Women's Wrestling Season Check-In

by Chris Nunez

East LA College Women's Wrestling has built on their enormously successful first season by hitting the mats hard so far this spring in the program's second season.

The squad is currently ranked #3 in the state, with the following wrestlers enjoying Top-10 rankings:

• Sophomore Delilah Rhiannon Felix-Lopez - currently ranked #1 in the 123lb class
• Freshman AJ Guizar is ranked #4 in the 128lb class
• Sophomore Ariana Valdivia is ranked #1 in the 136lb class
• Sophomore Galilea Garcia-Salazar is #3 in the 160lb class
• Freshman Jennifer Contrares is #3 in the 180lb class
• Sophomroe Isabella Calle is #1 in the 220lb class

In their first home meet back on February 29th, they lost a close meet with 2023 state runner-up Mt. SAC by the score of 33-24. Mt SAC had one more pinfall than ELAC that helped the deciding score.

Learning for that experience, the Huskies then went into the state duals in Fresno on March 9th. They beat a tough host in Fresno City 34-24, and then beat Santa Ana and Palomar en route to a third-place finish for the second straight year.

The returning sophomores have had solid performances so far. Among such highlights:

• Felix-Lopez took third place at the Cerritos Freestyle, an event that also hosts four-year schools such as Menlo and Vanguard.
• Valdivia holds a 6-1 individual record so far this season.

HUSKY BITS

• Felix-Lopez was the program's first-ever 3C2A weight class champion last year when she took first place at State.
• Calle was the second to earn 3C2A state gold last season.
• Valdivia and Garcia-Salazar finished second last year in State in their respective weight classes.

UP NEXT:

The Pack hosts two dates next week. On Thursday April 4, Bakersfield will come into the "E-rena" (ELAC C1 Men's Gym) to face the Green at 7pm. Then Saturday April 6 is the big one - the Leader of the Pack Tournament, a new yearly tournament hosted by women's wrestling that kicks off at 9am, again in the gym.