(Lemoore, CA) In the first tournament of the 2021 season, the Mt. SAC Wrestling team finished first in the West Hills Tournament Saturday, September 25.
The tournament, hosted by West Hills College, featured 15 teams and 132 wrestlers.
Mt. SAC finished with 151 points, followed by the top five teams; Cerritos, 2nd (121), Bakersfield, 3rd (90), Rio Hondo, 4th (90), and West Hills, 5th (89.5).
"As a team, the Mounties had three first-place finishers, five thirds, one fourth, two fifths, and two sixth-place finishers.
"I'm very proud of the team performance at the West Hills College Invite," Mt. SAC Wrestling coach David Rivera said. "It was a tough tournament and really gave us an opportunity to see the competition.
"The team wrestled well but we still have plenty of room for technical and mental improvement."
Mt. SAC's Wetzel Hill was voted Outstanding Wrestler in the 174 Lb. weight class for the tournament.
Hill (4-0) won his first two matches by pins, the semi-final by a 10-1 major decision and a 7-5 decision in the finals for the championship.
"Wetzel stood out at this tournament and was able to secure the outstanding wrestler award going undefeated at 174lbs.,"
Rivera added.
The other two first-place finishers were David Seanz (133 Lbs.) and Nate Kendricks (197 Lbs.).
"Both Seanz and Kendricks went undefeated for the Mounties," Rivera said. "This weekend showed what they are capable of doing this year."
No. 4 seed Seanz was 3-0 with 20-2 technical fall in a second-round match, a 3-0 decision in the semifinals, and a 6-2 decision in the finals.
Kendricks, seeded first, won a 7-5 decision, a pin at 1:41 of the first period in the semi's and a 10-1 major decision in the finals.
The five third-place finishers were: Conner Diamond (125), Jason Valencia (133), Thomas Chapman (141), Elijah Lopez (157), and Jerry Rubio (165).
Mt. SAC will compete in the Santa Ana Tournament next Saturday, October 2.