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ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Lenci Landaker & Shiela Lerit
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By Brian Cornelius
Sports editor 2/5/02
VALLEJO - There was no shock when it came to the champions of the 100- and 110-pound weight classes that the California Shootout girls wrestling tournament at Vallejo High on Saturday.
As expected, Vallejo High School's Lenci Landaker (100) and Shiela Lerit (110) handled their competition to repeat as the champions of the event which is known in wrestling circles as the California State Championship. What was a little shocking was the ease of their championship run.
Landaker won four matches at the event with three pins, including one in the championship match, while Lerit pinned all four of her opponents. The championship wins, combined with the solid performances at the Monticello Empire League Mini Duals on Wednesday, have earned the Apache teammates the VallejoNews.com co-Athletes of the Week award.
"We had high expectations that both of them would repeat and win the tournament two years in a row and they both wrestled incredibly well," Vallejo coach Mike Minahen said. "They wrestled solid matches on top, on bottom, the whole day. It was just an excellent day of wrestling
"I was impressed with their intensity and their preparation before their match," Minahen added. "Neither one took any of their matches for granted. They had seven pins out of eight matches. They were all business. There was no waiting around for mistakes, they were getting after it."
After picking up a pin and a forfeit win at the MEL Mini Duals in Vacaville on Wednesday, Landaker came out, defeated her first three opponents before pinning Bethel's Maribeth Grim in the first round.
"I wrestled good. I worked on my moves and did all my shots that I had been working on. I finished really well," Landaker said. "There was one girl that I wrestled in the finals last year (Vintage's Maika Watanabe) and she didn't make weight. That kind of surprised me. She wrestled 105s. She was the girl that I had looked forward to wrestling."
Lerit, who defeated her only opponent at the MEL duals, pinned Sierra Vista's Ivy Lopez in the second round of the championship match on Saturday. She hammered Bethel's Melanie Grim with a :38 pin in the semifinal match.
"Looking at my brackets, I already knew the girl that I would have to wrestle in the finals. I was scared," Lerit said. "I had heard about her being a Judo person and I ended up wrestling her in the finals. When finals came, I was like, "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Finals!' ... My coach told me to wrestle the way I wrestle because she didn't know me. After that I was calm."
Each with their second-straight California title in hand, the duo now turns their attention to the national level. The 5th Annual USGWA National Championship Girls Wrestling Tournament will be held on Mar. 23-24 at Lake Orion High School in Lake Orion, MI.
Lerit, who finished fourth at the event last year, is the fourth ranked 110-pound wrestler in the nation, according to USGWA.com. Landaker is ranked fifth in the nation.
With the top rankings, Minahen is expecting big things from his two wrestlers.
"We obviously have higher hopes in terms of competing nationally and maybe internationally," Minahen said. "Both of them have gone two years in a row and both of them have placed. Both of them will have a chance to become a three-time all-American in March..
"I really think they are going to have the opportunity to place higher than their ranks," Minahen added. "I think they are going to have an opportunity to be finalists."
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Lenci Landaker/Shiela Lerit
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By Rhonda Reason-Thomas, Times-Herald staff writer 2/5/02
Two Vallejo High School wrestlers took about five minutes Saturday to shut down eight challengers and repeat as champions in the California Girls State Championships.
Seniors Lenci Landaker and Shiela Lerit captured the California Girls State Championship that featured 60 high schools from throughout the state.
Lerit and Landaker blazed through their weight classes to defend their honor to become repeat champions of the highly rated wrestling tournament that features 60 high schools from throughout the state.
Lerit had no problems pinning all four of her opponents, including a microwave performance in the semi-finals.
She was clocked at 38 seconds for the instant pin on Bethel's Melanie Grim, that took her into the final match
Lerit's come-from-behind victory on Sierra Vista's Ivy Lopez came within 3:18 of the match.
Landaker wasn't much different than her teammate and good friend. She had two pins in the first round of two matches to begin her championship quest.
