PREVIEW

Friday-Saturday December 13-14, 2002
Thorpe House Gymnasium II
Cypress College Cypress, CA 90630

By Alan Lombardi

When the top wrestlers in the state converge at Cypress College for the 2002 California Community College Commission on Athletics Wrestling Championship Friday-Saturday Dec. 13-14, unbeaten Palomar College of San Marcos will have the tag of "favorite" attached to its resume.

The Comets, however, will need to be at the top of their game to hold off a worthy list of challengers. Palomar will be pushed hard by Bakersfield, Cerritos and defending state champion Fresno City.

In the southern California Regional Tournament Dec. 7 at Victor Valley College, the Comets scored 135.00 points to edge Bakersfield (128.00) and Cerritos (122.00) for the title. Matt Lambert (157 lbs) and Buck Meredith (165) captured their respective weight classes for Palomar.

Fresno City College had an easier time in winning the northern regional crown Dec. 7 at West Valley. The Rams got individual titles from Jacob Palamino (125), Fernando Razo (149) and Mariano Sanchez (197) to help the team score 145.00 points. Shasta College had 113.50 points to finish second.

Credentialing and on-site media relations to be directed by Cypress Sports Information Director Alan Lombardi. He can be contacted at (714) 484-7356.