Skyline freshman Graciela Caro claims state wrestling title

Caro advanced through the bracket with a 7-4 decision over Cerritos College sophomore Darci Chiu in the quarterfinals, and an 10-4 decision over Sacramento City College freshman Karissa McDaniel in the semis. In the finals, wrestling against Bakersfield College freshman Celia Esquivel, who she’d lost to previously in the season, Caro scored an 11-0 tech fall midway through the second period.

“She was very quick, very fast, very aggressive,” Skyline freshman Arianna McPike said. “I really enjoyed watching her wrestle.”

Skyline took third place as a team in the 16-team field. Ten Lady Trojans competed in East L.A., with Caro, McPike and freshman Annette Beltran (Silver Creek-San Jose) earning All-American honors. McPike took third place at 138s, and Beltran took third at 160s.

Cerritos (232 points) won the 3C2A team championship, while Mt. San Antonio College (211 1/2) placed second. Third-place Skyline finished with 101 1/2 points.

Women’s wrestling is in its third year in the 3C2A, with Skyline introducing the sport this season for its inaugural campaign under first-year head coach Olga Camacho. The Trojans started the season with 18 wrestlers on roster, with 13 cleared to compete. The team finished the year with 11 competitive wrestlers.

“It was a very rough season,” Camacho said. “We’re like a family. We get along and then we don’t get along. So, it was rough. I’m guessing like many first-year programs it’s tough to get everybody in a routine and tough to get everybody on the same page.”

Skyline endured more turnover on its coaching staff than it did on roster. Of the team’s three assistant coaches, only Sirena Konishi-Rhode was present for both the first day of practice and the state finals.

While the roster was comprised of mostly freshman athletes, many were in their second or even third year of college, academically. McPike began taking classes at Skyline in the summer of 2023. A 2023 graduate of Mills, McPike is a former podium finisher at the CIF State Championships, taking eighth place at 137s at the state finals in 2022-23. She attended Skyline knowing the college had a club wrestling program, but said she considered transferring when the club disbanded in 2023-24.

“I did at first because there wasn’t a women’s team, but I decided to stick around ... because they said there was going to be a team next year,” McPike said. “So, I said I’ll just compete next year then.”

“I feel like it was worth it in the end,” she said. “We all made it through as a team and I’m honestly proud of everybody for finishing it out like we started.”

McPike, Caro and Beltran all finished the season with double-digit wins. Beltran led the Trojans with a 14-9 record, while McPike was 12-10 and Caro 11-5.

Caro is known for her fast, aggressive attacks, though she does have a tendency to employ a more reserve approach when going against heavy hitters, especially opponents by whom she’s been previously defeated, such as Esquivel. That wasn’t the case Saturday, however, as the freshman entered the tournament at the No. 2 seed, with Esquivel seeded No. 1.

“We’ve seen how she wrestles, and we’ve seen how aggressive she is,” McPike said of her teammate. “She had the potential to win and, in all honesty, it was: ‘Gracie, lock in! You got this!’”

Skyline freshman Jamie Micallef (Half Moon Bay) also reached the podium, taking fourth place at 160s. With the top three wrestlers in each weight class earned All-American honors, Micallef missed the cut by the slimmest of margins, falling to her teammate Beltran in the third-place match via 7-7 decision. The tiebreaker was decided by Beltran having scored last in the match.

Skyline’s other podium finishers were: Alia Vunipola (Menlo-Atherton), 207s, sixth place; Alexandra Flood (Carlmont), 110s, seventh; and Shannon Cleary (Oceana), 145s, eighth.

While Camacho isn’t certain how many wrestlers from her freshman-laden roster will return next season, she said she is planning to return for the 2025-26 season and beyond.

“Yeah, I am blessed to be in this position and very lucky and happy and grateful,” Camacho said. “I’m here for the long run. I’m here until they tell me otherwise.”