Roadrunners close season with 12th place finish at State Championships
LEMOORE – With a score of 38.5 points, Rio Hondo College closed out the 2024 season by finishing in 12th place out of 22 teams at the 3C2A State Championships. The two-day event at Lemoore College's Golden Eagle Arena wrapped up on Saturday night.
Leading the way for the Roadrunners was sophomore Julian Bilezikjian with his fourth-place finish at the 285-pound weight division.
Bilezikjian suffered an early loss in the quarterfinals but battled his way through the consolation bracket to win three matches and reach the third-place final. He ultimately lost that match but ended with a 4-2 record for the weekend and earned All-American honors.
Shawn Torres was sixth for the Roadrunners at the 141-pound weight class and Jaremiah Juarez took seventh at 197 to close out the scoring for Rio Hondo. The squad had qualified nine wrestlers for the state championships.
An impressive run for the Rio Hondo wrestling program continues. Head coach Mike Tellez has now led the Roadrunners to 10 straight top-15 team finishes at the state tournament.
Rio Hondo College 2024 State Placers:
141 – Shawn Torres, 6th place
197 – Jaremiah Juarez, 7th place
285 – Julian Bilezikjian, 4th place (All-American)