She then went on an 11-0 series to exhaust her semi-final match, then intensified her attack as she turned Grim and pinned her in 1:14 for the championship.
For these accomplishments on the mat, Landaker and Lerit are both Times-Herald Athletes Of The Week.
On Saturday, Landaker and Lerit proved why they're both ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 5 in the nation for girls high school wrestling.
Not big as a minute, the 100-pound Landaker and 110-pound Lerit had no problems lifting their rivals and leaving them stranded on their backs, as the referee counted them out.
Landaker said her first opponent basically pinned herself as she tried to bridge from a shot.
"I held on to her leg and that kept her shoulders pinned to the mat," she said about her first match.
In the semi-finals, Landaker said although she won the match 11-0, her opponent was strong and picked up very well. She said it made her have to work harder for the win.
"In the finals, I just kept turning her until I got the pin," Landaker said.
She said her coach inspired her to stay focused to get the job done, while teammates pumped her up from the sideline with advice and encouragement.
When it came to Lerit, she said she used her favorite hold, "the firemen's carry," to burn Lopez in the final match.
"When I couldn't get my firemen's to work in the previous matches, I went to my bars to put them on their back," she said.
Lerit said she wasn't nervous during her first two matches, but admitted she was a little intimidated going into the final match with Lopez.
Vallejo coach Mike Minahen was confident that his girls would do well and make it to the finals of the tournament.
"We thought that they'd both make it to the finals. It wasn't a surprise at all that they won the tournament," Minahen said.
"They came out with much more intensity than they had previously in tournaments. They had much more at stake," he said.
"They were very anxious and being at home was an added bonus that may have motivated them a little bit more." Other nominees:
Ferial Majzoub, North Hills girls basketball -- Had 18 points in the Eagles' 45-22 victory over Community Christian of San Leandro Tuesday; had 28 rebounds and 22 points in the Golden Eagles' 40-30 win over American Heritage last Friday.
Steven Sandles, Bethel boys basketball -- Had 16 points and 16 rebounds against Hogan; had 16 points and 19 rebounds in Bethel's 50-44 win over Vintage last Tuesday.
DeMarcus Nelson, Vallejo boys basketball -- Had 20 points against Armijo last Tuesday; had 24 points in Vallejo's 56-46 win over Vacaville last Thursday.
Ryan LaRowe, North Hills boys basketball -- Had 12 points and pulled down 19 rebounds in the Eagles' convincing 80-49 rout over Community Christian of San Leandro Tuesday. Scored 24 points and 11 rebounds in North Hills' 102-26 rout of American Heritage last Friday.
Cavelle McDonald, North Hills boys basketball -- Had 22 points in the win over CC San Leandro; scored 30 points against American Heritage.
Latricia Nickelberry, Bethel girls basketball -- Had 27 points, including all of her team's 18 in the first quarter, in the Jaguars' overtime loss to Hogan; scored 22 points in Bethel's 60-41 loss to Vintage last Friday.
Jasmine Demery, Vallejo girls basketball--Had 25 points, 15 rebounds in the 56-46 loss to Vacaville on Friday. Had 13 points, nine rebounds in the 41-33 win over Armijo on Tuesday.
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The State of Girls Wrestling
By James Wiseman, Times-Herald 2/2/02
There will be plenty of mats, but almost certainly no "Matt"s at Vallejo High School's Bottari Gym today.
For the second consecutive year, Vallejo hosts the state's biggest all-girls wrestling tournament. The event, called the Girls California Wrestling Championship this year, is expected to draw more than 100 wrestlers from all over California. Wrestlers are coming in from as far away as San Diego and the Oregon border.
"It's a thrill for us - a real honor," Vallejo wrestling coach Mike Minahen said about the second-annual tournament. "Northern California has become a hot spot for girls wrestling. The whole state will be here."
Mat action begins at 9:30 a.m. and is expected to run into the evening.
