West Hills takes fourth at NorCals, qualify 9 for state championships at Golden Eagle Arena
SACRAMENTO – Led by first-place showings by sophomores Wayne Joint and Justin Tripp, the West Hills College Lemoore wrestling team totaled 144 team points to finish in fourth place overall at the 2022 Northern California Regional Championships on Saturday at Sacramento City College.
West Hills will advance a total of nine wrestlers on to next week's California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championships set for Friday-Saturday (Dec. 9-10) at Golden Eagle Arena in Lemoore.
Ticket prices for the CCCAA postseason event are $12 for general admission and $8 for all identified students, faculty, staff, senior citizens age 60 and over, and children under 12 years old. Tickets are available online at the CCCAA Tickets website.
Joint, the winner of the 141-pound weight class at NorCals and Tripp, the 184-pound champ, will be joined at the state championships by Xander Romero (3rd, 125 lbs.), Cesar Guzman (5th, 133 lbs.), Will Torres (9th, 141 lbs.), Phillip Arroyo (5th, 149 lbs.), Devonya Kee (7th, 157 lbs.), Hector Alatorre (3rd, 165 lbs.), and Daniel Jacuinde (6th, 285 lbs.).
Joint, Tripp, and Torres all return to the state championships for the second time. Joint is the defending state champ at 141 pounds while Tripp took fourth at 184. Torres qualified but did not place at the event.
The Golden Eagles will look to improve on last year's sixth-place team finish at the state championships that were held at Cerritos College.