Girls’ varsity wrestler Andrea Estrada placed fourth at the Girls’ San Joaquin Sectional Championship Feb. 7.

Estrada, along with Terrie Tran and Isabel Kurtz, competed in this tournament to determine whether they would qualify for Girls’ California Interscholastic Federation State wrestling tournament.

Even though Kurtz placed sixth out of many, only the top five qualify.

“When I won the match that made me qualify, I was so happy because I knew that all the weight cutting and extra work that I’ve put in has paid off,” Estrada said.

Estrada achieved an overall score of 4-2 with three of her wins being pins.

Wrestlers that qualify for State come from all parts of California, ranging from San Diego to the North Coast. A whole new level of determination and skill will be needed to prepare her for competing against the top wrestlers in those sections.

“[To prepare] I am going on runs everyday after practice, watching videos of matches I lost at Masters to figure out why I lost them and how I won’t let it happen again, as well as work extra on things I’ve struggled with this season,” Estrada said.

Coach Dan Parker said, “I’m really proud of her. It was a very tough tournament and [now] she’s gonna represent us at State.”

by SARAH MARTINEZ