Cerritos College debuts Women’s Wrestling
Head coach, Dustin Kirk, leads the Cerritos College women’s wrestling team for their first competitive season. (Photo by Keith Durflinger, Contributing Photographer)
NORWALK – It has taken approximately 10 years, but the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) has officially started Women’s Wrestling this year as a competitive sport.
Action starts Friday (Jan. 27) for Cerritos College with a Tri-dual at Downey High School, with Menlo College and Vanguard University.
On Saturday, Jan. 28, Cerritos will hold its inaugural Cerritos College Women’s Open (Freestyle).
Right at the forefront is Cerritos College with a full roster and a familiar name for its first head coach.
Former CCCAA State Champion Dustin Kirk became the first coach for the Falcons and has a full squad for the initial campaign. Assisting Kirk is Yoshito Funakoshi.
Kirk, who is also an assistant coach for the men’s team, had a phenomenal two-year career, winning a state title at 133 Lbs. in his sophomore season in 2014. In his freshman season, he was 36-1 and finished third in the state at 125 Lbs.
In addition, he won the conference title in 2014, the same year that the Falcons won a state championship. It was their fourth in school history.
In his championship win, Kirk was 3-0 (Major, 2 decisions), which included a win over an opponent who beat him in the CCCAA So Cal’s a week before the state tournament.
After Cerritos, Kirk competed at King University in Tennessee and was an NCAA Academic All-American and a two-time NCAA All-American (top 8 in the country).
“It feels great,” said Kirk, of being named the first women’s wrestling coach. “It’s an opportunity. Women’s Wrestling is the fastest growing sport in the country right now. In 2022 at the four-year level, there was 39 new women’s college wrestling programs added.
“Just being able to add it and start it here at Cerritos College from a school I went to is awesome. I’m just thrilled for the opportunity.”
“I’ve got a great group of girls,” he said. “They’re excited with a lot of energy and a lot of talent on the team. They bought in already early and that’s a great thing for a coach. To start with 19 girls on the team for a first-year program is awesome. Everybody is great, the talent is there and I’m super excited. I’m grateful for the opportunity for this sport and to develop the women’s program.”
Cerritos College athletic director Maria Castro, who was one of many who were behind the formation of women’s wrestling, was also excited about the new beginning of women’s wrestling.
“The Cerritos College athletics program is very excited for the opportunity to offer women’s wrestling,” Castro said. “It is a growing sport for women’s athletics in the state. The addition of this program allows us to serve our neighboring community and give a chance for students to participate and be involved in our athletic programs here at Cerritos. I have no doubt that women’s wrestling will add to the excellence of Cerritos College Athletics.”
Also involved on the ground floor of developing the women’s program along with Castro was Paul Keysaw (Fresno City College coach), longtime Cerritos College Men’s coach Donny Garriott and John Woods (So Cal Wrestling Alliance), who helped in writing the legislation for the sport.
This addition of women’s wrestling also comes on the heels of the 50th Anniversary of Title IX.
“I tell these girls that they are pioneers of this sport,” added Kirk. “I come from humble beginnings and wrestling saved my life.
“I wanted to be in a position to help other people.”
The CCCAA announced that there will be 12 colleges competing in the inaugural season. They are Fresno City, Sacramento City, Lassen, Santa Rosa, Mt. SAC, Cerritos, Palomar, Moorpark, ELAC, Santa Ana, Cuesta and Bakersfield. College of the Redwoods will start up next year.
Garriott also talked of the momentous occasion. “This has been years in the making”, said Garriott, who has served as the men’s head coach since 2006. “Our wrestling coaches association has been talking and implementing this for years now and it is finally coming to fruition.”
Garriott has had several women on his roster in years past.
One of Kirks wrestlers, freshman Aine Drury, said of the first women’s team,
“It’s exciting. There’s a lot of four years (colleges) going on and not everyone can go into a four year, especially because of finances. (Community) colleges are really a good way for kids in the area that don’t know what schools they want to go to yet. It’s a good way to wait so they can start developing to see where they want to go, like for example Iowa or Nebraska.
“We get to set an example for kids who want to go to a JC (community college).”
Drury, who had committed to a four-year college, decided to de-commit because of Kirk recruiting her.
“I started wrestling in my freshman year at Westminster, but I did jiujitsu and J.O. before this, but I’ve been grappling my whole life,” she added. “I was down for that (going to a community college), and I decided to do that.”
Kirk talked of Drury and her previous success.
“Aine is a great athlete,” he said. “In 2022 she qualified for the World Team Trials. When I recruited her, she had the passion again to wrestle.”
Drury took fourth at the U.S. Open and was in the top seven in the World Team Trials.
Freshman Alyssa Rodriguez, who is a team captain, explains how proud she is to be in the program. “I’m really proud because whenever people ask me about our growing sport I tell them I’m the team captain,” she said. “I know that the new girls will help the sport grow years from now.”
Rodriguez talked about her first competition on Friday at the Tri-Dual. “I’m really nervous because the first competition is always nerve-wracking,” she said. “But it’s the kickoff for the season. I’m excited. I feel proud.”
Rodriguez started wrestling as a junior in high school. Her dad, brothers and uncles were wrestlers. “I always went to all the tournaments growing up and always wanted to be a wrestler and finally when I was a junior in high school my dad let me wrestle. He still coaches me.”
Another wrestler, Sabrina Sinohui of Norwalk High, comes from a young but very successful program under the direction of coach Bryan DeVries. “Sabrina has come a long way since day one,” Kirk said.
At Friday and Saturday’s first two wrestling events, the Falcons will get plenty of experience with the teams involved.
“For a first-year program (Cerritos) to be able to wrestle Menlo and Vanguard (Friday’s Tri-Dual), I’m just excited to test the waters,” Kirk said.
At the Cerritos Open on Saturday, six teams and Cerritos will compete in the individual event. The teams are Mt. SAC, Menlo, Vanguard, Palomar, Santa Ana and ELAC.
“The cool thing is we’re going to run a three-man mechanics for officials,” explained Kirk. “This is the standard for the Olympic and World Championships.
“(Cerritos) is ready and excited for this weekend,” added Kirk. “This is only week three for us. We just started.”
Also on the schedule is a trip up to Menlo College in Atherton, a trip to Fresno City College for the CCCAA State Team Dual Championships, another trip up north to the Sacramento City College Open and finally the CCCAA State Individual Championships in April.
This summer Kirk will have camps to bring opportunity for wrestlers.
Inaugural 2023 Cerritos Roster
Katherine Aquino, FR, (Artesia HS); Aine Drury, FR, (Westminster HS); Denise Figueroa, FR (Mayfair HS); Natalie Flores, FR (Downey HS); Jewelysa Funakoshi, FR (West Torrance HS); Andrea Gonzales, FR (Banning HS); Lucy Guadarrama, FR (Orange HS); Isabel Guerrero, FR (Warren HS); Jessica Hong, FR (Western HS); Nile Jennigan, SO (Cerritos HS); Jaylene Martinez, FR (Whittier HS); Kaili Oshiro, FR; Isabella Pacheco, FR (Kennedy HS); Natalie Resendiz, FR (El Toro HS); Alyssa Rodriguez, FR (Mayfair HS); Karen Sanchez, FR (Warren HS); Sabrina Sinohui, FR (Norwalk HS); Savannah Valle, FR (Warren HS); Sianna Verdugo, FR (Santa Fe HS).