TWO THROUGH (SO FAR)

By Brandon Petersen

Westcliff Women's Wrestling delivered its strongest conference showing in program history at the Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships this weekend, placing fifth as a team and advancing two wrestlers to the NAIA National Championships through wild card selection.

Head coach D'Rell Gist called the performance a defining step forward for the young program.

"Overall our girls wrestled tough," Gist said. "We battled through a lot of adversity and bounced back after some tough losses. We placed fifth as a team, which is the highest finish in program history, and had seven conference placers."

The Warriors saw multiple athletes fight deep into the bracket, with Genesis Rivera (180) earning a third-place finish and Fernanda Canedo (207) securing second place. Both were named All-CCC performers following their podium performances.

Rivera battled through the consolation side of the bracket after an early setback, picking up a decisive 4-3 win in the consolation semifinals before closing with a fall in the third-place match.

Canedo delivered one of the strongest runs of the tournament, recording a technical fall and a 13-6 semifinal decision before reaching the championship match at 207 pounds.

Beyond the podium finishes, Westcliff's depth across weight classes stood out.

Vanessa Alvarado (124), Jeslyn Ledezma (145), Berlyn Davis (160), and Natalie Gonzales (180) all earned fifth-place finishes, while Kaelyn Siason placed fourth at 138 pounds.

In total, seven Warriors finished in the top five of their respective divisions.

The postseason picture grew even brighter following the coaches' vote for national wild card selections — awarded to top performers who did not automatically qualify.

"We also got two national qualifiers," Gist said. "Berlyn Davis and Fernanda Canedo both earned wild cards to go to nationals."

The wild card process includes a coaches' vote at the conclusion of the tournament to determine six additional national qualifiers. Westcliff claimed two of those coveted spots, further underscoring the respect the program has earned within the conference.

Vanessa Alvarado remains on the at-large list and could still receive a national bid pending final selections later this week.

For Gist, the most important takeaway was the measurable progress from one season to the next.

"We made huge jumps from the conference tournament last year to this year, which shows a ton of progress," he said. "We are a young team, and all of our athletes are returners, so I'm excited for our team to keep growing."

With Canedo and Davis in, and possible Alvarado, the season has already been resounding success.

Whatever happens from here is the cherry on top.

CCC Individual Results

110 – Barbara Greenberg (0-2)
124 – Vanessa Alvarado (5th Place)
131 – Abby Mendoza (0-2)
138 – Kaelyn Siason (4th Place)
145 – Jeslyn Ledezma (5th Place)
160 – Berlyn Davis (5th Place – National Qualifier, Wild Card)
180 – Genesis Rivera (3rd Place – All-CCC)
180 – Natalie Gonzales (5th Place)
207 – Fernanda Canedo (2nd Place – All-CCC, National Qualifier, Wild Card)