Central Valley’s girls wrestling program finished second in the Western Athletic Conference standings, sent seven grapplers to the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament and qualified three individuals for the CIF State Meet during the 2024-25 school year.
The Hawks plan to maintain their tradition of overall excellence, which dates back to the 2017-18 season, this winter.
“It’s going to be a tough season because our team is very green,” seventh-year head coach Brandy Cordova said. “We’ll try to do what we need to do to win. A successful year would be getting more than Alicia (Espinoza) and Giana (Breshears) past Regionals.”
“As long as our brand-new wrestlers are progressing every day, that’s a success,” she added. “We’re not chasing medals. We’re chasing experience. That’s what we want with all of the brand-new girls.”
Central Valley has a roster size of 31 wrestlers this winter.
The Hawks will rely on their talent, experience and newcomers.
“It’s one thing to have numbers,” Cordova said. “The fact we have numbers and girls that are continuing to work hard and have the potential to fill our lineup, is music to any wrestling coach’s ear.”
“We’re very excited about the future of Central Valley’s girls wrestling,” she added.
The Hawks return eight wrestlers from a year ago, including Breshears (Sr.), Espinoza (Sr.), Addisyn Prudhel (So.), Vanesa Mendoza-Balbuena (Sr.), Evalyn Zambrano (Sr.), Adamariz Espinoza (Sr.), Valeria Garcia Morales (Jr.) and Taylor Golling (Jr.).
Newcomers Giselle De La Torre (Sr.), Lesly Hernandez (Jr.), Divina Velasquez (Jr.), Joslyn Alvarez (Fr.), Mekenzie Buenrostro (Fr.), Jocelyn Martinez (Fr.) and Alisandra Perez (Fr.) round out Central Valley’s starting lineup.
Breshears and Alicia Espinoza are team captains.
“They have the most experience,” Cordova said. “They work hard in the room. Both of them want to get on the podium at state. They have a really good chance at reaching that goal.”
Breshears will look to become Central Valley’s first-ever, four-time state qualifier.
She compiled a 1-2 record in the 130-pound weight bracket of the CIF State Meet junior year.
Winless at state as a freshman, Breshears won one of three matches at 140 pounds as a sophomore.
She closed the competitive gap at state last season.
Breshears had an overall record of 32-9.
She qualified for state for the third year in a row.
She finished fourth at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Tournament.
Breshears placed first at South Regionals for the second time in three years.
She took second at the Western Athletic Conference Championships.
Alicia Espinoza will be vying for her third consecutive trip to state.
She won one of three matches while competing on the biggest stage as a 190-pound grappler last season.
She posted a 1-2 record as a 170-pounder at state as a sophomore.
Espinoza had an overall record of 24-13 as a junior.
She qualified for state for the second straight season.
She finished third at Masters and second at South Regionals
She also won her third straight league championship.
Espinoza will compete in the heavyweight class (235 pounds) this winter.
Breshears and Espinoza could join elite company by becoming state-medalists. They’ll try to follow in the footsteps of Brianna Espinoza (2025, 2024) and Nayeli Pelayo (2018).
Brianna Espinoza, Alicia’s older sister, made history by becoming Central Valley’s first-ever two-time state placer.
Prudhel (137s, 3-1) placed third at the 2024-25 WAC Championships.
Mendoza-Balbuena (147s, 1-2) and Zambrano (142s, 1-2) both finished fourth.
Central Valley enjoyed success when it relocated from the Central California Conference to the WAC as part of the section’s league realignment plan last season.
The Hawks finished second at the conference championships.
First-place Livingston edged Central Valley by just nine points.
The Hawks also placed second in the WAC dual-meet standings behind the Wolves.
Central Valley compiled a 6-1 record.
Livingston won all seven of its duals.
The WAC features a total of eight teams, including Central Valley, Livingston, Ceres High, Beyer, Grace Davis, Johansen, Pacheco and Lathrop.
“Livingston is a powerhouse,” Cordova said. “They’ll be a tough team to beat. We’ll put up a fight.”
The crosstown-rival Hawks and Bulldogs will face off on Jan. 28 at Phil de la Porte Gymnasium.
Central Valley won last year’s meeting, 52-24.
“It’s definitely a friendly rivalry,” Cordova said.