Last year, the tournament was designated as the California Interscholastic Federation Girls State Championship. But this year's meet will not be sanctioned by the CIF. Nevertheless, the event figures to be just as competitive, with most of the same girls competing.
Vallejo seniors Lenci Landaker and Shiela Lerit return to the meet as defending state champions, each holding top-five national rankings. Lerit has not lost a girls match all season. She took first at the ultra-competitive Williams Cup in Southern California last week.
Landaker managed third place at the same tournament and has only lost three matches - all to ranked opponents - all season. Landaker and Lerit both expect to win their weight classes today. They said they are using the meet as a tune-up for next month's national tournament.
"Everyone wants to win, But in a way, it's to get us pumped up for nationals," Landaker said about today's tournament.
"I'll be looking more at how they win than the wins themselves," Minahen added. "If they wrestle good technically and don't win it, I'll be satisfied."
Lerit and Landaker will be joined by freshmen Tara and Tiffany Thomas and sophomore Eunice Tjon - all three making their all-girls tournament debuts for Vallejo.
Hogan will have the largest local contingent at the meet, fielding 12 wrestlers. The Spartans' girls program has developed tremendously in the past year and figures to flourish in the future. Eight of the 12 are underclassmen.
Roweena Hernandez, Liza Sana, Sonia Ali and Nancy Varela all return to the mat as seniors, looking to gauge their progress against the state's toughest competition. They will be joined by juniors April Bauzon, Ruth Ramos and Andrea Santos, as well as sophomores Nikki Arenal, Ereene Belamide, Jessica Robles and Marissa Munar and freshman Marissa Gonzales. Many of the Hogan girls got a preview of today's action last week at the Vintage Classic tournament in Napa.
"We've been working hard since the beginning of the year," said Spartans coach Ric Manibusan. "We got a bite of reality (in Napa) last week. We're prepared for it now."
Bethel rounds out the local competitors with four entrants in today's tournament. Melanie Grim - a three-year veteran of the sport - will be vying for the title in her weight class, while Maribeth Grim, Ashley Banyongan and Jayme Bordon are all making their state tourney debuts.
"I think these girls should be able to do fine in their respective weight classes," said Bethel coach Mike Sariano, who believes his Bethel, Vallejo and Hogan will have a "home-field advantage" of sorts. "I think (the home crowd) will give them a lot of support, a lot of confidence to wrestle to the best of their ability."
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Half Moon Bay wins division wrestling title
February 06, 2002
The showdown took place at Terra Nova High Gym. The participants were Half Moon Bay and Terra Nova, two wrestling teams undefeated and going for the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division crown.
In one of the most intense league meets in recent memory, Half Moon Bay dethroned defending champion Terra Nova with a 32-29 thriller and captured the title.
Starting at 145 pounds, Sam Temko scored a 16-0 tech fall for Half Moon Bay, only to have Terra Nova's Eric Helmstreit (152), Matt Faughender (160) and Matt Shug (171) win the next three matches by decisions.
Adam Midos (189) turned the advantage back to the Cougars with a 9-0 win, then teammate Paul Ollerton (215) scored a third-round pin and Sarah Fulp-Allen (103) recorded a pin.
Terra Nova answered with Brian Redfield (112) producing a tech fall and Vince Naqishbendi (119) winning a 10-9 thriller.
The Tigers' momentum was crushed when Half Moon Bay's middle weights made their move. Josh Brown (125) got a tech fall, Ben Gammon (130) and Nick Rey (135) both won crucial matches, giving the team a three point lead into the final match.
Nate Rey (140) lost to Bobby Stack, 9-0, but because he did not give up a pin or a techfall, the Cougars held on for the championship.
In a battle that decided the Ocean Division title, South San Francisco edged San Mateo, 41-33, thanks in large part to a great effort from the upper and light weight wrestlers that won six out of the seven first matches.
