Eaglecrest grabbed the majority of the spots on the 2022-23 Sentinel Colorado All-Aurora Girls Wrestling Team — which is decided primarily by state and postseason performance — but all four Aurora programs are represented.
Eaglecrest, Regis Jesuit and Vista PEAK all had at least one wrestler make it to state championship matches (senior Blythe Cayko for the Raptors, junior Alexis Segura for the Raiders and senior Leilani Caamal for the Bison) and every squad came away from three days of competition at Ball Arena with at least one top-six placer.
Here’s a look at the top girls in each weight class for the season:
100 pounds: Chasey Karabell, jr., Eaglecrest — The All-Centennial League first team performer made the state tournament for the first time after a season in which she won the Eaglecrest Invitational championship and also placed at the Reno Tournament of Champions. Karabell finished fourth at the Region 3 tournament and won her first state match before she was stopped in the quarterfinals by eventual undefeated state champion Katey Valdez of Doherty. Karabell won a consolation match before a loss finished her season at 34-13 and one win shy of the placing round.
105 pounds: Milar Little, jr., Eaglecrest — There was no state qualifier for Aurora in the weight class, but Little was the All-Centennial League first team selection in that weight class. After a season in which she finished fifth at the Chatfield War Horse Invitational and sixth at the Douglas County Tiara Challenge, Little placed fifth at regionals and was 19-19.
110 pounds: Arianna Sanchez, fr., Eaglecrest — In her first varsity season, Sanchez — younger sister of former boys state finalist Frankie Sanchez of Grandview — earned All-Centennial League first team honors and qualified for state. She placed in three tournaments during the regular season and finished as the Region 1 runner-up (where she lost to eventual state champion Janessa George of Chatfield). Sanchez finished 0-2 at state and had a final record of 26-19.
115 pounds: Amelia Bacon, fr., Vista PEAK — Bacon (whose twin brother, Ian, made the 4A boys state tournament) earned a trip to Ball Arena in her first varsity season by virtue of a third-place finish in the Region 3 tournament. Bacon made much of her state spot, as she won two of her four matches and came one win from making the placing round. She finished the season 26-13.
120 pounds: Vianca Mendoza, sr., Overland — Mendoza had an outstanding season that ended with her first finish on the medal podium at the state tournament as she finished fifth. Mendoza started the season at 125 pounds and made the shift down following winter break and she soon won the championship of the Douglas County Tiara Challenge. Mendoza finished as the Region 1 runner-up to Pomona’s Persaues Gomez (the eventual state champion) and went 4-2 at state to finish the season 39-12. She was voted the Centennial League’s Outstanding Wrestler in the Lower Weights as well.
125 pounds: Alexis Segura, jr., Regis Jesuit — Segura made the state final in 2020 as a freshman and got back as a junior after missing state last season due to injury. During an outstanding regular season, Segura (whose older brother, Antonio, was a three-time 5A boys state champion for Regis Jesuit) won the championships of the Arapahoe and Eaglecrest invitationals and took fifth in California at the 23rd annual Napa Valley Girls Classic. She won the Region 1 championship to earn her spot at Ball Arena, where she posted three quality wins to reach a championship match against Mesa Ridge’s Isabella Cross. Segura pinned Cross at a tournament prior to winter break, but lost in the final to finish 28-4.
130 pounds: Madison Patterson, jr., Eaglecrest — Patterson finished an even 19-19 on the season, during which she placed third at the Douglas County Tiara Challenge, took fourth at Arvada and Greeley West and fifth at the Eaglecrest Invitational. She qualified for state with a fourth-place finish at the Region 3 tournament and suffered losses in both of her matches to opponents who placed in the top six. Patterson made the All-Centennial League first team.
135 pounds: Dureti Abdulkadir, fr., Overland — Another weight in which Aurora had no state qualifiers, but Abdulkadir (who wrestled matches at three different weights over the course of the season) was the All-Centennial League first team selection at the weight, where she finished 10-8 overall. Her highlights included a fifth-place finish at the Eaglecrest Invitational and a sixth-place showing at the Douglas County Tiara Challenge.
