Monday, July 11, 2022

2023 NAIA the Season: Menlo

 


It looks to be a good year for the Oaks of Menlo this wrestling season.  While Greg Viloria who was the R12 last season & two time NAIA All American Jacob Mendoza have both graduated, many top starters return with a few newcomers to look forward to.  Menlo has & continues to be a home California High School wrestlers to continue their wrestling careers while getting a college education, as it has been and continues to be an excellent pipeline for California Community College wrestlers looking to continue their wrestling careers. The Navy & Blue put two wrestlers on the award stand last season & by all means they could easily have many more this season. 



125 lbs
Riley Siason 

Three time NAIA qualifier Riley Siason has already tasted All American honors as he was 6th at the 2020 national tournament as a sophomore. Going a disappointing 0-2 last season, he will look to reclaim All American status this season. A three time CCC (Cascade Collegiate Conference) runner-up he will also look to win his first conference tournament. 

125 lbs
Mikey Torres 

Another Oak that could make some noise this year at 125 lbs is Cal Poly transfer Mikey Torres. A tough native California who surprisingly decided not to join brother Ricky as a Mustang after all. 

133 lbs
Jovan Garcia 

I mentioned earlier how good a pipeline Menlo has been for junior college wrestlers & they got a Hell of a good one in Jovan Garcia coming out of Southwestern Oregon. The Arizona native won the NJCAA title last season & looks to continue that kind of success at the NAIA level. 



141 lbs 
Noah Messman 

We very well could be looking at a future representative of Canada for the Common Wealth Games or other international events as Noah Messman a multiple time Washington State champ is originally from the country directly north of us. He comes to Menlo a transfer from Notre Dame (OH). 





149 lbs
Elijah Palacio 

Elijah Palacio had an outstanding season last year winning a CCC title & taking 6th place honors at the NAIA championships. He'll look to win another conference title & another All American honor this season. 

149 lbs
Nicholas Camacho 

Before coming to Menlo, Nicholas Camacho was 5th in the California Community College Athletic Association. He finished one match shy of NAIA All American honors last season. He'll look to make the award stand in what will be his final season as an Oak. 

157 lbs
Abraham Del Toro 

Yet another former California Community College wrestler, Abraham Del Toro came to Menlo after competing for Fresno City. He was 4th in the CCC last season, finishing one match shy of NAIA All American honors. He will look to make the award stand this season as he also looks to improve upon his conference placing. 


157 lbs
Chris Gaxiola 

Another 157'er that Menlo has is senior Chris Gaxiola. Brother Greg was a two time NCAA Division I qualifier for Fresno State/Hofstra during his final two seasons of eligibility.  Chris is capable of some pretty big accomplishments himself if he can stay healthy this season. 


165 lbs
Rysan Leong 

Ironically enough Rysan Leong is the sole junior on the army of Oaks as he is also the only non-Californian. The Hawaiian state champion was 6th in an extremely competitive CCC bracket last season as he finished 2-2 at the NAIA championships. He'll look to improve upon those finishes this season. 

165 lbs
Wetzel Hill 

Believe me, I meant what I said when I said that Menlo was an excellent pipeline for junior college wrestlers. Here's another champ they will add to the lineup this season. Wetzel Hill a CCCAA champion for Mount San Antonio. He wrestles anything in the NAIA like he did in the CCCAA, look out! 

184 lbs
Afton Silvis 

An NAIA qualifier, Afton Silvis looks to make a return to the national tournament this season. 

197 lbs
Hunter James 

Four time Oregon High School State qualifier Hunter James came within a win of qualifying for the NAIA championships last season. A wrestler's wrestler that puts his nose to the grind, he should stamp himself a qualifier this season. 

197 lbs
Cameron Bauman 

And yet another tough junior college transfer. This one out of Southwestern Oregon, two time NJCAA qualifier Cameron Bauman.  Anxious to see wrestle-off results (if there be any) between him and James. Got two different styles and it'll be fun to see the two juxtapose one another. 

HWT 
Antonio DeCosta 

A two time NAIA qualifier for Life Pacific, Antonio DeCosta looks to make another trip to the NAIA championships this season, this time for Menlo 







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