Bolstered by eight champions, Grays Harbor College captured its third successive team title in the Northwest Athletic Conference wrestling tournament Saturday at Aberdeen’s Sam Benn Gym.
The Chokers amassed 180 1/2 points to finish 43 1/2 points ahead of runner-up Washington State University. The Cougars, like many of the state’s four-year college, offer wrestling as a club sport.
The event also served as a qualifer for nationals March 8-10 in Allen, Texas. The Chokers advanced 19 wrestlers to nationals.
“We had outstanding performances throughout the lineup,” Choker coach Phillip Pine noted.
Three of the classifications included all-GHC finals. None of those were contested due to risk of injuries. Pine said the champions were determined when the finalists engaged in games of Rock-Paper-Scissors.
Jesse Torres was awarded the 125-pound title over teammate Raul Barajas, Tyshane Young prevailed over teammate Dillon Simpson at 149 and Matt Alejandro got the nod over Tanner Belcher at 184. Pine cited Young and Simpson for making the finals in a tough bracket.
Grays Harbor’s Damon Thomas, a 141-pounder from Chehalis, avenged an early season loss by pinning Montana Tech’s Tim Ellinger in the third round of their title bout.
Choker 174-pounder Joey Fricilone, only the fourth seed at his weight, dominated top-seeded Logan Coleman of Washington State, 19-5, in the title match.
Josh Pine, the nephew of the Choker coach, won his two matches by technical fall and pin to take the 157-pound title. He pinned Montana Tech’s Chris Moodry in the second round of the final.
Grays Harbor’s Mason McKenzie spent even less time on the mat, recording two first-round pins to take the 197-pound crown.
Octavio Alejandre was GHC’s final titlist, decisioning Montana Tech’s Kaelen Yanak, 4-2, in the 285-pound championship bout.
In addition to the three who forfeited their title matches, Grays Harbor’s other losing finalists were Ke’Vionne Robbins at 133 and Braiden Klimp at 165.
Other Chokers to earn national berths with top-four finishes included Alex Pastrana (third at 125 pounds), Stan Cruz (third at 141), Kimani Johnson (fourth at 157), Andy Gonzalez (third at 174) and Jack Moen (third at 235).
Grays Harbor 197-pounder Jack Dahlgren, who missed the tournament due to a knee injury, was awarded a national wild-card entry by a vote of the conference coaches. A Forks High School graduate, Dahlgren posted an 18-4 season record. He has been medically cleared to compete at nationals.
South Bend grad Joseph Lewis, who wrestles for Washington State, overcame an opening-round loss to earn a national berth with a third-place finish at 133.