140 pounds: Karmella Gordon, fr., Eaglecrest — A third weight class in which Aurora was not represented at state was topped by Gordon, who had a big early season triumph when she won the championship of the Eaglecrest Invitational, which she wrestled up a weight class. Gordon, who made the All-Centennial League first team at 140, placed sixth in the Region 3 tournament and finished 15-15 on the season.
145 pounds: Rachel Allred, jr., Vista PEAK — Allred started the season at the next-highest weight class, but dropped down after the winter break. She went on to finish as the City League runner-up and then played third in the Region 3 tournament to qualify for the state tournament. Allred went 3-3 at state — including a two-point loss in her final match — to get on the medal podium in sixth place and finish with a record of 28-17.
155 pounds: Leilani Caamal, sr., Vista PEAK — One of Aurora’s most seasoned state veteran was Caamal, who won or placed in the top three of nearly effort tournament she competed in during the season. She won the Region 3 crown to set herself up in an advantageous spot in the state bracket and reeled off three wins to make the state championship match for the first time, where she got a rematch with Discovery Canyon’s Victoria Guinard. Caamal lost to Guinard 11-1 in the finals of the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament prior to winter break and kept the rematch closer, but dropped a 5-1 decision to finish a 36-5 season.
170 pounds: Diora Moore, fr., Eaglecrest — A memorable debut season for Moore ended in the state tournament, where she finished 1-2. During the season, she finished third at the Arvada Tournament and placed in the top six at two other tournaments, then made a big splash at the Region 3 tournament. Moore won the regional tournament with a first-period win by fall over Platte Valley’s Navaeh Garcia, the eventual state champion who finished 30-1 on the season. Garcia dealt one of the state defeats to Moore, who finished 19-8.
190 pounds: Blythe Cayko, sr., Eaglecrest — Cayko (a state champion as a junior) dominated her way through the season and arrived at a state championship match rematch with Taylor Knox of Calhan. The two wrestlers and competitive rivals split two previous matches during the season (Knox won a two-point decision at the Douglas County Tiara Challenge and Cayko won by fall a week later at the Chatfield War Horse Invitational), but Knox earned the win in the ultimate tiebreaker in the state meeting. Cayko finished the season 25-2 and was the Centennial League’s Outstanding Wrestler in the Upper Weights.
235 pounds: Emma Roberts, fr., Eaglecrest — Roberts was the All-Centennial League first team selection in her weight class after a season in which she went 24-17. Her regular season included third-place finishes at the Eaglecrest and Bennett Invitationals, while she made state out of Region 3 with a fourth-place finish. Roberts lost both of her state tournament matches by fall.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2022-23 SENTINEL COLORADO ALL-AURORA GIRLS WRESTLING TEAM
100 pounds: Chasey Karabell, jr., Eaglecrest
105 pounds: Milar Little, jr., Eaglecrest (no state qualifier)
110 pounds: Arianna Sanchez, fr., Eaglecrest
115 pounds: Amelia Bacon, fr., Vista PEAK
120 pounds: Vianca Mendoza, sr., Overland
125 pounds: Alexis Segura, jr., Regis Jesuit
130 pounds: Madison Patterson, jr., Eaglecrest
135 pounds: Dureti Abdulkadir, fr., Overland (no state qualifier)
140 pounds: Karmella Gordon, fr., Eaglecrest (no state qualifier)
145 pounds: Rachel Allred, jr., Vista PEAK
155 pounds: Leilani Caamal, sr., Vista PEAK
170 pounds: Diora Moore, fr., Eaglecrest
190 pounds: Blythe Cayko, sr., Eaglecrest
235 pounds: Emma Roberts, fr., Eaglecrest
Honorable mention: Gianna Falise, jr., Eaglecrest (155); Violet Garcia, jr., Overland (110); Taryn Holloway, jr., Vista PEAK (190); Reagan Perez, jr., Vista PEAK (120); Kaiya Winbush, sr., Eaglecrest (125); Ruth Workne, jr., Overland (285)