UKIAH — Minus two wrestlers who were unable to attend Saturday, the Middletown High School girls” squad placed third at the Ukiah Invitational at Ukiah High School.
Ukiah hosted both girls” and boys” tournaments on Saturday and Middletown entered only five athletes, all winning medals, including two firsts.
“I was thrilled with how we finished,” Middletown coach Brian Hunt said.
Maria Castaldo and Sierra Egger both won their divisions. Castaldo, a junior and first-year wrestler, went 2-0 at 98 pounds, while Egger, a sophomore, posted a 4-0 mark with three pins and a major decision in the finals over Gladys Lopez of Rancho Cotate. Egger was voted the co-MVP among lightweight wrestlers.
“They both did great,” Hunt said.
Karen Castellanos, a junior, added a second-place medal at 114 pounds while Kaylee Arviso (126) and Destiny Foxworthy (158), both juniors, brought home third-place medals.
The next stop for Middletown”s talented squad is the North Coast Section Girls” Championships on Friday and Saturday in Pittsburg. A top-four finish is needed to advance to the state finals the following weekend. Middletown has three seeded wrestlers in the sectional field — No. 1 Castaldo, No. 3 Egger, a state qualifier last year, and No. 6 Arviso.
The top eight in each weight class earn medals.
“All of our girls have a chance to go to state,” Hunt said. “It”s pretty exciting.”
While the Middletown girls were winning five medals on Saturday in Ukiah, the Middletown boys brought home one, that by Levy Singleton, the sixth-place finisher at 197 pounds.
