ATHERTON, CA – The Menlo NCWA Women's Wrestling program delivered a dominant performance at the NCWA West Coast Conference Championships, capturing the team title behind three conference champions and multiple podium finishes. In their inaugural season as a program, the Oaks also qualified all 11 wrestlers for the national tournament.
 
Oaks' Podium Finishes
The top eight placers in the tournament qualify for the NCWA National Championship, with Megene Abdalla starting the tournament for the Oaks at 103lbs. Abdalla opened her bracket with a first period pin to advance to the semis. After dropping into the consolation side, Abdalla battled back for a 5^th place finish, securing her spot to nationals. At 110, Lina Perez delivered an impressive run through her bracket to earn a third-place finish. Perez would go on to earn a pin to get into the semifinals. After dropping the bout, Perez responded with authority in the consolation rounds with two pins to secure a bronze finish and qualify for nationals.
 
Maya Barrios took the 117 spot for the Oaks and earned a pin to get into the semifinals. After falling short, Barrios secured a fall on the backside to reach the third-place bout, ultimately finishing fourth. Luciana Rodriguez showcased resilience at 124lbs after a slight setback on the frontside. After storming through the consolation side of her bracket with three pins, the freshman would go on to earn her ticket to nationals with a fourth-place finish.
 
The Oaks' first ever conference champion came at 131lbs, where Lastevia Muir dominated the bracket to claim the WCC title. Muir would go on to pick up a pin in the quarterfinals and semifinals to place herself within the top 2. She sealed the championship with another pin over Ottawa's Valeria Ramos in the finals, securing the Oaks' first conference crown.
 
At 138lbs, Gwendolyn Tompkins powered her way into the finals with two pins over Grand Canyon and Utah Tech opponents. Tompkins finished the tournament as the conference runner-up, earning another qualification for the Oaks' lineup. Kayla Zeidler added another podium finish for the Oaks at 145lbs. Zeidler opened the tournament with a 29-second pin over Grand Canyon's Joelie Coyaso and battled through the consolation bracket after a semifinal loss. Zeidler ultimately finished 4th in the conference after reaching the third-place match.
 
At 160lbs, Leia Hernandez captured the conference championship after a dominant tournament performance. Hernandez opened with a first-period pin before earning back-to-back decision victories to reach the finals. In the championship bout, Hernandez secured the title with a pin over UNLV's Cassandra Freundlich.
 
Jessica Mendieta added another podium finish at 180lbs, rebounding from a semifinal loss to claim third place. Mendieta sealed the bronze finish with a quick 57-second pin over Utah Tech's Tatiana Tupou in the placement match. At 207lbs, Siomara Hernandez advanced to the championship match after earning a 13–4 major decision victory over Ottawa's Evelynn Coronado in the semifinals. Hernandez ultimately finished second in the conference, adding another strong finish for the Oaks.
 
Closing out the championship performances, Neila Fritts captured the 240lb conference title to remain undefeated on the season. Fritts sealed the championship with a pin over Ottawa's Janelle Mattos in the finals, completing a dominant tournament run with sights set on a national title.
 
Highlighting the weekend, Head Coach Julissa Taitano was recognized for her leadership as she was named the NCWA West Coast Conference Women's Coach of the Year after guiding the Oaks to the conference title.
 
Up Next
With strong results in their inaugural season, there is a lot of hope that the Oaks will make more noise at the NCWA National Championships in Shreveport, Louisiana beginning March 25^th.
 
Make sure to follow the Oaks' final showdown using menloathletics.com for livestream, livestats, brackets, and ticket links as Menlo looks to continue its momentum on the national stage.