Buchanan Rolls, Lemus Makes History and No. 1 Goes Down at California Girls State Wrestling Championships

Leilani Lemus becomes just the fifth four-time champion, Me’Kala James knocks off the nation’s top-ranked wrestler, and the Bears crown multiple winners in a runaway team title in Bakersfield.

Clovis' Leilani Lemus captured the 170-pound CIF title, becoming the fifth four-time girls wresting state champion in California history. / Clovis Wrestling

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Girls’ State Wrestling Tournament is a single class battle just like the boys. Both began action on Thursday at the Dignity Health Arena in Bakersfield and they concluded on Saturday evening with both sets of final running side-by-side under the spotlight. The Buchanan Ladies replicated the Boy’s feat as state champs by a healthy margin over Marina, 147.5-109. 

Lemus Becomes California's Fifth Four-Time Female Champion

The spotlight was stolen by No. 1 Leilani Lemus at 170 pounds, who successfully completed her bid to become the fifth four-time Girls’ State Champion in California history. The Clovis grappler didn’t need to wait long to start her celebration as Lemus put Upland’s Sophia Lopez on the mat with a takedown and immediately secured an arm and ran the bar to gain the fall 34 seconds into the title bout.  

None of the senior’s matches lasted longer than a minute as she marched to the finals with authority on pins successively of 1:49, 1:04, 33 seconds, and 1:37. 

James Wins Battle for Nation's No. 1 Mantle

One of the other big story lines from the finals was delivered by Central East’s No. 2 Me’Kala James, who was facing the number one girl in the nation, Angelina Borelli of Los Banos, at 125 pounds. Borelli pinned Ward at the MidCals Tournament. 

The rematch would be quite different as James jumped out early with a very technical bow-down finish of a single leg to go up 3-0 in the first period. James kept on the attack after choosing neutral to start the middle frame, securing a takedown on a spin behind to go up 6-0.

Borelli finally put a point on the board with a subsequent escape but was down, 6-1, heading into the final round. Instead of mounting a comeback, Borelli fell victim to another single leg with a finish similar to the first one to fall farther behind and would only add one more escape point. James’ 9-2 win improved upon her fourth-place finish of a year ago. 

Ward Exacts Revenge with a Fall

Another head turner was executed by No. 4 Shayna Ward of Oakland Tech in her showdown with No. 3 Zahra Stewart (Orange Vista). Stewart won a state title in 2025 by decking Ward in the finals. 

The board was blank after the opening round. Stewart elected bottom for the second period and gave up two near-fall points on a cradle before reversing Ward. Ward got out to end the period up, 3-2. 

A chaotic sequence of events started with Ward attempting to Headlock Stewart. Stewart defended it and put Ward in one of her own to collect four back points. Ward earned a reversal when they came up in a whizzer position and she basically just powered Stewart to her back and ended up sticking her at the 4:58 mark of the final frame. 

Bears Double Down with Their Pack of Placers

Buchanan was the only team to put more than one girl atop the podium with Alexandria Marin (100 pounds) and No. 2 Christina Estrada (110). Marin picked off two girls who appear on our national rankings as she made her way to the finals, No. 7 Mia Hernandez (Colony) and No. 18 Eva Bhattacharya (Menlo-Atherton). 

Marin’s finals bout would be drama free as she worked to a 10-0 major decision of Garces’ Daniella Vazquez. Estrada’s title was her second in a row and came on an 18-3 tech fall of No. 30 Alexa Smith (Lutheran/Orange).

Four other Bears claimed state hardware to power Buchanan. No. 19 Marcia Nunez was second at 105 pounds, No. 9 Trinity Garza placed third at 115, Marianna Gonzalez was fourth at 120 pounds, while Olivia Faust came in seventh at 155.

Triplet Repeats

Marina’s sole champ was of the repeat variety as No. 6 Aubree Gutierrez stuck Elk Grove’s Skye Schneider in the third period, 5:38. Gutierrez also decked the Bears’ No. 9 Garza in the semis, in the third round, 4:34.  

Two more added additional gold to the one they captured in 2025, No. 10 Yzabella Austin (Hughson) and No. 20 Natalie Blanco (Chino). 

Austin blanked No. 11 Dulcy Martinez (Central Catholic) on an 8-0 major at 140 pounds that was put together with two takedowns and a reversal. Blanco pitched a shutout of her own at 155 pounds against No. 29 Mary Snider, who was also a runner-up a year ago and suffered her only loss of the year prior to the finals to Blanco. This one was scoreless until a reversal for Blanco with 20 seconds remaining and would end with Blanco on top of a 2-0 decision. 

