The Carlmont Scots varsity girls wrestling team earned five gold medals, one silver medal, and one bronze medal during their home tournament on Dec. 11.
There were a total of six different weight classes and 33 matches throughout the tournament. The Scots started off strong, winning most of their first-round matches by falls, meaning having their opponent’s shoulders held to the mat for two seconds.
“The team has improved a lot from last year, and it really stood out to me,” said varsity coach Paul Aherne.
A lot of the wrestlers from last season returned, along with a huge influx of new wrestlers. Carlmont’s two freshman wrestlers, along with three of the returning wrestlers, won first place at the tournament.
“There was a lot of heart, determination, and a little bit of aggression, which I was very proud of,” Aherne said.
Portia Randhava, a freshman, won all her matches by falls; each of her matches lasted less than four minutes. Ameera Pottathil also won her match by a fall, a similar outcome.
“A lot of these girls are still just learning the sport; they have to understand that everybody’s out here cheering for them,” said Notre Dame coach Jeff Sereni.
Junior U’iwailani Lobato, defending PAL League Champion, won her first and third matches within seconds. She did have some trouble trying to break down her opponent during the second match, but ultimately took the victory.
“Knowing to have fun, going out there and giving it your all, putting it all on the mat was the best advice I ever got,” Lobato said.
