Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
Mefford two time state champ, team finishes sixth
Posted: Apr 24, 2024

Mefford two time state champ, team finishes sixth

Comets family and friends,

This past Saturday, the Lady Comets took on the 3C2A Championships in Sacramento. 

I'm happy with our performance and thought we left everything out on the mat. Almost everyone wrestled as well as or better than projected, and we even put two unseeded wrestlers on the podium (with one of them earning All-American status). 

With only six wrestlers, here's what we accomplished:

- 5 3C2A State Medalists

- 3 All-Americans

- 2 State Finalists

- 1 2x State Champion/2x All-American

- 6th Place Team Finish

- 6 wrestlers who gave their all

Individual medalists:

Preciosa Moreno, 4th Place (#4 seed)

  • Preciosa stepped up big time to place 4th in the state. While I think she's capable of beating anyone in the weight class, an injury has kept her from training at full strength for almost the entire season. Preciosa still showed up and prepared in the best way that she could. She wrestled well at state and gave the number 2 and 3 wrestlers all they could handle. I would not be at all surprised to see her standing on the top of the podium next season. Congratulations on becoming a state medalist, Preciosa!

Pirchaih Dickerson, 3rd Place, ALL-AMERICAN (Unseeded)

  • P flew under the radar for most of this season and went into the state tournament unseeded. After giving the #1 seed (and eventual champ) a tough match, P caught fire on her way back to third place, earning her the title of "consolation queen." After this clutch performance, P can now say she is a state medalist and collegiate All-American. Amazing work, P!

Alexa Rosales, 2nd Place, ALL-AMERICAN (#2 Seed) (2x State Medalist)

  • At some point this season, a switch flipped for Alexa and she started wrestling more confidently; she started this season 0-3 and ended it in the state finals. Alexa had the right mindset going into the back half of the season, jumping up in the rankings from #6 to #2 after a clutch performance at the ELAC Open. She was focused and wrestled an excellent semifinal match against Cerritos to make the state finals. Alexa can now say that she's Palomar Women's Wrestling's first-ever 3C2A state medalist (now the first 2x state medalist), the second athlete to make the finals, and one of only three All-Americans. Congratulations, Alexa!!

Santana Gonzales, 6th Place (Unseeded)

  • Santana's wrestling career, much like her wrestling style, has been unorthodox. Santana is a mother of three with a full time job. She wrestled in high school for only one season but was never able to compete due to life circumstances. Santana started wrestling with us last year and has worked extremely hard to learn the sport. I told her early on this season that if she keeps improving and training as hard as she is, she will end up on the state podium. She made her dream a reality by winning her blood round match and placing top 6. Incredible job, Santana!!

Kyla Pattillo (1-2) (#6 Seed)

  • While Kyla didn't have the tournament she wanted, she should still be proud of how she wrestled. I don't like to fixate on wins and losses; rather, I had the team come up with a list of technical, tactical, and mindset specific goals for the tournament that DON'T involve winning and losing. I believe that she wrestled in a way that honored her goals, which is all I can ask for. Kyla is a great wrestler, and I'm sure we'll see her make the necessary adjustments for next season. Great work this season, Kyla!!

Sierra Mefford, 2x Champion and 2x ALL-AMERICAN (#1 Seed) (Undefeated Season)

  • Sierra pinned every opponent in the first period to become a 2x State Champion and 2x All-American. This is the result we expected, but there are so many factors that can get in the way of making something like this a reality. Now it's finally in the history books forever. Sierra has been a cornerstone of Palomar Women's Wrestling from day one, and she has made a very strong case for one of the best wrestling careers in Palomar history. She plans on transferring to a four year institution to finish her bachelor's degree while pursuing a national title. Congratulations on a Hall of Fame worthy career at Palomar, Sierra!!

Full tournament results can be found on www.trackwrestling.com

Tournament photos (will be posted here soon): https://chrismoraphoto.zenfolio.com/f243022292

Final thoughts

I'm proud to have coached this exceptional group of wrestlers. Palomar Women's Wrestling has come a long way, and I'm thankful that this program continues to gain momentum. It's an honor to provide the first collegiate women's wrestling opportunity in the San Diego area. The future is bright.