Two Bulldogs Capture Titles at Utah Tech Stampede Invitational
ST. GEORGE, Utah – November 22, 2025
The Fresno State NCWA Wrestling squad wrapped up its final competition before Thanksgiving break by bringing home two tournament champions at the Utah Tech Stampede Invitational. Junior transfer Emmanuel Plascencia and freshman Jocelynn Benitez each won their respective weight classes, leading a small but competitive Bulldog lineup.
Competing in his first individual tournament appearance for Fresno State, Plascencia entered the 141 pound bracket as the number one seed and secured three consecutive pin fall victories to claim the tournament title. His finals match against Ryker Maestas of Snow College featured a brief scramble exchange before Plascencia secured the fall.
On the women’s side, 103 pounder Jocelynn Benitez completed an outstanding run to the championship. She opened the tournament with a 15-1 major decision over the 2024 NCWA 109 pound national champion, followed by a 16-1 tech fall over the 2025 NCWA 103 pound national champion. She was awarded a forfeit win in her final bout to officially secure the title.
The results mark a strong finish to the first phase of the season as the team returns home ahead of the holiday break.
Men’s Results
141 lbs – Emmanuel Plascencia (Champion)
Seeded number one entering the tournament, Plascencia opened with a first round bye. He went on to pin Alexander Moore (UC Riverside) in the first period. In the semifinals he again secured a first period fall over Michael Lewis (Snow College). In the finals he squared off with Ryker Maestas (Snow College). The two briefly exchanged positions off cradle attempts before Plascencia secured the pin to capture the title.
149 lbs – Diego Lua
Lua began the day with an exciting overtime victory over William Palacios (UC Riverside). He then fell to Josiah Wickard (Snow College) in his next match. In consolations he took on Emanel Palacios (Ottawa AZ) and dropped to the fifth and sixth place match. He would go on to fall to Mario Eguino (CSU Northridge) to close out his tournament.
157 lbs – Michael Villa
Opened with a first round bye before locking up a first period pin over Brandon Cabrera (UC Riverside). He then fell to Ryan Reay (Utah Tech) followed by a high scoring loss to Christian Farfan (Ottawa AZ) after getting caught in a pin. Villa responded in his final match and claimed seventh place via pin fall over Luke Iwai (UCLA).
Women’s Results
103 lbs – Jocelynn Benitez (Champion)
Benitez delivered one of the most impressive performances of the tournament. She opened with a 15-1 major decision over two time NCWA All American and 2024 NCWA National Champion Liliana Voakes (Ottawa AZ). In her second bout she secured a 16-1 tech fall over the 2025 NCWA National Champion Makayla Lopez (Arizona Christian). She was awarded the tournament title following a forfeit win against Elizabet Brunson (UNLV).
117 lbs – Jasmin Ruiz
Ruiz opened with a tough loss to Catalina Brown (Arizona Christian). She bounced back in consolations with a pin over Alexis Wright (UC Riverside). She ran into Alexis Wright (Arizona Christian) in her next bout and was sent to the fifth place match, where she ended her day with a win over Yareli Macias (UC Riverside).
131 lbs – Araceli Zeferino
Zeferino fell in both of her matches, first to Myah French (Utah State) and then to Juliet Paiz (UC Riverside), ending her tournament.
131 lbs – Jazmin Kumler
Opened with a first round bye before falling to Yaretzi Lopez (Arizona Christian) in the quarterfinals. She then rebounded with back-to-back victories over Juliet Paiz (UC Riverside) and Mya Bardoni (UNLV). She dropped her final match to Kylee Knudsen (Utah Tech) to finish in fourth place.
138 lbs – Delilah Lozano
Lozano opened with a first round bye and then dropped her match against Ale`a Otsuka (UNLV). She fell to Gabriela Espinoza (San Jose State) in her second bout, ending her day.
138 lbs – Lilian Busnardo
Busnardo also opened with a first round bye and dropped her initial bout to Gabriela Espinoza (San Jose State). She responded with a fall over Ale`a Otsuka (UNLV) before falling again to Espinoza in a competitive 6-3 decision.
145 lbs – Angelique Huerta-Alvarado
Dropped her opening bout to Lavinia Lei (UCLA) and her consolation match to Danica Smith (Arizona Christian), concluding her tournament.
145 lbs – Gabriela Flores
Flores began with a tough loss to Danica Smith (Arizona Christian). She rallied with pin fall victories over Abigail Lubic (Ottawa AZ) and Lavinia Lei (UCLA) before falling once again to Smith in the third and fourth place match.
