GRANDVIEW — Defending state champion Adylene Sanchez ran through the District 5 Class 2A girls wrestling tournament over the weekend without much challenge, pinning all three opponents to claim her second straight title at 155 pounds. Sanchez now returns to state with nine fellow Ephrata wrestlers who also qualified for the upcoming WIAA Mat Classic XXXVII in the Tacoma Dome.

The 10 Tiger qualifiers are a program record, topping the nine Ephrata sent last season. "Hard work, willing to learn and improve, resilience," head coach Raul Tejeda said of the group.

At the two-day district tourney, Tejeda's Tigers finished third in team scoring with 214.5 points behind Toppenish (361) and Othello (325.5). Quincy (190) and Grandview (158) rounded out the top five.

Seven of the 10 Tigers have prior experience in the Tacoma Dome, including four state placers from last year's Mat Classic, when the team placed seventh overall with 119 points. In 2025, Sanchez won the title at 155, Carolina Monico placed fourth at 235, and Alexandra Estrada Rangel and Rayn Castillo each finished sixth at 130 and 145, respectively. A trio of teammates — Kashlynn Cobb (135), Tessa Hausken (190) and Gabbie Grace Bafus (170), also competed at state last February.

Rounding out Ephrata's qualifiers, Meraly Carrillo Cazarez (140) and Natalin Abundiz (115) will compete at Mat Classic this year after attending last season as alternates. And freshman Addison Vasquez (135) will be making her first trip to the Tacoma Dome.

At district, Sanchez needed less than five minutes of total mat time to conquer her bracket. She pinned Toppenish's Lucero Coca in 59 seconds and Ellensburg's Darla Perry in 56 seconds to reach the final round. East Valley's Natalie Naranjo gave Sanchez her closest test, scoring a reversal to make it 3-2 after the first period. Sanchez answered with a reversal 16 seconds into the second and finished the pin at 2:39. A win at Tacoma would make her Ephrata's first two-time girls state champion.

"Always working to improve and her resilience after some tough losses," Tejeda said of Sanchez's tenacity. "She's in a great place mentally and is determined to be back on the podium."

Three other Lady Tigers reached championship finals:

Alexandra Estrada Rangel, last year's district champion at 130, opened with a 15-second pin over Prosser's Jaquelyn Rivera and gutted out a comeback semifinal win over East Valley's Julie Halderman. In that round, Estrada Rangel trailed 4-2 after the first period and 11-3 after two. Halderman then stretched the lead to 15-3 in the third before Estrada Rangel got a reversal and turned it into a pin at 5:27. Advancing to the title match, Estrada Rangel was dealt a 9-5 loss by Othello's Angie Monday, last year's 2A state bronze medalist at 140.

Carolina Monico went 2-1 at 235 pounds, pinning Grandview's Aaliyah Flores in 1:09 before a back-and-forth semifinal with Selah's Gabrielle Burkett. Burkett scored a first-period takedown to grab an early lead. Monico started the second with a reversal, but Burkett answered with a reversal and nearfall, giving her a 9-2 lead heading into the third. But Monico opened the final period with a takedown 30 seconds in and secured the win with a pin with 53 seconds left on the clock.

In the title match, Toppenish's Charlene Underwood shut out Monico 7-0. The two opponents are now even at 2-2 competing against one another. Earlier this season, Monico pinned Underwood in their CWAC dual matchup, but Underwood won at the Winter Cup tournament in Richland. Their rivalry extends to last year's Mat Classic, when Monico beat Underwood in the consolation semifinals enroute to a fourth-place state finish. Underwood finished sixth.

"Carolina has been on a roll," Tejeda said. "She had some injuries and has come back stronger."

At 190, Tessa Hausken won her first two matches by fall, pinning Grandview's Alyssa Garcia in 30 seconds and Quincy's Evelyn Silvas at 2:50. But Grandview's Tatiana Tovar pinned Hausken at 4:23 in the district championship match.

Other Tiger state qualifiers:

Gabbie Grace Bafus placed fourth at 170 after going 3-2 over the weekend. She opened with quick pins over Selah's Shayla Clark (49 seconds) and Ellensburg's Norah Joyce (1:49) before dropping an 11-2 major decision to Othello's Lucy Gilbert. Bafus bounced back with a second pin over Clark, but Toppenish's Octavea John ended her run with a pin at 2:23.

Rayn Castillo and Kashlynn Cobb also placed fourth in their weight classes.

Castillo went 2-1 at 140 pounds, pinning East Valley's Mackenzie Hibbs in 43 seconds and earning a hard-fought fall over Othello's Miriam Garcia at 3:21 before Grandview's Camila Ramirez pinned her at 4:00. Cobb picked up wins over Ellensburg's Piper Magruder and Ephrata teammate Addison Vasquez at 135, but lost twice to Othello's Victoria Deleon.

Three fifth-place finishers also punched their tickets to state for Ephrata.

Natalin Abundiz went 4-2 at 115 pounds in a grueling six-match day. She collected pins over Julia Moreno and Jenesis Godinez of Toppenish, as well as Klare Gans and Jade Guerrero of Quincy. Abundiz's quarterfinal loss to Ellensburg's Keetin Daugherty was a tight match. Tied 5-5 heading into the third, Daugherty started from the top and kept Abundiz down, working her to her back and getting the fall with 32 seconds remaining. Abundiz fought back through two consolation wins to earn the fifth-place finish.

Meraly Carrillo Cazarez placed fifth at 140, picking up three wins including a first round pin over teammate Castillo.

And Addison Vasquez finished fifth at 135 pounds with two wins by fall over Quincy's Hailey Courtade. "Addison is a freshman who is a handful," Tejeda said. "She's been putting in the work and it shows."

Also for Ephrata:

Chenille Garcia went 3-3 at 105 pounds and placed sixth, one spot short of qualifying, but will attend the tournament as an alternate.

Dee Bazan went 2-2 at 120, winning a fall and a 17-0 technical fall but running into Othello and Toppenish opponents in the qualifying rounds.

Looking ahead to Tacoma:

The 2A girls state tournament runs Feb. 20-21 at the Tacoma Dome. Wrestling begins at 9 a.m. both days.

Sanchez enters as the No. 1 seed at 155 and will face the winner of 17th-seeded Darla Perry of Ellensburg and 16th-seeded Iteina Soko of Hudson's Bay. Sanchez pinned Perry in 56 seconds at district.

Monico is seeded third at 235 and draws a first-round bye. She will face the winner of 19th-seeded Zofia Zapien of Prosser and 14th-seeded Cheylah Moses of Marysville Pilchuck.

Estrada Rangel is the fifth seed at 130 and also draws a bye. Her second-round opponent will be either 21st-seeded Tayen Grover of Toppenish or 12th-seeded Wren Neklason of Black Hills.

Castillo is seeded sixth at 140 and earns a first-round bye. She will face the winner of 22nd-seeded teammate Meraly Carrillo Cazarez and 11th-seeded Isobel Leonhardt of Olympic. If Meraly gets past Leonhardt, the two teammates would meet in the second round.

Hausken is seeded ninth at 190 and faces eighth-seeded Angel Matturro of Burlington-Edison in their opening match.

Bafus (11th seed, 170) and Abundiz (9th seed, 115) each drew Deer Park opponents, facing 22nd-seeded Harper Davis and 24th-seeded Audriella Hill respectively.

Cobb comes in as the 16th seed at 135 against Elliana De La Rocha of Hockinson. Vasquez is seeded 19th at 135 and opens against 14th-seeded Madi Shafer of Anacortes.