Canedo Now No. 16 as Warriors Battle in the Rockies
Hailing from Ridgeview High School, Canedo is a California state finalist who started wrestling in just her junior year.
By Brandon Petersen
The NAIA women's wrestling poll was released last week, Westcliff got some excited news as Fernando Canedo was ranked No. 16 in the nation and No. 1 in the Cascade Conference at the 207-pound weight class.
Hailing from Ridgeview High School, Canedo is a California state finalist who started wrestling in just her junior year.
"Since coming to college, Fernanda has improved exponentially," Westcliff head coach D'Rell Gist said. "Especially when it comes to her handfighitng and throws."
Last week Canedo won her first match at the collegiate level, and this past weekend finished first place at the Battle of the Rockies.
Gist said he recruited Canedo because of her exceptional work-ethic, and that hard work is now paying off at the next level.
"She wrestled great out there," Gist said of Canedo's Week 1 performance. "We are very excited to watch her freshman season take off. With her work ethic, Fernanda has the ability to accomplish some big things and make some history here at Westcliff."
Battle of the Rockies Results
At 124 pounds, Ruby Barrett Reese went 1-2, as did Hailee Moreno.
Both Raeanna Halvorson (138 pounds) and Alana Thompson (117) fought well but were unable to pick up a victory over the weekend.
"This was a tough tournament, and the girls got to wrestle a lot of nationally ranked girls," Gist said. "We also got to wrestle a lot of girls in our conference."
Both of Canedo's wins came by pin, and one was against a CCC wrestler from Eastern Oregon.
Moreno's victory was especially exciting for the Dubs, as the 124-pounder pinned the No. 3 ranked wrestler in the CCC from Evergreen State.
Meanwhile, Reese picked up a pin of a wrestler from rival Vanguard.
"Overall, the girls wrestled tough, and we have a ton of potential," Gist said. "We made some simple mistakes, which is expected from a group of freshmen, but will continue to work and clean up those mistakes."
Next weekend, the Warriors are back in action at the Mile High Open.