Bilezikjian captures 285-pound regional title; Roadrunners qualify 9 for State Championships

MONTEREY PARK – Led by a first-place finish by sophomore Julian Bilezikjian, the Rio Hondo College wrestling team totaled 93 points to finish in eighth place at the Southern California Regional Championships on Saturday at East Los Angeles College.

The Roadrunners had nine wrestlers finish among the top-8 at the event. That group has also qualified to compete at next week's 3C2A State Championships. The state tournament is set for Dec. 13-14 at Lemoore College.

Rio Hondo's Southern California Top-8 Finishers/State Championship Qualifiers:
285 Julian Bilezikjian, 1^st
174 Steven Ceja, 4^th
141 Shawn Torres, 5^th
197 Jaremiah Juarez, 5^th
149 Larry Cruz, 6^th
165 Matthew York, 6^th
157 Jacob Moreo, 7^th
141 Adam Duong, 8^th
184 Bobby Ramirez, 8^th

Bilezikjian had an impressive day at the Southern California Championships for the Roadrunners. He went a perfect 3-0 on his way to the 285-pound title. In the championship final, he defeated Jonathan Garcia of Bakersfield College by a final score 6-3 in overtime.

The Roadrunners will look to improve on last year's sixth-place showing at the 2023 State Championships. Head coach Mike Tellez has led the Roadrunners to nine straight top-15 team finishes at the state tournament.