Jose Rodriguez (171) got the Warriors started with a first-round pin that was quickly followed by pin-falls from Raymond Lau (189) and heavyweight Tony Matteucci.
Half Moon Bay (5-0) 32, Terra Nova (4-1) 29
103--Fulp-allen (HMB) p. Hasset, M. (TN) :59. 112) Redfield (TN) tech fall Gammon (HMB) 15-0. 119--Naqishbendi (TN) d. Ho (HMB) 10-9. 125--Grown (HMB) d. Vella (TN) 17-0. 130--Gammon, B. (HMB) d. Nofziger (TN) 5-0. 135--Rey, Nick (HMB) d. Halteh (TN) 11-5. 140--Stack (TN) d. Rey, Nate (HMB) 9-0. 145--Temko (HMB) tech fall morrison (TN) 16-0. 152--Helmstreit (TN) d. Steinhoff (HMB) 7-5. 160--Faughender (TN) d. Silvera (HMB) 12-4. 171--Schug (TN) d. Seaton (HMB) 14-2. 189--Midos (HMB) d. Meleugh (TN) 9-0. 215--Ollerton (HMB) p. Lin (TN) 5:49. HVT--Hassett, J. (TN) by forfeit.
South San Francisco (6-1) 41, San Mateo (5-2) 33
103--Rodriguez (SSF) by forfeit. 112--Lopes (SSF) p. Toy (SM) 3:28. 119--Chen (SSF) p. Yee (SM) 3:59. 125--Huezo (SSF) p. Patrick (SM) 16-6. 130--Della Malva (SM) d. Carlos (SSF) 9-8. 135--Frank (SM) p. Cordero (SSF) 3:23. 140--Mogannim (SSF) d. Dude (SM) 6-4. 145--Lao (SM) p. Billones (SSF) 3:05. 152--Bandong (SM) p. Tham (SSF) 5:06. 160--Torre (SM) p. Mukha (SSF) 4:55. 171--Rodriguez, J. (SSF) d. Schneider (SM) 15-6. 189--Lau (SSF) p. Leung (SM) 3:04. 215--Franklyn (SM) by forfeit. HVT--Mattecci (SSF) p. Luzido (SM) 1:11.
Aragon (4-2) 62, Burlingame (1-4) 15
103--Jacobs (A) p. Chowaika (B) 4:26. 112--Sulay (A) p. Bailey (B) 1:27. 119--Roxas (A) d. Kozaczuki (B) 12-4. 125--Ferren (B) p. Sanft (A) 1:51. 130--Hockbody (A) p. Dona (B) 2:15. 135--Sweatt (A) p. Johal (B) 1:24, 140--Hunter (B) p. Capabicaco (A) 6-4. 145--Ratto (A) d. Storek (B) 13-2. 152--Mussallam (A) p. Canton (B) :17. 160--Query (A) p. vigil (B) :20. 171--Hoffman (A) p. Cordez (B)5:13. 189--Wu (A) by forfeit. 215--Dang (A) p. Landworth (B) 4:42. HVT--Kolokihakanfisi (B) p. Gregory (A) :30.
Hillsdale (3-3) 52, Mills 19
103--Ward (H) p. Lo (M) in the first. 112--Dito (M) d. Lesko (H) 15-5. 119--Nessel, S. (H) p. Ratti (M) in the first. 125--Jackson (H) d. Landavevde (M) 17-9. 130--Nessel, D. (H) p. Lan (M) in the first. 135--Garnick (H) p. Danzel (M). 140--Colbey (H) by forfeit. 145--Hall (M) d. Balman (H) 10-3. 152--David (H) by forfeit. 160--Thodos (H) d. Porter (M) 18-3. 171--Lema (H) d. Rios (M) 14-9. 189--Brahney (M) by forfeit. 215--Knox (M) p. Grey (H). HVT--Barrta (H) by forfeit.
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Female wrestlers turning heads
January 24, 2002
By Karen Boehler
Sun-News
ANTHONY -- Every afternoon, in the small brick wrestling room on the south edge of campus, the Gadsden High matmen get together for their workout.