Even Greater Than a Year Ago

Three other girls also improved their standing on the podium from the previous campaign. No. 2 SJ Martin (Granada) and No. 13 Jestinah Solomua (Corona) earned bronze last season. Moving all the way up from a seventh-place finish was No. 11 Madison Black of Newbury Park. 

Martin throttled Poway’s No. 29 Ava Ebrahimi in the 120-pound final, 12-0. Solomua had a less challenging endeavor with Fremont’s Haru Duus, putting her down in 3:14, at 145. At 130 pounds, Black endured the tightest battle of the trio in a 3-0 win over unranked Camille Torres (Brawley). Torres made her bones in the semis when she decked No. 9 Tamara Grace (Gilroy).

High-Power at 190

The 190-pound final featured a showdown of two girls who did not place at states in prior tries, No. 20 Estefany Caballero (Orange) versus No. 21 Emily Carvalho (Redwood). Their rankings order was determined by a 4-2 win for Caballero at the Queen on the Hill Tournament.

The rematch would see the same victor, but with a higher output on the scoresheet. A scoreless first gave way to four points being thrown up by Caballero on an escape and takedown. Caballero tried a cradle, which allowed Carvalho to escape to end the second at 4-1. 

After Carvalho escaped to start the third, Caballero hit her with a hard snap and spin for three more and a 7-2 advantage. Another escape and takedown would leave the final tally, 10-3, in Caballero’s favor. 

Champs with National Notoriety

Another ranked pairing came up at 105 pounds with No. 3 Angelica Serratos (Santa Ana) facing off with No. 19 Marcia Nunez. Serratos toppled her foe with a 10-4 outcome. No. 13 Gia Coons locked down the 235-pound crown when she planted Nipomo’s Taya Maumausolo matagi to the ground in 3:29. 

Team Scores (Top 10)

1-Buchanan 147.5

2-Marina 109

3-Northview 100.5

3-Orange Vista 100.5

5-Poway 97.5

6-Gilroy 58

7-Corona 57.5

8-Santa Ana 49.5

9-Brawley 43.5

9-Rancho Bernardo 43.5

Individual Results

 100-Pounds

1st Alexandria Marin (Buchanan (CS)) MD Daniella Vazquez (Garces (CS)), 10-0

3rd Kiana Lien (Mountain View (CC)) F Eva Bhattacharya (Menlo-Atherton (CC)), 2:06

5th Olivia Munson (Chaminade (SS)) F Bailey Hoard (Monache (CS)), 2:17

7th Pia Hill (Folsom (SJ)) F Aliah Bertalotto (Turlock (SJ)), 2:15

105-Pounds

1st Angelica Serratos (Santa Ana (SS)) DEC Marcia Nunez (Buchanan (CS)), 10-4

3rd Ava Fodera (Poway (SD)) MD Giselle Solano (Franklin (Elk Grove) (SJ)), 13-1

5th Lily Dizon (Pitman (SJ)) DEC Sophia Lazaro (Northview (SS)), 8-7

7th Audriana Rodriguez (Orange Vista (SS)) DEC Lila Tsao (Homestead (CC)), 9-2

110-Pounds

1st Christina Estrada (Buchanan (CS)) TF Alexa Smith (Lutheran/Orange (SS)), 18-3 2:08

3rd Leila Witzerman (Peninsula (SS)) DEC Caroline Collins (Carlsbad (SD)), 8-4

5th Isabella Fodera (Poway (SD)) M FOR Samantha Cornejo (Esperanza (SS))

7th Jenniyah Duarte (Sanger (CS)) MD Nohea Booth (Marina (SS)), 8-0

115-Pounds

1st Aubree Gutierrez (Marina (SS)) F Skye Schneider (Elk Grove (SJ)), 5:38

3rd Trinity Garza (Buchanan (CS)) F Paris Soria (Los Altos (SS)), 4:17

5th Maggie Cornish (Tesoro (SS)) DEC Kamila Cerna (Stockdale (CS)), 7-3

7th Olive Lechiara (Temecula Valley (SS)) DEC Diana Barone (Birmingham (LA)), 5-2 SV

