USA Bracketing to Become Technology Platform for MHSAA Wrestling

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

August 24, 2026

The MHSAA has partnered with USA Wrestling for the use of USA Bracketing for all events, results, statistics and weight management technology needs, beginning this upcoming season.

With the partnership, all MHSAA postseason events in Michigan will use USA Bracketing. Additionally, all school-hosted dual meets and tournaments will be able to use the software at no additional cost to the school/host and will be able to stream with fully integrated graphics.

USA Bracketing grants event hosts the ability to manage multiple levels of competition—including varsity and junior varsity — while running individual and dual meets within a single event.

The MHSAA will be the eighth state high school association to select USA Bracketing to manage its overall wrestling program. Other state high school associations that have announced partnerships with USA Bracketing include the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA), the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), the Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA), the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA), the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL), the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) and the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA).

USA Bracketing, the event-management software developed by USA Wrestling, serves as the event management software for all USA Wrestling regional and national events. Additionally, USA Bracketing has been used for more than 9,000 events since its launch on Jan. 1, 2025.

USA Wrestling is the national governing body for wrestling in the United States, and a member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and United World Wrestling, the international wrestling federation. 

Be the Referee: Wrestling Inspections

By Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials

January 27, 2022

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment – Wrestling Inspections - Listen

Before every individual or team wrestling event, each participant must be inspected by the referee or other authorized personnel. They are looking for any skin infections or evidence of a communicable disease.

A typical inspection will check a wrestler’s mouth for braces, fingernails, hairlines, underarms, back/shoulder area, behind the knee and more.  
 
All inspections are done in the same manner for all wrestlers at a tournament site, both male and female wrestlers. Inspections generally should take place in an area not readily visible by the public because of modesty concerns for the wrestlers. 
 
No wrestler is allowed to compete until they have gone through and passed the inspection. 

Skin inspections are done with the goal of keeping all participants as safe as possible and preventing the spread of contagious skin conditions. 

Previous editions

Dec. 16: Ball Over Backboard - Listen
Dec. 9: Winter Officials Mechanics - Listen
Nov. 26: Instant Replay - Listen
Nov. 11: Tourney Selection - Listen
Nov. 4: Receiver Carried Out of End Zone Listen
Oct. 28: Volleyball Back-Row Block Listen
Oct. 21: Soccer Disallowed Goal Listen
Sept 30: Field Goal Falls Short Listen
Sept. 23: Volleyball Obstruction Listen
Sept. 16: Catch or No Catch  Listen
Sept. 9: Intentional Grounding – Listen 
Sept. 2: Pass Interference – Listen 
Aug. 26: Protocols and Mechanics 
 Listen