They run laps, do calisthenics and then learn new moves and techniques or work on the ones they already know.
In the daily mix of bodies on the floor, two wrestlers stand out.
Sophomores Casey Alvarez and DeAnna Arroyo, both 15 years old, are girls competing in a male-dominated sport.
Although Texas, which is just a stone's throw to the south of the Gadsden School District, has a separate girls division, wrestling in New Mexico is listed as a boys sport, and while girls have competed in the past, they've been few and far between.
But that didn't daunt the friends, who got together at the beginning of the season and decided it was something they wanted to do.
And so far, they've stuck with it.
"It started out as a different sport," Arroyo said. "A way to be different. A way to challenge myself because I knew it was really hard. And coming out here I just proved myself right, because there's a lot of guys who won't even come out here to practice because they know how difficult it is. It's a challenge for me, and I like to be challenged all the time, so it just helps me push myself harder."
For coach Gary Chavez, it was something of a surprise when the pair showed up at his door.
"It's different," he said. "We weren't ready for them. The system wasn't ready for them, so we had to prepare as we can. We're still not very up to date, but we're trying to get there."
Chavez is still trying to get the slightly different equipment the girls need, and they have to change in the bathroom rather than the locker room.
But those are minor problems.
A bigger problem is that some people don't think the girls should be competing.
"They don't think we should be in this sport," Alvarez said.
"They want to get us off that mat and say, 'You know what? You're off the mat.' They don't want us in this sport. They say girls can't do this sport," Arroyo adds.
But the two are determined to prove that attitude wrong.
They're on the mat every day with the rest of their teammates. They lift weights and run, and have designed their own workouts to keep them in shape and help them cut weight.
Arroyo has already competed several times (against both boys and girls) and although Alvarez dislocated her knee early in the season and hasn't been able to compete, she's almost healthy and ready to get back into the fray.
The big question seems to be whether girls can physically compete against boys in such a grueling sport.
Alvarez and Arroyo say yes.
"Guys do have a little more strength than girls do," Alvarez said. "They have upper body strength. But then girls have more ability to move around and to squirm out of positions and stuff. The guys don't. The guys are just really like all statuesque and they don't want to move anywhere. And the girls just move in between and out of them. So it's really a good advantage for a girl to wrestle, even though she doesn't have the strength."
Chavez is a little less certain of that, but he's not going to discourage the pair.
"As they get older, it becomes evident the males can perform at a higher level, strengthwise," he said. "Not necessarily technique and fitness and discipline and stuff like that, but at a maturity level of strength, there's a big difference.
"I'll give them the opportunity. It just depends how much they want it. And I think maybe at the lower weight classes they might have a chance. They might. I'll never say no, because I'm always going to give them the chance to perform."
Both girls do compete at the lighter weights -- Arroyo at 119 pounds and Alvarez at 140 -- and both want to cut their weight even more, to 112 and 130 respectively.
But both are clearly physically fit, and more importantly, they're mentally ready for a sport that drives a lot of athletes away.
"I think girls can challenge anyone they want to," Alvarez said. "As long as they put their mind to it they can do whatever they want."
The pair say they've convinced friends, family and their teammates to support their effort.
"A lot of our friends support us," the two said almost in unison.
"They're like, 'Oh my god, you're girls, and you're wrestling. That's so cool.' And it's really cool from our friends who support us a lot," Alvarez said.
Their parents took a little more convincing.
"My mom was kind of skeptical in the beginning," Arroyo said. "She was like, 'Wrestling? That's what your cousin does and he's really strong.' And I said, 'Yeah, well, I'll get there, too.' So once I started being in it, she kinda didn't like it in the beginning, but she warmed up to it and she saw how much I liked it and she knows I'm progressing."
