COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The more Aaron Meister watches Gabriela Ramos-Diaz wrestle, the more he likes what he sees.

The Wayland Baptist coach came away with more positive impressions of the Pioneer freshman after she won the 55-kilogram division at the prestigious Dave Schultz Memorial International here.

“Gaby is a great wrestler who has a lot of big-match experience. Her demeanor was very calm throughout,” Meister said. “For a 17-year-old freshman to win a senior-level national event speaks volumes as to how good a wrestler Gaby is.”

Ramos-Diaz won all three of her matches, including a Cadet World Champion in Ronna Heaton.

“I’m still getting to know Gaby and her style and how to coach her. It’s a very different style than I’m used to coaching,” Meister said. “That’s helped me grow and I think it’s helped her, too.”

Also competing at the tournament for Wayland were Breanna Dudoit-Vasquez, Cheyenne Bates, Marina Briceno, Mayra Ramirez and Rebekah Cordova.

“As a team we wanted to have a little more success in regards to the win column, but it was a great experience,” Meister said. “All the girls gave a great effort. It was a little bit tougher competition than what we’re used to, but it was good for them to see that level. We faced foreign and senior-level competition, which we typically don’t get to do until the spring. So for them to get to do that this early in the season was a good thing.”

Former Pioneer Tamyra Mensah, wrestling for Titan Mercury, won two of her three matches in the 76-kilogram group after she bumped up a weight class in order to get more matches. Mensah’s lone loss was to three-time world champion Adeline Gray

Fifth-ranked Wayland’s next competition is a tournament hosted by Missouri Valley on Nov. 18.
Dave Shultz Memorial International

55 kg: Gabriela Ramos-Diaz: def. Ronna Heaton, Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club, 10-6; def. Yurie Yoneoka, Japan, 10-8; def. Monica Mendoza, Aries Wrestling Club, 10-0.
62 kg: Breanna Dudoit-Vasquez: lost to Yui Sakano, Japan, 8-0; lost to Lais Oliviera, Brazil, 6-0.
65 kg: Cheyenne Bates: lost to Desiree Zavala, Choker Wrestling Club, 10-0; lost to Eun sil Jang, Korea (National Team), 8-2.
68 kg: Marina Briceno: lost to Randi Beltz, U.S. Army, 10-0; lost to Chiaki Iijima, Japan, 10-0.
53 kg: Mayra Ramirez: lost to Kamila Barbosa, Brazil, 4-0; lost to Shin hye Lee, Korea (National Team), 10-0.
57 kg: Rebekah Cordova: lost to Andribeth Rivera, Puerto Rico, 10-0; lost to Fusano Mochizuki, Japan, 4-0.
76 kg: Tamyra Mensah (Titan Mercury): lost to Adeline Gray, NYAC, 8-0; def. Victoria Francis, TMWC, 10-0; def. Iselin Solheim, Norway, 10-0.