Girls’ 24-25 Wrestling Team Makes History, Winning NCS for the First Time Ever

The 2025 CIF North Coast Section Girls Wrestling Championship took place February 21-22 at Albany High School. NCS is known for its tough competition, with teams from all over the area participating. This championship marked the last chance the Clayton Valley girls had to show their hard work and dedication throughout the season, which they certainly did. 

Not only did Clayton Valley win the NCS team title, they also had four state qualifiers emerge from the championship and multiple individual placers. Seniors Savannah Talmadge, Isa Leyva, and Abbi Cooper placed first in their respective weight classes. This was Cooper’s fourth NCS championship in her high school career. Notably, Mele Moeakiola placed third in her first wrestling season. These placements qualified the four for state championships.  

At state, Cooper made it all the way to the finals in her weight class, Talmadge advanced to the semifinals and Leyva and Moeakiola both made it to the round of 16.

But the NCS crown was no easy task to obtain. The team scored 135.5 points throughout the championship, a remarkable feat. A season's worth of rigorous practice led to this accomplishment. 

Performing well for these big championships with high stakes can begin to take a toll on athletes' mental health. When asked how he helps mentally prepare the girls before these big matches like NCS, Kyle Belmlander, the CV wrestling coach for 24 years said, “I don’t worry about the potential greatness of the moment. I try to make sure the team is having fun. If you worry about the wrestling, the winning takes care of itself”. It’s clear his strategy is working from the team’s success. 

To anyone inspired by the Girls' Wrestling win and thinking of joining the CVCHS wrestling team, Coach Belmlander advises, “If you are thinking about trying wrestling, just do it. There’s something about this sport that just grabs you and won’t let GO!”