Malia Ortiz led a strong showing for Santa Ynez girls wrestling at the CIF-CS Div. 2 championships over the weekend.
Ortiz earned an individual title at 110 pounds to become the first female wrestler in Pirates program history to win a CIF championship.
She was also given the Lower Weight Outstanding Wrestler award for the weekend and clinched a spot in the CIF Masters Tournament.
After taking down Mt. Whitney’s Jillian Morris in the semifinals, Ortiz turned around and pinned Drew Doyle of Liberty High for the individual championship.
“This was a huge day for Malia as an individual athlete, peaking at just the right time in her season,” Santa Ynez coach Chantalle Castellanos said.
Of the six wrestlers competing for the Pirates, Kylie Franson joined Ortiz as a Masters Tournament qualifier after her fifth-place finish at 155 pounds.
After Franson dropped a bout against Righetti’s Nisa Rogers, she came out on top in the fifth-place matchup against Katelyn Fair of Tehachapi.
Also wrestling for Santa Ynez were Sinai Lara, Lyssa Steele, Allison Zepeda and Melody Lopez. Lara earned a pair of wins while Steele and Lopez tallied one win apiece.
Ortiz and Franson will compete in the CIF Masters Tournament next weekend in Fresno, CA.