Wawasee celebrated the college signings of Kaleb Salazar and Dez Vetor as both will continue their wrestling and academic careers at Manchester University. Photos by Mike Deak

Wawasee has already established a pipeline of wrestlers destined for Manchester University. That line continues to flow as two more have signed to pursue wrestling and academics with the Spartans.
Seniors Kaleb Salazar and Dez Vetor are the latest to sign with Manchester, joining 2024 Wawasee seniors Brooke Catron and Ciara Rodriguez to also head to Wabash County.
Vetor becomes the third Wawasee female to sign with the Manchester program, which will begin its first season of women’s wrestling at the university this fall. Salazar becomes the latest in a long line of Wawasee wrestlers to compete at Manchester, joining his uncle and head coach, Jamie Salazar, who was an All-American and national placer with the program.
Salazar is a 10-time champion at the conference and state tournament level, as well as a two-time state qualifier. He was also a two-time placer at the prestigious Al Smith Invite and helped Wawasee to two sectional team championships.
Salazar will wrestle for head coach Josh Hartman and the Spartans. Outside of the mat, Salazar is following in his brother, Kameron’s, footsteps and will pursue a degree in education.
“I have been working for this moment since I was young,” Salazar said at this ceremonial signing at Wawasee High School this week. “Been working for it and it finally came. It means a lot to me. Not a lot of people can compete in college, so I’m proud to have reached that level.”
On how his uncle influenced him, and even the decision to go to Manchester, “Mi tio has been there for me since day one. He’s given a lot of confidence to me, helped me do a lot of things I didn’t think I could do. Some of his accomplishments are still on the wall there at Manchester. Hopefully, one day I can surpass him. Those are dreams, but maybe I can get there one day.”
Vetor was one of the originals for the Wawasee girls wrestling program, wrestling both years of the program. Vetor took part in both IHSGW state tournaments, and was among the roster that competed in the program’s first-ever girls dual match at John Glenn last December.
At Manchester, Vetor will compete for head coach Trevor Young and will pursue a degree in psychology with hopes of attaining a PhD one day.
“It’s really taught me about life and everything, and I want to continue to pave the way for every other girls who wants to do sports, male dominated sports,” Vetor said at Wawasee after her informal signing ceremony this week. “I’m sticking with this sport because you don’t find a community, a family like wrestling.”

Wawasee has three wrestlers heading to Manchester University, from left are Ciara Rodriguez, Kaleb Salazar and Dez Vetor. In back are coaches Miguel Rodriguez and Jamie Salazar. Not pictured is Brooke Catron, who is also going to Manchester to wrestle this fall.