Wrestling: Rio Hondo finishes third at SoCal Regional Duals Tournament

The Rio Hondo College wrestling team compiled a 3-1 record to earn a third-place finish at the 2017 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Southern California Regional Duals Tournament. The event took place on Saturday at Palomar College in San Marcos.

The Roadrunners, seeded No. 4 out of eight teams, opened the tourney with an impressive 39-9 victory over No. 5 West Hills.

But in the championship semifinals, Rio Hondo found it tough to match up with No. 1 Mt. San Antonio College and lost by a final score of 40-6. James Schmidt won his match at 157 pounds for the Roadrunners, beating Mt. SAC's Joseph Valdez with a 6-2 decision.

Rio Hondo rallied in the consolation bracket, picking up a 24-19 win over No. 3 Bakersfield and secured the consolation final and third-place trophy with a 32-18 triumph over No. 6 Palomar.

Head coach Mike Tellez was proud of his team's effort.

"We wrestled extremely well and rose to the occasion," said Tellez. "Our guys are improving week to week. This is Rio Hondo's best finish at these championships since 1987 when Rio Hondo last won the state title."

The Roadrunners return to dual action on Wednesday (Oct. 18) when they travel to Santa Ana College for a 7 p.m. conference match.