Gavin VanKirk is the Newest Wrestling Roadrunner

Gavin VanKirk of Mason High School in Mason, Michigan, has signed his NJCAA Letter of Intent to wrestle for Head Coach Todd Hesson and the Roadrunners.

VanKirk tallied a record of 130-26 for the Bulldogs. He was a two-time Division 2 state qualifier, a two-time district champion, two-time regional champion and placed third All-State.

VanKirk joins Chaz Underwood and Mazzy Lambert of White Pigeon and Jayden Cochran of Miamisburg, Ohio, as the fourth signee in the 2025 SMC Wrestling recruiting class.

Coach Brian Martel of Mason said, "Gavin is an incredibly gifted athlete with wrestling skills that you can't always teach in a mat room. His combination of strength, speed, reaction time and technique make him a tough out for any opponent!" Hesson added that, "Gavin is very talented and comes from a great program with fantastic coaching. He has enthusiasm for the sport and is excited to be a Roadrunner!"

In 2024-2025, the Roadrunners again went undefeated in the MCCAA Duals Meet, earned the threepeat in the MCCAA Conference championship, defeated three nationally-ranked teams to win the Great Lakes District and qualify the maximum ten wrestlers for the national meet. SMC finished the season at #14 in the country and sophomores Colby Klinger and Nathan Andrina were honored as All-Americans.

On April 9, the college announced the construction of a new 11,195 square-foot wing of the Zollar Building that will quadruple the space available to the men's and women's wrestling teams. It will double the mat capacity for practice sessions and provide additional competition space for hosting conference and regional meets. The new facility will also include a dedicated fitness and warm-up area, coaches' offices, locker rooms and additional restrooms. On-site work has already begun, with a groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for May 2025 and occupancy targeted for February 2026.