Hahn hopes to bring home more state champions in wrestling

Fall has flown by, and wrestling is right around the corner. Head Coach Ben Hahn and assistant Matt Dettori have set high yet realistic expectations and goals for their wrestlers this year. The wrestling team is made up of wrestlers from Park High and Sweet Grass County (Big Timber). After a successful season last year, Coach Hahn is hoping to finally tackle his multiple year goal of top five at state as a team for boys wrestling. Coach Hahn had seven state medalists last year as well as 3 finalists and took seventh as a boys’ team.

Coach Hahn is someone who believes in teaching kids through a sport that he loves. As a wrestler in high school, Coach Hahn had over 100 wins and was a regional winner in Pennsylvania, he has been able to transfer his success into coaching and has coached 16 state medalists during his time as the wrestling coach. Coach Hahn believes that wrestling can raise levels of discipline and confidence and is a great thing for kids to do. Coach Hahn has seen wrestling lead to success in his own life and now to the lives of his wrestlers.

During the offseason, Coach Hahn has provided opportunities for his wrestlers to grow and be even more successful this year than they were last year. Part of Coach Hahn’s offseason training program has been Wednesday open mats. Coach Hahn meets with wrestlers, whether seasoned veterans or first-time beginners to teach them technique and get them out on the mat, because in the end you just need the reps and the heart to win.
One leader on the wrestling team was senior Danyk Jacobsen. Jacobsen has been wrestling on the team since he was a freshman and has been very successful throughout his career. Jacobsen took third at state as a freshman, won as a sophomore and came in a close second place as a junior. Jacobsen has put in lots of work in the offseason in multiple wrestling camps and tournaments across the country. Jacobsen hopes to close off his high school career with another state championship and plans to wrestle at college. Another wrestler on the team, junior Tucker Shepardson, has been wrestling since he was five. When asked what he must do in order to win this year Shepardson said “I just have to lift weights and build up my strength.”

On the girls’ team, sophomore Karlie Payne hopes to build on her freshman season with a goal to place at state. She qualified for state last year and has been weightlifting and attending open mats this offseason to set herself up to achieve her goal. The wrestling team kicks off their season with a tournament in the first week of December.