Chugiak High School senior Melissa Apodaca placed third in the senior women's 132-pound weight class Monday to highlight performances among local Eagle River grapplers competing in the Cade/Junior Nationals Freestyle and Greco-Roman Championships in Fargo, N.D., this week.
Apodaca, a member of the Chugiak boys varsity team last year, went 4-1 to claim the title Monday in the one-day women's freestyle meet, reported Eagle River Glacier Wrestling Club president Bret McBryde.
Other club members attending the meet included Stephen Kichura, along with Nolan and Rory McBryde. Nolan McBryde went 3-2, with losses to the eventually third- and fifth-place finishers in the 160-pound weight division and finished among the top 16 in the 88-man bracket.
Kichura, at 125 pounds, and Rory McBryde, at 189 pounds, went 0-2 in their divisions. Bret McBryde did report that the Kichura's 125-pound category was one of the tournament's more difficult, with several top Greco-Roman grapplers from around the country.
The Alaskans should fare equally well or better as they moved into the freestyle competition Wednesday and today, as they compete in the discipline used in high school competition here.
