SAN MARCOS – Led by a first-place individual finish by Devin Martinez at the 133-pound weight division, the Rio Hondo College wrestling team totaled 111.5 points to finish fourth out of 11 teams at the 2023 Southern California Regional Championships. The event was held at Palomar College in San Marcos.
The Roadrunners had eight place among the top-8 at regionals to earn a spot in next week's 3C2A State Championship. The state finals are set for Dec. 8-9 at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo.
On Saturday, Martinez went a perfect 4-0, including a pair of pins and a technical fall, on his way to the 133-pounds championship. In the final, he defeated Derrek Alcantar of Bakersfield College with a 10-4 decision.
Dylan Atherton and Finn Long both brought home third-place finishes. Atherton defeated Cameron Fernando of Moorpark College by technical fall (19-1) for third at 125 pounds while Long was a 6-1 winner over Michael Padilla from East Los Angeles College in the 141-pound third-place match.
Also placing and qualifying for state were Jacob Benavidas (125, 5th), Tony Incantalupo (184, 5th), Joseph Estrada (165, 6th), Anthony Hidalgo (174, 7th), and Howard Tieu (141, 8th).
The Roadrunners will look to improve on last year's seventh place showing at the 2022 State Championships. Head coach Mike Tellez has led the Roadrunners to eight straight top-15 team finishes at the state tournament.