(Santa Ana, CA) Six Mt. SAC Wrestlers finished in the top three, which included a championship in the 285 Lb. weight class by Cristian Ayala at the Santa Ana College Tournament on Saturday, September 29th.
The 285 Lb. (Heavyweight) championship match actually featured Mounties teammates, Ayala and Jackson Serna.
Ayala, who won all four of his matches, pinned his first two opponents in the first minute, won a 9-3 decision in the semis and edged Serna 1-0 in the final. Serna (3-1) won 11-5 in his first match and won two close decisions in the quarterfinal and semifinal.
"I was very excited to see our heavyweights do so good," Mt. SAC Wrestling coach David Rivera said. "(They both) put on great performances throughout the tournament and got into the final, where both individuals were excited to wrestle each other."
As a team the Mounties finished fifth with 70 points, just behind fourth-place finisher Palomar (70.5) and third-place Sacramento City College (78).
Top-ranked Fresno City College (178.5) won its third tournament of the year and Cerritos placed second (108).
Mt. SAC, which entered three teams (18 wrestlers) in the tournament, totaled 15 pins on the day.
Three Mt. SAC wrestlers won their third-place match, which included Zach Cunningham, 125 Lbs. (5-1), Aaron Diaz, 141 Lbs. (4-1) and Andrew Saucedo, 149 Lbs. (5-1).
Saucedo also went up against a teammate, Adam Valdez (4-2) in the third-place match. Valdez placed fourth.
"Those wrestlers put on great performances," Rivera added.
The team will travel up north this Saturday October 6 and compete in the Modesto College Tournament.
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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.