Central Valley’s Alicia Espinoza and Ceres High’s Abbie Schultz and Avril Gaona have qualified for the USA Wrestling Junior Nationals.
Espinoza and Schultz punched their tickets to the tournament after finishing in the top six in their respective weight classes at the March 27-29 Northwest Regionals Centralia, Wash.
Gaona secured an individual berth to the event following her top-six showing at the May 8-9 Western Regionals in Farmington, Utah.
“I had an amazing experience with my team,” Espinoza said. “They were such huge supporters the entire way through. I loved finishing a match and seeing my team cheer me on.”
“I’m super thankful to be the first female out of Ceres to qualify (for Nationals),” Schultz said. “It’s super special how much Ceres girls wrestling has grown. I’m grateful for all the coaches that have got me to where I am.”
“I’m super grateful to qualify and I could not have done it without God and my coaches and teammates,” Gaona said. “They definitely uplifted me a lot during the tournament and just made it a super fun experience.”
Espinoza made history by becoming the first female wrestler from Central Valley to qualify for Junior Nationals.
“Taking first was a great experience,” she said. “I exceeded my expectations.”
Espinoza claimed the 235-pound freestyle Junior Division title at Northwest Regionals.
She won all three of her matches.
“I wanted to place, which was the goal, but I didn’t account for getting first,” Espinoza said. “The competition was tough. It was like another mini State Tournament.”
Schultz placed sixth in the 16-and-under 130-pound freestyle weight division at Northwest Regionals.
She compiled a 3-3 record.
“I went into the tournament to just have fun and get some mat time during the offseason and ended up actually qualifying for Fargo Nationals,” Schultz said. “The competition was tough. It took a lot of heart to get through some of those matches.
Gaona made history by becoming just the second female wrestler from Ceres High to qualify for Junior Nationals.
She placed fourth in the 16-and-under 100-pound freestyle weight division at Western Regionals.
She posted a 2-2 record.
“I definitely exceeded my expectations,” Gaona said. “I went into the tournament thinking I was going to try my hardest and my hardest ended up with me placing which was a huge achievement for me. I wrestled some very tough and amazing girls.”
The USA Junior Nationals are being staged, July 9-18, in Fargo, ND.
“I’m looking forward to competing against some of the best in the nation and seeing how I do,” Schultz said.
“I made the decision on my own for various reasons that I will not be competing in the National Tournament,” Espinoza said. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”
“I unfortunately cannot compete in the tournament because of a knee injury,” Gaona said. “But I can’t wait to hopefully qualify again my sophomore year and compete with some of the toughest girls in the world.”
