HERMISTON, Ore.-The Hermiston High School Women’s Wrestling team finished second and saw its first individual state champion crowned at the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) State Championship on February 21.
“We felt good going into the tournament, I’m not surprised we wrestled well,” Hermiston Head Coach Al Davis said of his team’s best ever state finish. “Of course, we’re always hoping to win, and we knew we could when we got four wrestlers into the finals.”
Hermiston qualified 15 wrestlers for state, all of whom won at least one match at Mat Classic XXXVII at the Tacoma Dome.
Kianna Gutierrez-Munoz, Harleigh Cubbage-Thorp, Emily Stone, and Iaunny Ruiz all wrestled for first in their respective weight classes, with Guitierrez-Munoz claiming the state title at 145 pounds.
“This is just a tough, grind-it-out team,” said Davis. “They’re not afraid of hard work, and they’re close, they have deep feelings as a team, you don’t always see that.”
Hermiston’s first-ever Women’s Individual Wrestling State Champion
Kianna Gutierrez-Munoz won Hermiston’s first individual women’s wrestling state title at the Tacoma Dome.
“The state experience was super crazy,” said Gutierrez-Munoz. “I had the eye of the tiger; I wanted to win. I performed, gave it my best, and made my dream come true.”
Although she ultimately won the state title, Gutierrez-Munoz’s most memorable moment of the tournament came in her semifinal match against Joreena-Lynn Tupal of Lincoln High School in Tacoma, a wrestler she had beaten before.
“I’ve never been that nervous before a match as I was before the semifinals,” said Gutierrez-Munoz. “I picked her up and slammed her, though, it was the best moment of my life.”
Gutierrez-Munoz went on to meet Ava Risner, of Kelso, another wrestler she had previously grappled with, in the state championship match.
“I’d wrestled her twice before, so I knew what to expect,” said Gutierrez-Munoz. “I came this far for a reason, so I wasn’t going to give up.”
Gutierrez-Munoz earned a 12-10 decision over Risner for the state title.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet, this feels absolutely insane,” Gutierrez-Munoz said of winning the title. “People will know my name and class now (145 pounds), they’ll see me coming, and I’ll be tough to beat.”
