The 2022-23 winter sports season concluded this past month. Now is the perfect time to recollect and celebrate individual and team accomplishments.
Athletes of the Year
Ceres High’s Arturo Estrada and Central Valley’s Brianna Espinoza have been named the Ceres Courier’s Male and Female Athletes of the Year.
Estrada and Espinoza starred in boys wrestling and girls wrestling, respectively.
Espinoza, a sophomore, made program history by becoming just the seventh female grappler from Central Valley to qualify for the CIF State Wrestling Tournament.
She gained valuable experience while dropping a pair of matches in the 235-pound weight bracket.
Espinoza enjoyed her best season to date with the Hawks.
She amassed a 37-11 overall record.
“I’m proud of myself for being able to go to state and placing at tournaments,” she said. “I wrestled better this year. I pushed myself to learn technique and master my skills. I focused on my upper strength and became faster. I realized I needed to be more aggressive. I just have to be more mentally prepared as a wrestler.”
Espinoza won three of four matches en route to a second-place finish at the Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Championships.
She compiled an 0-2 record at Masters as a freshman.
Espinoza claimed the 235-pound title at the Sac-Joaquin Section South Regional Tournament.
She won all three of her matches.
Espinoza placed first at the CCC Finals for the second year in a row.
She pinned both of her opponents.
“She’s a lot more confident,” Central Valley head coach Brandy Cordova said. “You can tell she’s sure of herself on the mat.”
“Last year, everything was new to me,” Espinoza stated. “I was more timid. This year, I got way better. I learned more moves and technique. I’ve wrestled smarter. I have more confidence.”
A fourth-year grappler, Estrada also enjoyed his best season to date with the Bulldogs.
The 132-pound senior qualified for Masters, finished second at the Division-IV Championships and placed first at the Western Athletic Conference Tournament.
“He had a great career,” head coach Casey Paulino said. “His growth from last year to this year was immense. He hit the gym really hard. He put on 10 pounds of muscle. He was eating right. His movement was incredible. It was all starting to click. He was on track to going to state. It would have felt good to see him get there. He’s put so much work in.”
Estrada secured his first-ever berth to Masters. He just missed advancing to the tournament as a junior. Estrada took fifth at 126 pounds.
“That lit a fire under my butt to work harder in the offseason to get me where I’m at today,” he said. “Wrestling with no pressure makes everything easier. I had that mindset going into Divisionals. I’m wrestling to have fun.”
Estrada won three of four matches at Divisionals.
He posted a 2-0 record as the top seed at the WAC Finals.
Newcomers of the Year
Ceres High’s Dakota Adams and Central Valley’s Giana Breshears have been named the Courier’s Male and Female Newcomer Athletes of the Year.
Adams and Breshears had productive seasons in boys wrestling and girls wrestling, respectively.
Breshears had a success-filled first year at Central Valley.
She posted a 37-15 overall record.
“I surprised myself,” Breshears said. “I didn’t think I’d win at all at the beginning of the season. I didn’t have confidence.”
Breshears made program history by becoming just the eighth female Hawk wrestler to advance to the CIF State Meet.
She won one of her three matches in the 143-pound weight bracket.
“Giana’s the first freshman from Central Valley to make it to a state championship in any sport,” Cordova said.
“That’s crazy,” Breshears said. “It’s unbelievable. I way exceeded my expectations. I never thought I’d qualify for state as a freshman. I listened and followed my coaches’ instructions. My mom took me to everything. That’s how I became a state-qualifier.”
Breshears bested four of six opponents while placing fourth at the Masters Tournament.
She finished first with a 3-0 record at the South Regional Championships.
She took second (1-1) at the CCC Finals.
“I’m really proud of how I wrestled,” Breshears said. “I’ve improved a lot. I came into the room not knowing anything. After the first day of practice, I was crying. I couldn’t move my body. After some time, I learned how to listen and not forget my moves. It came without thinking about it.”
“I didn’t think I’d make it this far my first year,” she added. “But I’ve handled so much in my life. Pressure doesn’t affect me. I trust my coaches and family.”
A newcomer to wrestling, senior Dakota Adams claimed a second-place medal while competing in the 126-pound weight bracket at the Western Athletic Conference Championships.
He was seeded fourth.
Adams compiled a 1-2 record at the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-IV Tournament.
“We knew he was going to be good,” Paulino said. “But I think he surprised himself. He’s very strong and athletic. That helps him out.”
Coach of the Year
Curtis Hulstine has been named the Courier’s Coach of the Year.
Ceres High School’s girls wrestling program accomplished its goals of achieving individual and team success under Hulstine’s guidance.
“They exceeded my expectations with how young they are,” said Hulstine, who was quick to give credit to his Bulldog grapplers. “This is the best team I’ve coached. They work hard every single day. They take constructive criticism and learn from their mistakes. I see us having a really solid team the next three to four years. We’ve built a good system.”
Ceres High brought home seven individual medals from the Western Athletic Conference Championships. The Bulldogs totaled 94 points en route to a third-place finish in the team standings.
Ceres High (6-1) managed to place second during the WAC dual-meet season despite competing with a new-look lineup. The Bulldogs returned just four wrestlers from last year’s team, which finished fifth at the 2021-22 conference tournament.
“It goes to show type of environment (boys head coach) Casey Paulino and I have created,” Hulstine said. “We’ve done a lot of hard work when it comes to recruiting. We help a lot of the sports at the school and that’s got our name out there.”
Team of the Year
Central Valley’s girls wrestling program has been named the Courier’s Team of the Year.
The Hawks placed a program-best third at the Sac-Joaquin Section South Regional Tournament.
Central Valley shared the Central California Conference’s overall championship with Atwater.
The Hawks were guaranteed a share of the title after winning all six of their conference duals for the second straight season.
Central Valley took second at the CCC Tournament.
The Hawks finished seventh at the Sierra Nevada Classic, a 61-team tournament.
Central Valley was third at Ceres High’s First Annual Super Girl Showdown.
The Hawks had 10 grapplers medal at the Clash Before Christmas in Los Banos.
“The girls deserve all the credit,” Cordova said. “They’ve worked hard and bought into the program myself and the assistant coaches have put into place. It truly does take a full squad. As coaches, we can only provide the tools that they need to accomplish their goals.”