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FAIRMONT — Haydyn Spitznogle may only be a sophomore, but at this rate, he’s on his way to becoming unforgettable in the Fairmont Senior High history books.
Fresh off the 2025 W.Va high school wrestling season, where he finished as a Region I champion and a state runner-up in Class AAA, Spitznogle is no stranger to success. The brother of former Polar Bears wrestling standout Hunter Spitznogle, former two-time W.Va state champion (2023 and 2024), it’s not cliche to assume that Haydyn is a star on the mat.
He’s just beginning, though, in terms of creating his own legacy.
This past weekend, Spitznogle added to his accolades after finishing as a national champion in the 2025 Adidas Nationals 128-pound class. The Adidas championships are a two-day wrestling event for girls and boys in grades K-12 held in Independence, Missouri. With participants coming from all over the country, the event is one that grabs the attention of college programs searching for talent to build around their respective wrestling squads.
According to TrackWrestling, Spitznogle is currently ranked three and a half stars, but that ranking is expected to change after securing a national title on a major circuit and with two years remaining as a member of the Fairmont Senior wrestling program.
Following the 2025 Big X Conference championships where the Polar Bears clinched their sixth straight conference title, Fairmont Senior head coach Mike Fortier noted the work that Spitznogle had put in after being out since the first tournament of the 2025 season, calling his runner-up honors “impressive.”
From there, Spitznogle has continued to make an impression upon not only his coaches, but his teammates. Senior Bryce Nichols, who recently signed to become part of Glenville State’s wrestling program this fall, had nothing but glowing praise for Spitznogle and for fellow teammate Maximus Fortier, who also recently claimed a national championship at the NHSCA matches in Virginia Beach.
“They are like brothers to me,” Nichols said. “I know they always have my back and I always have theirs no matter what. They are just all around great people to be around and great people to be teammates with.”
Fairmont Senior athletic director Jeremy Laird also praised Spitznogle via social media.
“This is what relentless work and Polar Bear pride looks like,” Laird said.
As it currently stands, Spitznogle is ranked No. 6 in his weight class in W.Va. He also was listed as one of the top sophomores in Class AAA for the 2024-25 season, as he finished the season with a 15-4 overall record and a 34-10 record as a freshman the previous year.
Outside of his wrestling rankings and numerous achievements on the mat, though, he also excels in the classroom, and was named part of the 2024-25 WV-Mat Academic All-State Team for having a grade point average of 3.6 or higher.
At Fairmont Senior, it’s safe to say that success is never given, but earned, both inside the classroom and out. In the 2024-25 campaign for the wrestling team, and for several of the Polar Bears wrestlers when considering individual accolades, it would be difficult to argue that they haven’t earned every ounce of success they’ve gained in the past few months.
For Spitznogle, that success is only the start of what is looking to be a promising wrestling career. Securing an Adidas National Championship, while certainly an impressive feat, is just one of many awards and accomplishments to come for the sophomore standout who no doubt has potential to cement himself as one of the top wrestlers in the state of West Virginia.
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Fresh off the 2025 W.Va high school wrestling season, where he finished as a Region I champion and a state runner-up in Class AAA, Spitznogle is no stranger to success. The brother of former Polar Bears wrestling standout Hunter Spitznogle, former two-time W.Va state champion (2023 and 2024), it’s not cliche to assume that Haydyn is a star on the mat.
He’s just beginning, though, in terms of creating his own legacy.
This past weekend, Spitznogle added to his accolades after finishing as a national champion in the 2025 Adidas Nationals 128-pound class. The Adidas championships are a two-day wrestling event for girls and boys in grades K-12 held in Independence, Missouri. With participants coming from all over the country, the event is one that grabs the attention of college programs searching for talent to build around their respective wrestling squads.
According to TrackWrestling, Spitznogle is currently ranked three and a half stars, but that ranking is expected to change after securing a national title on a major circuit and with two years remaining as a member of the Fairmont Senior wrestling program.
Following the 2025 Big X Conference championships where the Polar Bears clinched their sixth straight conference title, Fairmont Senior head coach Mike Fortier noted the work that Spitznogle had put in after being out since the first tournament of the 2025 season, calling his runner-up honors “impressive.”
From there, Spitznogle has continued to make an impression upon not only his coaches, but his teammates. Senior Bryce Nichols, who recently signed to become part of Glenville State’s wrestling program this fall, had nothing but glowing praise for Spitznogle and for fellow teammate Maximus Fortier, who also recently claimed a national championship at the NHSCA matches in Virginia Beach.
“They are like brothers to me,” Nichols said. “I know they always have my back and I always have theirs no matter what. They are just all around great people to be around and great people to be teammates with.”
Fairmont Senior athletic director Jeremy Laird also praised Spitznogle via social media.
“This is what relentless work and Polar Bear pride looks like,” Laird said.
As it currently stands, Spitznogle is ranked No. 6 in his weight class in W.Va. He also was listed as one of the top sophomores in Class AAA for the 2024-25 season, as he finished the season with a 15-4 overall record and a 34-10 record as a freshman the previous year.
Outside of his wrestling rankings and numerous achievements on the mat, though, he also excels in the classroom, and was named part of the 2024-25 WV-Mat Academic All-State Team for having a grade point average of 3.6 or higher.
At Fairmont Senior, it’s safe to say that success is never given, but earned, both inside the classroom and out. In the 2024-25 campaign for the wrestling team, and for several of the Polar Bears wrestlers when considering individual accolades, it would be difficult to argue that they haven’t earned every ounce of success they’ve gained in the past few months.
For Spitznogle, that success is only the start of what is looking to be a promising wrestling career. Securing an Adidas National Championship, while certainly an impressive feat, is just one of many awards and accomplishments to come for the sophomore standout who no doubt has potential to cement himself as one of the top wrestlers in the state of West Virginia.
Continue reading...
