Tag: NAIA

Menlo College Men’s Wrestling claimed the Cascade Collegiate Conference title for the third time in five years on Saturday, February 18, 2023!

In 2020, Menlo College Men’s Wrestling won the Cascade Collegiate Conference title by a 10-point margin. This year, the Oaks won with 153.0 points, beating the next best team, Southern Oregon (108.5 points), by 45 points. Menlo placed 11 wrestlers, with two champions, three second-place wrestlers, three third-place wrestlers, and many more qualifying for Nationals.

Other Accolades:

• Coach of the Year: Joey Martinez in his 14th year as head coach
• Most Outstanding Wrestler: Gulomjon Abdullaev, 133

125 – Riley Siason – 3rd place

Senior Riley Siason had to battle back on Day 2 to place third at 125. He went 5-1 on the tournament and defeated Matthew Terrenced (Vanguard) by decision (11-4) to book his ticket to Nationals.

125 – Cristian Vasquez – 6th place

Vasquez went 1-3 on the weekend with a first-round bye. In the quarterfinals, Cristian pinned James Maheras (Arizona Christian) in the second period with only 15 seconds left. Vasquez is being patient on his potential run at Nationals as Menlo waits for wild card spots to drop this week.

133 – Gulomjon Abdullaev – Champion

The Olympian Gulomjon Abdullaev went 4-0 on the weekend en route to winning the 133-pound title. In the semifinals match, Abdullaev won by tech fall (16-0) against Braden Carson (Eastern Oregon) to make it to the championship match.

Gulomjon also earned the title of Most Outstanding Wrestler, which is voted by head coaches of the tournament, and will be heading to Nationals.

133 – Jovan Garcia – 2nd place

Junior Jovan Garcia also earned his spot at Nationals after going 3-1 on the weekend. It will be his first appearance at Nationals as an Oak.

149 – Christopher Gaxiola – 4th place

Chris went 3-2 to secure his fourth-place spot at 149. In the consolation semifinals, he faced off against Vanguard’s Bryant Avila and won by tech fall (19-4). Gaxiola now awaits his potential wild card bid for Nationals.

157 – Abraham Del Toro – Champion

Senior Abraham Del Toro earned the 157-pound title this weekend by going 4-0. In the championship match, he faced off against University of Providence’s Aden Graves. It was 1-1 most of the match and went into sudden victory, but Del Toro was able to get the take down to win the championship. Del Toro will be returning to Nationals for the Oaks.

165 – Rysan Leong – 3rd place

Rysan went 3-1 on the weekend to place third and earn his spot on the Nationals roster. In the consolation semifinals, he defeated Montana Northern’s Devin Crawford by decision (5-4).

174 – Maximus Zamora – 4th place

Zamora joined the Nationals crew by placing fourth at 174, going 3-2 on the weekend. Max also had to battle back after going 0-1 with a bye on Day 1.

184 – Isaiah Morales – 3rd place

Isaiah took third place as a freshman to make his first appearance at Nationals as an Oak. He went 4-1 on the weekend, winning in sudden victory in the consolation finals against Arizona Christian’s Kaden Martin after getting a takedown to win 5-3.

197 – Afton Silvis – 2nd place

Senior Afton Silvis earned second place at 197 after going 3-1 on the weekend.

285 – Antonio Dacosta – 2nd place

Antonio was the final Oak to punch his ticket to Nationals after going 2-1 on the weekend and placing second.

Up Next….

Without factoring in wild card spots, nine wrestlers qualified for the NAIA National Tournament in Park City, Kansas on March 3-4, 2023.

Read more from Menlo Athletics by clicking here.