When Caitlin Munoz was approached about heading up the new Ramona High girls’ wrestling program a year ago, she didn’t give it a lot of thought.
“I knew nothing, absolutely nothing, about wrestling,” said Munoz. “My background is in combat sports — jiu jitsu, muay thai and mixed martial arts. I talked to my husband and he reminded me I was looking for God to place me where I could have an impact.
“They had even talked to some football coaches about it, but I finally agreed on one condition — Tyler (boys coach Tyler McKay) was completely in charge.”
So, for the first year, Munoz became a sponge, soaking up every bit of knowledge.
“If we had a technical question, we went to Tyler,” she said.
“But I even suited up and got on the mat with the girls and the boys to better understand everything. Getting in there helped me to prepare and understand what the boys and girls were going through.
“I promised not to change his program in any way. We both believed the way to improve was to face adversity, discomfort, and develop, so we weren’t easy on the girls.”
It was still a fledgling program with just 12 wrestlers.
But once the word got out that Munoz was tough but fair and that the girls were just as welcome as the boys, the numbers grew to 21 so all 14 weight classes were covered this season. Just to make it more interesting, the section expanded to three divisions and Ramona was suddenly one of the teams to watch.
The Bulldogs dominated the first Division 3 Championships at Lincoln on Feb. 8, outscoring runner-up Imperial, 243-140.5.
Leading the way were champions Savanna Diaz (115), Hannah Gonzales (130), Giuliana Pekelder (155), Tairen Lee (190) and Robin Moore (235). All but Gonzales return next year.
To get there, Munoz, a longtime Ramona resident, connected with every local gym, utilizing youth training programs that will feed the only high school in the mountain town.
She quickly learned that the coaching stipend she received would go right back into the program to purchase things like wrestling shoes to make sure the girls had all they needed.
As for being in Division 3, she couldn’t have been happier.
“Expanding to three divisions allowed a level playing field,” said Munoz. “Now we could perform against schools our own size with a similar access to students.
“The improvement from a year ago was dramatic,” she said. “Take Giuliana Pekelder. She was a squirrely 170-pound freshman who would wrestle any weight, but she wanted to wrestle like a heavyweight, so we put her at 190. She made it to the first round of the Masters.
“At the goddess of Olympia tournament this year, she broke her nose mid-tournament and had to learn to wrestle with a face mask for her final two matches. She has grown up a lot and this year she came ready to work. She’s quicker and stronger and has settled in at 155s and is wrestling against girls her same size. Her determination and her coachability this year has made her a real competitor. We couldn’t be more proud.
“Then there’s Tairen Lee. Last year, she was a first year wrestler for Ramona who spent most of this season challenging for a varsity spot to becoming our CIF champ at 190’s, which is no small feat for a girl who had to gain weight so she could wrestle up
“Robin Moore, a freshman, is wrestling at 235 even though she can barely make the 172 weight, and she has discovered that being lighter and quicker is an advantage. She’s very aggressive and she wears out her opponent, so she gets stronger as the match continues.
“Savanna Diaz has really bought in and these kids are ready to put everything on the line.
“The experienced leader is Hannah Gonzales, who is ranked ninth in the state. She’s fearless and she’s always ready to handle business. When one of the others is struggling, she doesn’t hesitate to help them. Actually, all of our team does that.”
Munoz thinks the Bulldogs are better positioned to fare well at the Masters Championships than at the divisionals. With five champions and four backups, she is optimistic.
“If all nine girls put it together, we have a good chance to be among the top five — a great accomplishment,” she said.
Going from not having a team to winning Division 3 is a huge jump. But, according to the ultra-competitive Munoz, just the start.
“Everyone knows about Poway’s boys,” she said. “We want to become the Poway of the East and I think we’re on our way. Losing just three qirls, I expect our numbers to be even bigger next year.”
