El Molino sophomore Hannah Ricioli etched her name in the school history books on Feb. 23, earning a sixth place medal at the prestigious California Interscholastic Federation State Wrestling Championships.
The meet, held at the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, consisted of preliminary rounds on Feb. 21 and 22, with the medal rounds taking place on Feb. 23. For the first time in its storied history, the meet included a girls tournament running simultaneously with the boys.
A week removed from a third-place NCS finish, the No. 8 seeded Ricioli began her quest for a coveted state medal in the 150-pound weight bracket on Feb. 21 with an opening round pin in 27 seconds. Ricioli fought back from a 5-1 deficit in her second round match to score an electrifying 9-7 victory in overtime.
“Hannah took a High-C to Fireman’s carry and dumped her opponent on her back, stepped over and with a smile on her face, scored the two-point takedown (in OT) to secure the win,” El Mo coach Ron Wright said. “That match showed the heart that Hannah has.”
Ricioli suffered her first loss of the tourney in round three on Friday against Amit Elor of College Park, the No. 1 ranked 150-pound wrestler in the country.
“Amit is the most dominant wrestler I’ve ever seen,” Wright noted. “We had a game plan to attack right off the whistle, and Hannah did her part, getting to the right leg. Elor was surprised but defended it perfectly, and the match was over pretty quickly.”
Facing elimination, Ricioli regrouped to record victories in her next two matches, including notching 11-1 and 8-1 decisions. The wins advanced Ricioli to the consolation semifinals on Feb. 23, but fatigue may have been a factor in a 3-1 decision loss to the No. 6 seeded wrestler, Melanie Bacher from Norte Vista. In the ensuing battle for fifth place, Ricioli came up short against the No. 4 seed, Michelle Kamyshin from River City to earn a sixth place medal.
When it was finally over, coach Wright took time to reflect on Ricioli’s historic campaign.
“Hannah had a hell of a season, with a final record of 38-10 on the year, a girl’s Redwood Division team championship pennant, an individual North Bay League title, a 3rd place finish at NCS, and 6th at State,” he said. “All of this, and she is only a second year wrestler. I can’t wait to see what she can do next year.”
Ricioli won’t spend much time resting on her laurels, as she prepares to compete in the CA-USA Wrestling Folkstyle State Championship in Fresno. She will compete in several Freestyle, Folkstyle and Greco events this spring before heading to Oklahoma City with Team California over spring break.