120-Pounds

1st Sj Martin (Granada (NC)) MD Ava Ebrahimi (Poway (SD)), 12-0

3rd Eliana Garcia (Northview (SS)) DEC Mariana Gonzalez (Buchanan (CS)), 4-3

5th Itzel Herrera (Corona (SS)) MD Evelyn Lopez (Hamilton (SS)), 10-2

7th Jordan Deleon (Oak Ridge (SJ)) F Addison Bernstein (Orland (NS)), 2:32

125-Pounds

1st Me`kala James (Central East (CS)) DEC Angelina Borelli (Los Banos (SJ)), 9-2

3rd Kaiya Maggini (Del Oro (SJ)) F Alexandrea Corona (Monache (CS)), 2:40

5th Jocelynn Mendoza (Gilroy (CC)) DEC Maile Nguyen (Granada (NC)), 6-1

7th Sussette Bell (Etiwanda (SS)) F Mia Hooper (Northview (SS)), 2:16

130-Pounds

1st Madison Black (Newbury Park (SS)) DEC Camille Torres (Brawley (SD)), 3-0

3rd Tamara Grace (Gilroy (CC)) F Isabella Sermaña (Cerritos (SS)), 2:10

5th Chloe Pearce (Rancho Bernardo (SD)) MD Emily Marlowe (Lincoln (Stockton) (SJ)), 10-0

7th Victoria Espinoza (Palm Desert (SS)) F Katherine Love (St. Francis (CC)), 4:17

135-Pounds

1st Shayna Ward (Oakland Tech Senior H S (NC)) F Zahra Stewart (Orange Vista (SS)), 4:58

3rd Alanna Harwell (St. Mary`S (SJ)) DEC Rianna Bernal (Marina (SS)), 7-4

5th Lilyana Balderas (Anaheim (SS)) M FOR Lauren Zaragoza (Brawley (SD))

7th Izel Padilla (Excelsior Charter (SS)) MD Sarai Cortez (Gilroy (CC)), 13-2

140-Pounds

1st Yzabella Austin (Hughson (SJ)) MD Dulcy Martinez (Central Catholic (SJ)), 8-0

3rd Sumaya Lazaro (Northview (SS)) F Ivana Cuellar (Downey (SS)), 0:38

5th Gianna Lopez (Peninsula (SS)) F Lillian Zediker (Etiwanda (SS)), 0:18

7th Sarah Harthorn (Golden Valley (Bakersfield) (CS)) DEC Hailey Liu (Northgate (NC)), 6-1

145-Pounds

1st Jestinah Solomua (Corona (SS)) F Haru Duus (Fremont (CC)), 3:14

3rd Jules Sitani (Northview (SS)) DEC Anakarla Hernandez (St Helena (NC)), 8-3

5th Sophia Galindez (Orange Vista (SS)) M FOR Kirin Smith (Clovis West (CS))

7th Emma Mallen (Marysville (SJ)) F Naveena Enriquez (Palm Desert (SS)), 0:45

155-Pounds

1st Natalie Blanco (Chino (SS)) DEC Mary Snider (Rancho Bernardo (SD)), 2-0

3rd Symone Jewell (Northgate (NC)) F Eva Garcia (Marina (SS)), 3:39

5th Samya Bazile (Pacifica/Oxnard (SS)) F Adelieda Fernandez (Birmingham (LA)), 0:54

7th Olivia Faust (Buchanan (CS)) F Andie Munoz (La Quinta/La Quinta (SS)), 1:16

170-Pounds

1st Leilani Lemus (Clovis (CS)) F Sophia Lopez (Upland (SS)), 0:34

3rd Aiyanna Beane (American Canyon (NC)) DEC Berlynn Solia-tago (Poly/Long Beach (SS)), 8-2

5th Brooklyn Bittner (Rio Mesa (SS)) F Areli Rodriguez (Alisal (CC)), 4:47

7th Tiffany Bell (Orange Vista (SS)) F Kailee Cadena (Bakersfield Christian (CS)), 2:59

190-Pounds

1st Estefany Caballero (Orange (SS)) DEC Emily Carvalho (Redwood -Visalia (CS)), 10-3

3rd Onyi Oragwam (Centennial (CS)) F Aubreyelle Baeza (San Dimas (SS)), 1:43

5th Rosalynn Diaz (Liberty (NC)) DEC Selieni Paseka (Poly/Long Beach (SS)), 5-2

7th Briana Alvarado (Highland (Bakersfield) (CS)) F Jazmine Mendez (Christopher (CC)), 0:55

235-Pounds

1st Gia Coons (Orange Vista (SS)) F Taya Maumausolo matagi (Nipomo (CS)), 3:29

3rd Ashley Wafer (Lakewood (SS)) F Isabella Lorenzana (Marina (SS)), 2:47

5th Adelena Martinez (Hemet (SS)) F Marley Smith (Lassen (NS)), 1:40

7th Alicia Espinoza (Central Valley (SJ)) F Brianna Reid (Chico (NS)), 2:08