Hazen Senior Malik Haythorne finished second in his weight class this weekend at Mat Classic XXVI in Tacoma, becoming the school’s second-ever state finalist in wrestling.

Freshman Raven Svenson also earned a seventh-place finish in her weight class to earn the Highlanders two spots on the podium this weekend.

Haythorne wrestled in the boys 152-pound division while Svensen wrestled int he girls 155-pound division.

Both wrestlers wrestled an outstanding tournament, according to coach Rory Magana.

Haythorne wrestled tough in his first match against Christian Aragon from Decatur. He built a lead throughout the match, and earned a fall at the end of the third round on an attempted throw.

In the quarterfinals, Haythorne pulled out a tough win with a takedown in overtime against Bainbridge’s Dylan Read making him Hazen’s first state placer since 2003.

In the semifinals, Malik pulled out a huge upset by defeating No. 2 ranked  Cody Kiourkas 12-7. The match was more dominant than the score showed, according to Magana who said Haythorne was “on fire that match.”

In the finals, however, he fell short after he was caught with a cradle and pinned by Hudson’s Bay Gunnar Metzgar. At that point in the match he was only down 4-2.

“He wrestled a tough match and a great tournament and made history for a program that has had a rough history,” Magana said in an email.

Svenson took seventh in the girls tournament after losing her first match and then rallying back to win two. On Day 2 Svensen lost her first match, and received an injury default to take seventh place.

“Raven battled hard to become a state placer as a freshman,” Magana said.  “She will be a strong force over the next three years.”