced back to win 3-0 in the medalist matches to earn a shot at third place. He won a tough matchup with Lane Sanchez of Benzie Central in sudden victory to take home the bronze medal.
Westfall ended his junior season with a 49-2 overall record, another Big 8 conference title under his belt and an undefeated stretch of postseason wrestling that earned him a district title. He won a second-straight regional title with no points scored on him in the regional tournament. His dominating February run included helping his team earn a district championship for the first time since 2017, earning two wins in district duals.
Reid Westfall – Reading Wrestling – 126-weight class Division 4
Reading junior Reid Westfall was a multi-Winter Sports Athlete Awards nominee this season thanks to his state qualifying run, his first since his freshman year. He earned two pinfalls in district duals to help his team win a team district title for the first time since 2017.
Reading junior Reid Westfall arrived at Ford Field determined to improve on his freshman‑year appearance, where he also came up just shy of the podium. After missing last year’s event entirely, he powered his way back with a fourth‑place regional finish that included a victory in the blood round.Westfall drew a tough first‑round opponent at Ford Field in Manchester’s Sammy Stewart, the Region 15 champion, and fell in a 15‑0 technical fall. He rebounded impressively in consolation action, earning a 13‑3 major decision over St. Louis’ Cole Grollimund to reach the blood round before his state finals trip ended.
Westfall’s year included a Big 8 runner‑up finish, third at district and fourth at regionals. This was his second finals appearance alongside cousin Isaac Westfall, who earned all‑state honors this weekend with a third‑place finish. Westfall was a consistent top 10 ranked grappler during the season in his weight class. He ended his junior year with a 40-13 overall record.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Vote for reader’s choice 2026 Hillsdale County (ISD) Wrestling MVP
Reporting by Joseph Flaherty, Hillsdale Daily News / Hillsdale Daily News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
