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By TANYA GARCIA
Tyler Swanigan has established herself as a dominant presence in the wrestling community, and now the two time high school champion and top ranked college wrestler has her sights on making the USA Olympic Wrestling Team.
“I was the first athlete to become a state champion from my school,” Swanigan said. “It was a really big deal. In the next three years I plan on working my butt off to wrestle at the (Olympic) Trials and hopefully make my first Olympic Team.”
During her tenure at South Lyon East High School, Swanigan achieved significant milestones. As a sophomore in 2022, she made history by becoming the first female wrestler to clinch a state championship at 125-pounds in Michigan High School Athletic Association history.
Her path to victory was marked by a series of dominant performances, culminating in a thrilling 8-6 overtime win against her best friend, Faith Blackburn, in the finals.
Swanigan’s high school career was further distinguished by her consistent excellence on the mat. She was a starter on the boys’ varsity team, amassing over 100 victories against male opponents. In a state where women’s wrestling has been officially recognized for only a few years, she secured two state championships and one runner-up finish respectively.
“My sophomore (2022) year I wrestled a tournament and won it in the boys division,” Swanigan said. “On the next day I wrestled another tournament and I dislocated my shoulder. I didn’t get to wrestle that much leading up to the state tournament and that is when I wrestled my best friend in Faith Blackburn.”
On her junior (2023) campaign she finished second, and reclaimed her championship her senior (2024) year.
Swanigan continued to excel, on the national platform, in 2023, she earned All-American honors at the prestigious Fargo Nationals, to solidify her status as one of the nation’s elite wrestlers.
Currently, Swanigan is a freshman at William Penn University, pursuing a major in Exercise Science. As a red-shirt freshman, her team placed fourth overall at the NAIA Third Annual National Championship held on March 15, 2025. Two of her teammates Christianah Ogunsanya (Fr., Akure, Nigeria, Kinesiology) and Esther Kolawole (Fr., Akure, Nigeria, Kinesiology) became the fourth and fifth title holders in program history.
“I wrestled four (William Penn) tournaments and ended up being ranked 12th in the country,” Swanigan said. “I can only imagine what a full season is going to look like.”
Swanigan said she is excited to return to her home state of Michigan where she will continue her wrestling training as a member of the Rochester Christian University wrestling team next season.
