Norwalk’s Bryan Echesirim, Liyah Salazar take home top honors
Wrestlers Bryan Echesirim and Liyah Salazar have been selected as Norwalk High School’s CIF-SS Ford Academic Awards Male and Female Student Athletes of the Year. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
NORWALK - Bryan Echesirim and Liyah Salazar have recently finished a very successful four years at Norwalk High School, as they recently graduated with honors for the Lancers.
The two seniors are the recipients of the 35th Annual CIF-Southern Section Ford Academic Award Male and Female Athletes of the Year for 2021-22 for Norwalk.
The stringent requirements for this award are a minimum 3.5 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) during the recipient’s sophomore, junior and senior years, in addition to involvement in both athletic and extra-curricular activities. The academic award is the highest individual award bestowed upon students from the CIF Southern Section.
Named as Male and Female Athletes of the Year were Jonathan Goodloe (Football) and Denise Cortez (Volleyball and Basketball). A feature will appear in a future issue.
Echesirim, who had a GPA of 4.167, competed in varsity wrestling for three years, played football as a running back and corner back and was a member of the school band, while Salazar (4.1) was also in the wrestling program since her freshman year and tutored youth.
Bryan Echesirim has been selected as Norwalk High School’s CIF-SS Ford Academic Award Male Student Athletes of the Year.
“It’s pretty difficult to manage, because I needed to worry about my own studies,” Salazar said. “Plus, I needed to help my little cousin or other people who needed help. It’s a lot to balance and then wrestling in midseason, we had to cut weight. That’s a lot.”
Echesirim, who plays the trombone in the band, also said balancing was a big part.
“It was definitely the band and wrestling part,” Echesirim said. “Some band events had us playing for other sports while I had to practice. Sometimes they both took time after school, so I had to find a balance and miss some events in band. As long as I’m having fun with what I’m doing, I don’t see the downside of it. If I’m having fun with it, it makes it all worthwhile.”
“At the end of the day I was still able to enjoy both. I liked playing (the trombone) because of the way it kind of differs from the rest of the instruments.”
Echesirim was also named the Norwalk Male Scholar Athlete of the Year, along with Female Scholar Athlete of the Year Alexandra Mendez.
“I was actually surprised I got the award,” said Mendez, who was a Tennis singles player and had a 4.7 GPA and was a captain in her senior year. “Mainly, because I heard of other players playing multiple sports.
“I knew how much dedication it took to play. It’s a very difficult sport and it took a considerable amount of time to be a decent player.
Mendez, who never played the sport until high school, was on varsity for three years and was named the Most Valuable Player in her first year on varsity as a sophomore.
Mendez will attend UC Berkeley and major in Civil Engineering.
Echesirim, who placed second in league in his first year of wrestling as a sophomore and went to CIF, also played football all four years. He accomplished a preseason goal in his senior year by winning league and placing (7th) in CIF.
“This young man will forever have my respect,” Norwalk Boys Assistant Wrestling coach Bryan DeVries said. “He didn’t start wrestling until his sophomore year and was a sponge when it came to wrestling. He just absorbed everything up. This young man is a great human being, and I am honored to have spent time with him. Truly a role model.”
Boys wrestling coach Frank Soto also had high praise for Echesirim saying, ““From day one I knew that Bryan would be a CIF placer,” Soto said. “Had he wrestled his freshman year and COVID not hit his junior year, who knows how good he would have been. It was an honor and joy to work with him, and I’m glad he placed in CIF.”
Echesirim lost his mother at the beginning of his senior year and had to take on more responsibility with his two younger siblings.
He would often walk his elementary sibling to school and return to the high school for his classes. This was all while maintaining a 4.0 in class.
Wrestler Liyah Salazar has been selected as Norwalk High School’s CIF-SS Ford Academic Award Female Student Athletes of the Year. (Photo by Keith Durflinger)
Meanwhile, Salazar began wrestling on the boys team in her freshman year, since the girls team hadn’t been formed yet. She was one of four girls on the boys team.
After the girls team was organized in her sophomore year, Salazar became a P.R. person for the coaches in recruiting new girls into the program.
“It was really fun and it was a good experience to be one of the founders, I guess, of the girls team,” Salazar explained.
Helping Salazar was recent graduate Anahy Aguilar.
“Wrestling gave me a sort of discipline,” Salazar added. “Homework-wise, it gave me a kind of power to keep pushing through, even if I don’t understand what’s happening. I find other opportune ways to get that help that I need.
“In studies, there’s a lot of times where I wanted to give up midway through the year because I was tired and I wanted to go to sleep. I ended up pushing through and getting the grades I needed.”
In the three years that followed, Salazar would see the program grow from five to eight and finally to 13 wrestlers this past year.
Salazar spent a good deal of time promoting the sport, as she would always welcome a new athlete with open arms.
Assistant coach Soto said of Salazar, “…..Liyah was one of the best leaders a coach could ask for. She looked out for new wrestlers and helped returners grow. Our sixth-place finish in CIF was due to her dedication to the team.
“We preach family and she is family to all girl wrestlers. All while maintaining a high GPA,” DeVries said.
“She will tell you that the sport of wrestling has given her much. I say that she has given everything to the sport and helped to build the Norwalk Girls program from the ground up.
“She would always take the time to teach new wrestlers’ proper technique and more importantly make them feel welcomed in a new and sometimes violent sport.
“The Norwalk Program has had much success recently and continues to improve. None of that happens without Liyah Salazar. She will forever be known as, ‘My Captain’”.