As winter sports come to a close, Riordan wrestlers have many medals to celebrate.
For the boys, 12 out of the 14 who wrestled at WCAL qualified for CCS. Evan Marigmen ’24 was named WCAL heavyweight champion; Joshua Usi ’25 and Mason Williams ’25 won third.
At CCS on Feb. 9, Marigmen won second place, and Nickolas Galzote ’24 is an alternative for CCS.
The WCAL wrestling tournament was a success for the girls team as well.
There were 10 CCS qualifiers, four of them being WCAL champions, in their weight classes: Luna Medina ’24, Hana Wadlow ’25, Georgia Michalchuk ’26, and Catie McGoldrick ’26.
The team’s collective desire to secure victories was highlighted, as they have a mindset geared towards success.
The team started with eight to ten members in 2022-23 and expanded to around 20 this season, showing consistent growth and interest in the sport. The boys dominated on the mat against Valley Christian, and most memorably, Mitty. Compared to last season, when they lost by only a few points, the boys team secured the victory 50-22 varsity and 42-0 JV against Mitty.
“We lost to Mitty last year by one or two points, and then this year we blew them out of the water, so that was good for our boys program, not only to win but to have that result,” said Jack Schindler, head coach of the wrestling program.
At tournaments such as the Colt Classic Invitational, the team won five medals and three first-place titles. Lucas Valdez ’27, Noah Santigago ’26, and Vartan Makasdjian ’25 won first.
Many wrestlers say their performance has improved from the start of the season.
“We didn’t have much chemistry, and we were all getting to practice late, just being sloppy, but at the end of the season, we’ve been locked in,” stated Adrian Gonzalez ’24.
Margimen said, “We’ve definitely gotten a lot tougher. There’ve been obstacles you have to deal with, but now towards the end of the season, I see more grit coming in. ”
Jose Aguilar ’22 came back to coach and said the girls team performance has seen a notable improvement. The introduction of a coed dynamic has fostered a sense of unity, and a tight-knit family culture.
Confidence in the teams winning at CCS is at an all-time high, with wrestlers expressing strong belief in their capabilities. The key change attributed to their success is an increased focus on drills, emphasizing skill development and teamwork.
