TRAILBLAZER

By Brandon Petersen

Berlyn Davis did it.

The celebrated freshman out of San Clemente beat the odds at the Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament last weekend and became the first wrestler in Westcliff history to earn an automatic bid the NAIA national tournament.

"She had a great performance," Westcliff head coach D'Rell Gist said. "She made history."

Davis earned a pin in her first match, then, in what Gist described as a "barnburner of a match," Davis took down the No. 13 ranked wrestler in the country out of Providence.

"She lost in the finals to the No. 2 ranked girl in the nation from EOU," Gist said.

And again, Davis is just a freshman.

But she's not alone.

Kyree Rubio and Fernanda Canedo have been top-notch all season as well, and both have a chance at securing an at-large bid to nationals this week.

Rubio ended up finishing third in conference after what can only be described as an epic first season at Westcliff.

"Only the champions earned an allocation (in Rubio's weight class)," Gist said. "She lost a super close match in the semifinals then battled back with two big wins to place third."

As for Canedo, she ended up in the finals but ultimately lost to the No. 3 rated wrestler in the country out of Southern Oregon.

"She started the match wrestling super tough, but ultimately lost," Gist said.

Hailee Moreno has also had an outstanding season, and at 145, she placed fifth overall – just one spot shy of an automatic bid to Nationals.

Nevertheless, Moreno came on strong at the end of the season and earned her status as a conference placer.

"Overall, the ladies wrestled well, and I'm proud of them," Gist said. "Although Berlyn Davis was the only automatic qualifier, Kyree and Fernanda still have a chance."

Regardless of whether Rubio and Canedo get the bid, their seasons have been a resounding success.

The same can be said for Moreno and Davis.

That's four-for-four in success stories for women's wrestling.

And this is just the beginning.

OAKS OPEN RESULTS

117: Hailee Moreno – 2-2

145: Berlyn Davis – 2-2

180: Kyree Rubio – 0-2

207: Fernanda Canedo – Third Place

Coach's Comments: "We had some tough wins and some tough losses, but overall, we wrestled well. I'm proud of the women's team."

On Moreno: "Hailee had a loss first round by battled tough and won two matches. She was aggressive and I love the fight she brought."

On Davis: "Berlyn had a phenomenal day. In her first match she pinned a returning All-American from Menlo in just over a minute. She then won a close match against a tough girl from Arizona State to make the semifinals. Beating a returning All-American as a freshman is huge and shows how dangerous Berlyn is."

On Rubio: "Kyree just had an off day. It's the first tournament she didn't win this season. She wrestled some tough conference opponents and didn't come out on top, but sometimes that is a blessing in disguised, because we learned a lot. We will get back to work this week."

On Canedo: "Fernanda picked up three falls and wrestled tough. In her first match she was winning 8-0 and tried to throw the girl and pinned herself. After that, she rallied back with three pins to take third place."