Young wrestlers have promising debut

Aaron Meister couldn't have asked for much more from his Wayland Baptist women's wrestling team than what it gave him at the Pioneers' season-opening dual against a far-away opponent Wednesday night in the Laney Center.

Taking on the Grays Harbor College Chokers from Washington, Wayland came away with a 30-16 victory to get the 2017-18 season started on a very positive note.

"We wrestled well tonight," Meister said. "As a team I think we looked solid and got a good start to the season."

Meister wasn't sure what he would get from his team full of young wrestlers against one of the top junior college squads in the country.

"We're young," Meister said of his team that features no seniors. "And that's a good team we beat, too. I knew they would be good competition, which is why I scheduled them. My hat's off to (Grays Harbor coach) Andy Cook and his team. When I scheduled this dual I knew they were an up-and-coming team. But from last spring until now, they're not just up-and-coming, they're here."

Wayland won six of the 10 matches, including what Meister called "a couple of swing matches that went our way." The coach said Marina Briceno, wrestling at 155 pounds, and Gabriela Ramos-Diaz, wrestling at 116, "fought their way off their backs." Briceno turned the tables to record a pin while Ramos-Diaz won by tech fall.

"That's a big point swing, which could have changed the outcome of the dual."

The Pioneers led just 15-11 when Brittany Bates at 143, Briceno and Skylar Brock at 170 recorded back-to-back-to-back pins, securing the dual for Wayland.

The Pioneers next compete at the Oklahoma City University Open on Friday and Saturday. The Wayland and Grays Harbor teams will bus together to Oklahoma City.

"We still have a lot of work to do, but if we can go out and execute like we did tonight I feel confident moving forward," Meister said.
  101: Asia Ray, WBU, def. Julian Yates, GHC, 10-0 TF (4-0)
109: Nina Pham, GHC, def. Rhonda Johnson, WBU, 12-8 dec. (5-3)
116: Gabriela Ramos-Diaz, WBU, def. Brittany Wynn, GHC, 11-0 TF (9-3)
123: Leah Olguin, WBU, won by forfeit (14-3)
130: Alexis Morfin, GHC, def. Asia Igafo, WBU, 8-6 dec. (15-6)
136: Desiree Zavala, GHC, won by forfeit (15-11)
143: Brittany Bates, WBU, def. Veronica Coppolino, GHC, pin (20-11)
155: Marina Briceno, WBU, def. Jenna Doll, GHC, pin (25-11)
170: Skylar Brock, WBU, def. Audrey Bucher, GHC, pin (30-11)
191: Paige Baynes, GHC, won by forfeit (30-16)
Exhibitions
101: Alisha Elizalde, WBU, def. Julian Yates, GHC, pin
109: Evelyn Simmons, WBU, def. Nina Pham, GHC, 12-0 TF
109/116: Rhonda Johnson, WBU, def. Cynthia Ramirez, GHC, 19-9 TF
130: Amanda Alvarado, WBU, def. Maryssa Monterrosa, GHC, pin
130/136: Alexis Morfin, GHC, def. Jill Blanchard, WBU, 10-0 TF
143: Veronica Coppolino, GHC, def. Chanel Criner, WBU, pin
155: Jenna Doll, GHC, def. Skylar Brock, WBU, pin