Truckee youth wrestlers claim pair of 1st-place finishes in league opener
RENO, Nev. — The Truckee youth wrestling program bookended the new year with a number of podium finishes, closing 2022 by pinning the competition at the Sierra Nevada Classic Youth Tournament, and then posting nine top-three finishes at last weekend’s Sierra Wrestling Association’s Kickoff Tournament.
The Truckee Wrestling Club sports nearly 40 grapplers, marking the most since the organization’s founding in 2015.
The team’s season opened with a bang Dec. 29 at the Reno Events Center as Samuel Svitana pinned his first three opponents in the 66- through 69-pound weight class of the 34-team Sierra Nevada Classic. He then took the championship via a dominant win by technical fall.
Teammate Ace Pena took second in the 84- through 90-pound division. Pena pinned his first opponent, lost by fall in his second match, and then bounced back to take second place with a win by fall.
Jacob Svitana took third place in the 48- through 49-pound division with wins in his first two matches. Israel Tenorio captured fourth place and Jacob Pena finished in fifth place.
On Sunday, the team returned to the mats for the opening meet of the Sierra Wrestling Association season.
In the 38- through 44-pound division, Ian Pena captured first place with a win by fall and a pair of wins by decision. Joseph Giles brought Truckee its other first-place finish, topping his opponent by fall in both matches of the 103- through 112-pound division.
Truckee also had runner-up finishes from Jacob Svitana, Sammy Svitana, Ace Pena, Jahquin Mozrok, and Karter Bisagno. Nathan Treat and Karter Bisagno each took third. Tenorio and Evan Mozrok were fourth, and Jacob Pena was sixth.
“One of the things that we try to drive home to our wrestlers is the concept of getting 1% better every day and all our wrestlers, regardless of winning or losing, managed positive steps forward in some aspect of their performance,” said Head Coach Aaron Svitana. “Even the kids that didn’t pick up a win showed heart and pride in their effort, and everyone represented the Truckee community well.”
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