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Alayna Swilley, Ripon girls wrestling
AOW--Alayna Swilley pic WEB

A 121-pound senior, this third-year wrestler picked up a gold medal Saturday for the second year in a row at the Sac-Joaquin Section South Regional Championships, notching four pins in her five wins on the way to the championship podium at Central Valley High School in Ceres.
With the exception of her 5-3 semifinal win, the only other match to even make it into the third round was the championship bout against Maria Rodriguez from Grace Davis of Modesto. Swilley led 2-1 going into the third period before pinning Rodriguez who had three first-round pins and a second-round pin in the preliminary rounds.
“Alayna is a tough young lady,” Ripon coach Eric Barriga said. “She shows up to practice to work her tail off every day. She is a team leader and a great friend to her teammates!
“Alayna should be considered a top contender to place at state this year and she will succeed in life with what she has learned in wrestling. Our motto has been, `Adapt, overcome, improvise.’”
Swilley will lead four other Indians wrestlers into the two-day SJS Masters Championships at McNair High in Stockton beginning Friday, Feb. 16.