Comets finish fifth at state, send five to the podium

FRESNO, CA (5/2/2026) – Palomar College women's wrestling closed out its state championship run Saturday with a fifth-place finish and 88.5 team points, capping a postseason defined by grit, depth, and a program-wide push to the podium.

Five Comets earned medals at the 3C2A State Championships, placing in the top eight in their respective weight classes. Two of those finishes came in the championship bout itself, as a pair of college freshmen each fought their way to silver medals in grueling bracket runs.

Alexandria Perez (160 lbs.) was Palomar's top scorer with 23.5 points, putting together the most dominant run of any Comet on the day before falling to Kayleen Tuavao of San Joaquin Delta in the final. The college freshman opened the tournament with a fall over Savannah Nelson of Santa Rosa College, then kept rolling, recording falls over Vanessa Small Navarro of Moorpark College and Veronika Shayhen of Sacramento City College, and a technical fall over Aubrey Hernandez of Mt. San Antonio College before Tuavao ended her bid for gold in the championship match. 

Xiomara Gallego (124 lbs.) mirrored that story in the 124-pound bracket, accumulating 19.5 points on a run that ended with a technical fall loss to Christina Osorio of Cerritos College in the final. The college freshman opened with a bye, then won three straight to reach the championship round, taking a decision over Bella Llamas of Mt. San Antonio, a fall over Haely Lemus of East Los Angeles College, and a technical fall over Elli Bryant of Fresno City College.

Michelle Klein (180 lbs.) put together one of the more complete bracket performances of the tournament before finishing fourth with 15.5 points. The college sophomore opened with a fall over Darlene Suarez of College of the Redwoods, then dropped a technical fall to Gen DeLeon of Mt. San Jacinto before reeling off three consecutive wins, a fall over Amber Verdugo of Lemoore College, a decision over Olivia Marker of Mt. San Antonio, and a decision over Jordan Puluti of Cerritos. Her tournament ended with a loss to Alejandra Ochoa of Delta in the consolation final, but the fourth-place finish reflects a competitor who belonged in every match she wrestled.

Charis Tolentino (110 lbs.) secured sixth place and 10 points in a bracket that gave little quarter at the lightest weight class on Palomar's roster. The college freshman's run began with a fall victory over Alyssa Marquez of East Los Angeles before losses to Mikayla Weller of Bakersfield College, Caylee Reyes of Mt. San Antonio, and Ashley Orozco of Victor Valley College ended her day.

Preciosa Moreno (117 lbs.) rounded out the Comets' podium haul with a seventh-place finish and 12.5 points. The college sophomore opened with a fall over Alexandra Lorretto of Lassen College. She then worked through a bracket that went loss-win-loss-win, losing to Lynette Legados in a technical fall, but bounced back to beat Leila Palacios from Santa Rosa by securing a fall. After dropping a decision to Saphire Altamirano of Skyline, Moreno secured a fall over Simoneta Zickeviciute of Moorpark. Moreno's 3-2 record on the day reflects steady competition against a deep 117-pound field.

The fifth-place team finish reflects a roster built almost entirely of freshmen, a young core that now knows what it takes to compete at the state level. With medals around their necks and unfinished business ahead, this group has set the foundation for something worth watching.