"That's how my mom was," Alvarez agreed. "At first she was all, 'Why would you want to get in wrestling? Play basketball or something.' I was like, 'Well, I want to try this. I want to see how I can do and everything.' So she was really supportive over it. And she's been really supportive over it. A lot. Both of our moms have."
And so have the rest of the Panthers.
"They push us and they help us to get where we are," Arroyo said. "They help us when we need help on different things. They are just there for us, all the time."
"It's like one big family. It's like I have all kinds of big brothers," Alvarez added.
But it was a little different at first, and it continues to be when the two compete at tournaments.
Wrestling is a very hands-on sport, and sometimes the boys aren't quite sure what to do when they first come up against a girl.
"I got that the first time I wrestled one of my own teammates, but he was an eighth grader at the time," Alvarez said. "He was wrestling me and he was very scared about touching me in different places because he didn't want me to get mad at him or beat him up or something. But I tell them, as long as it's not intentional and I can feel that it was an accident, then I'm not going to get mad. It's in the sport. What are you going to do?
"The guys are really, really like touchy on you. They don't want to touch you anywhere so they just want to grab your arms and your legs and that's about it. They don't want to touch your stomach or anything because they're afraid it might slip. Really, it's a scary thing for the guys, but it's funny to us."
Alvarez said that attitude might have been what helped her win in a wrestle off early in the season, but Arroyo said going easy isn't something she sees a lot.
"Most of the guys they're going to go a lot harder because they don't want to get beat by a girl, because their teammates are going to be like, 'Oh, you are not that great because a girl beat you,' and stuff." Arroyo said. "That's why it's kind of harder, sometimes, because they're really mean and they don't show any mercy."
But they don't want to be shown mercy, the two agree.
They want to win on their merits.
"I want to win by myself," Alvarez said.
"For our own skill," Arroyo added. "Not just for a guy to say, 'Oh, I'm going to let her win because she's a girl.' It's like, if you're going to wrestle, then wrestle. Wrestle me as a girl or a guy."
The two have big goals that include continuing in the sport until they graduate.
"I want to try to make it to state this year," Alvarez said. "It's my first year. I want to try to make it to state, hopefully. Throughout the years maybe I'll progress more, if I don't make it this year. But hopefully I do."
"Basically this year is just a trying year for me," Arroyo said. "Next year I plan on going on and winning most of my matches and probably going to district or state, and my senior year I definitely want to go to district and state. I want to push myself to the limit."
While admitting they're tough, Chavez won't make any predictions about how far the girls can go.
"They've got talent to compete," he said. "They've just got to put a big, tremendous effort because they've already at an advantage because it's a guy's sport to begin with, and they have to overcome quite a few barriers.
"It'll be rough. We'll see how they do. That's up to them. I can't really make that judgment. The sport's like that. It's who wants it the most. It's up to them how much they want it."
If the pair do advance to district and state competitions, they know they'll be in the limelight.
But they don't mind the attention, as long as it doesn't detract from the team.
"Not unless the attention of us overshadows our team, because we're not the greatest people on earth," Arroyo said. "I've lost more matches than I've won, and the guys here they work their butts off and they're winning matches. They're winning second place trophies at tournaments and stuff like that. The only thing that would bother me is if the attention came to the point it overshadowed how much attention our team has been getting."
But if Alvarez, Arroyo and Chavez get their way, girls wrestlers may not be so unusual in the future.
The coach calls female wrestling "a growing trend," and won't discourage anyone who wants to give the sport a try.
Arroyo and Alvarez say they'd love to have more compatriots.
"I hope this article gets to other girls in the district and starts opening up a lot more opportunities for girl wrestlers to come out there," Arroyo said. "Because it's great to see girls out there and just like giving it their all, even though maybe they don't look that great or they don't win. It doesn't even matter about that. It's not about that. What it's about is being out there and having the courage in yourself. Having the strength in your heart and in your mind just to know that if you're going to get out there and lose, that's fine. Just as long as you try and just as long as you go at it. Don't be afraid to."
