ATHERTON, CA – The Menlo Men's Wrestling program completely outclassed the competition at the NCWA West Coast Conference Championship, coming out with a champion in every weight, earned the outstanding wrestler, and the team title.
 
The story of the day was bonus points, with the Oaks earning 25 wins out of 30 coming by bonus points. Erik Ramirez was the first champion for the Oaks at 125lbs, picking up a first period fall and a 7-2 decision to get into the finals. Ramirez would go on to earn the only takedown of his finals bout to go on to claim a 6-4 decision to earn the top spot. Jeramiah Steele was immediately placed into the semifinals at 133lbs and put on a clinic, picking up a fall in his first bout to get into the finals. Steele would then pick up a 15-0 technical fall just before the six-minute mark to pick up his second consecutive NCWA WCC Championship title.
 
Michael Torres followed with another dominant performance at 141lbs, picking up two falls to get into the finals. Torres would go on to end his run with an 18-2 technical fall in under five minutes over Emmanuel Plascenia of Fresno State to claim the title. In the 157lb bracket, Ezekiel Lara fought through a tough field to capture his second straight NCWA WCC title. Lara pinned his quarterfinals bout and later added a 17-2 technical fall over Nathan Englebertson of San Jose St before finishing the tournament with a comeback decision over UNLV's Sam Gallardo in the finals.
 
At 165lbs, Kanaipono Tapia continued his dominant season. Tapia pinned Sacramento State's Lincoln Suttner in under a minute before earning a 16-1 technical fall in the semifinals. In the championship match, Tapia secured the title with another dominant performance with a 17-2 technical fall to keep the Oak's streak alive and well.
 
The Oaks continued their momentum with veteran Isaiah Morales at 174lbs. Morales pinned both of his first two matches on his way to the finals and finished the tournament with an 18-1 technical fall victory to claim his first WCC title. At 184lbs, Mathias Collins controlled the bracket with two technical fall victories before a tight championship bout. Collins secured the title with a lone takedown in a 5-4 decision to add another gold medal to the Oaks' dominant performance.
 
Diego Morales captured the championship title at 197lbs with a powerful tournament run. Morales opened with a 16-1 tech and followed with a pin in the semifinals. In the finals, Morales sealed the title with yet another 16-1 technical fall against Utah Tech's Brit Sorenson.
 
Closing out the night is Javier Martinez who claimed the title at 285lbs. Martinez would pick up a pin in the quarters before grinding out a 2-1 decision in the semis. In the finals, Martinez would earn a takedown that led to a pin on the edge of the mat to earn the final title of the night.
 
 
Up Next
The Oaks will now have their sights set to earn their second straight national title at the NCWA National Championships in Shreveport, LA starting on March 25^th.
 
Make sure to follow the Oak's final showdown using menloathletics.com for livestream, livestats, bracket, and ticket links!