Lady Oaks

While the pandemic has taken competition off the table this year, the talents of our women grapplers are still garnering welldeserved attention. The two-time national championship team will still be the one to beat when competition returns, as evidenced by the recent nation-wide Coaches Poll that singled out twelve of our wrestlers for top-ranked status. The following studentathletes were all recognized as being among the most talented in the country (their national ranking within their respective weight classes are indicated): Sara Aguilar ’21 (#4), Shelly Avelino ’21 (#19), Tianna Fernandez ’23 (#10), Gracie Figueroa ’22 (#1), Taryn Ichimura ’21 (#13), Tiana Jackson ’21 (#1), Alleida Martinez ’22 (#1), Angela Peralta ’21 (#3), Emily Sandoval ’23 (#12), Alana Vivas ’23 (#4), Lizette Young ’21 (#12), and Cindy Zepeda ’23 (#7).

Reflecting the depth of talent on Menlo’s women’s wrestling team, seven members had the opportunity to compete for a chance to represent Team USA at the upcoming Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo this summer. Gracie Figueroa ’22, Marilyn Garcia ’20, and Solin Piearcy ’20 all competed in the US Team semi-finals, and four Oaks advanced all the way to finals in Fort Worth, Texas in April: Precious Bell ’20, Tiana Jackson ’21, Alleida Martinez ’22, and Katherine Shai (Fulp-Allen) ’10. When the final call was made, none of the Oaks secured their passage to compete in this summer’s Olympiad. Our time, though, will yet come!

Lizette Young Alleida Martinez Sarah Aguilar

Cindy Zepeda Alana Vivas Shelly Avelino

Nanea Estrella ’24 took a first place finish at the recent United World Wrestling Junior Nationals in Omaha, NE. The title adds to Nanea’s lustrous high school career: she was a four-time Hawai’i State Champion and the winner of the Maui Interscholastic League Girl Athlete-of-the-Year. As described in the press reports, “Estrella is a freshman at Menlo College, a women’s wrestling powerhouse.” This news suggests our women’s team will be a force to contend with for years to come!