Bulldogs Come Up Short of Four-Peat, Women’s Squad Shines Bright in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — February 10, 2018
The 2018 NCWA California State Championships were hosted by USC on February 10, with a deep field of club programs from across the Golden State. Fresno State entered the tournament aiming for a fourth straight men’s team title, but were ultimately edged out by a new powerhouse contender in Cal Poly WC, who claimed the top spot in their debut season. On the women’s side, the Bulldogs found gold, securing the women’s team championship.
Cal Poly WC dominated the men’s standings with 116 points, while Fresno State finished runner-up with 63, narrowly ahead of Sacramento State (62). Key head-to-head matchups and a few unfilled weights—184, 235, and heavyweight—ultimately made the difference. Still, several Bulldog wrestlers rose to the occasion with standout performances.
Tournament Recap – Men
125 lbs – Alberto Berber (Champion)
Berber cruised through round-robin action with a commanding performance. He scored an 18-2 technical fall over James Yun (USC), followed by a fall in 1:55 over Joseph Platas (Sac State), a 10-6 win over Jeff Payo (CSUN), and closed with another 10-6 decision against Andrew Lopez (USC) to go undefeated on the day.
133 lbs – Alejandro Vides (2nd place)
In a best-of-three series, Vides dropped two straight bouts to Jake Lilienstein (Cal Poly WC), a key matchup that helped Cal Poly WC pull away in the team score.
141 lbs – Eric LeNorgant
LeNorgant had a tough run in his round-robin bracket, dropping close decisions to Sean Yuan (USC) and Amir Beardsley (Sac State). He earned a fall over Devin Montarbo (CSUN), before ending with a loss to Finn Childress (Cal Poly).
149 lbs – Christian McEntire
McEntire pinned Justin Shamunee (CSUN) in his opener before falling in the semifinals to Matthew Garcia (Cal Poly WC). He bounced back with a fall over Taylor Carmona (USC), then lost in the third-place bout to Paul Adkisson (UCLA).
157 lbs – Llimy Garcia
Garcia lost his first bout to Champ Darabundit (USC), but rebounded with a 15-2 major decision over Asa Young (UCSB) and an 18-14 win against Kane Jaijieh (UCLA). He dropped a close contest to Daniel Escajeda (CSUN) in the third-place match.
165 lbs – Amrik Singh (3rd place)
In round-robin action, Singh fell to Michael Klee (Cal Poly WC) and Eduardo Raygoza (Sac State), finishing third by default.
174 lbs – Emmanuel Zepeda (3rd place)
Zepeda opened with a pin over Seamus Sullivan (CSUN), then fell in a tight match to PJ Schmitz (Cal Poly WC). He bounced back in the consolations with pins over Manuel Rivera and Cesar Martin Del Campo (both Sac State) to claim third.
197 lbs – Sebastian Suikowsky (2nd Place)
Suikowsky dominated early with a 20-2 tech fall over Jackson Pfau (Sac State) and a fall over Tiel Bowers (CSUN). In the finals, he went toe-to-toe with Max Bossert (Cal Poly WC), ultimately dropping a competitive bout to take second.
Tournament Recap – Women
136 lbs – Yuritzi Boyzo (2nd Place)
Boyzo opened with a win over Jessica Luna (CSUN) but was defeated in the finals by Arianna McDonald (UCSB), securing a silver medal finish.
143 lbs – Rossana Aguilar (Champion)
Aguilar continued her dominance with a fall over Gloria Arias (CSUN), followed by another pin against Georgia Hake (Cal Poly WC), and a 16-0 technical fall over Angelica Galvez (CSUN) to take the title at 143 lbs.
155 lbs – Yaritza Hernandez (Champion)
Hernandez controlled her best-of-three series against Isabel Dobrev (UCLA), earning two pins to secure the 155-pound championship.
Next Up
Fresno State will travel to Bullhead City, Arizona, on February 24 for the 2018 NCWA West Coast Conference Championships, where the top four men’s placers per weight will earn automatic bids to nationals. The NCWA National Championships will be held March 8–10 at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas.
