Kouyoumtjian is first ever triple crown winner
Kouyoumtjian is first ever MHS triple crown winner
At age 15, Charlotte Kouyoumtjian has accomplished what no Marauder has ever done before by becoming the first California USA Wrestling Triple Crown Winner in Monache High School history.
Competing in the 112-pound weight class, Kouyoumtjian won both the Cadet (freshmen/sophomore) and Junior (junior/senior) divisions of the California USA Wrestling State Folkstyle Championships at Fresno’s Selland Arena in March, then went on to win the Cadet division of the California USA Wrestling State Freestyle Championships in April. Kouyoumtjian received a plaque for her accomplishments late last week.
“Being the first triple crown winner is very rewarding because I didn’t know I’d win the award,” Kouyoumtjian said. “I wasn’t surprised when I received it because I’d set the bar high at [winning] nationals, and the triple crown is an award from the state.”
Wrestling with the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club, Kouyoumtjian went 4-0 and won every match by fall to win the Cadet folkstyle championship in a dominating fashion. She finished the tournament with a 3 minute, 52 second pin of Teresa Serrano — a CIF State qualifier
from the Sac-joaquin Section’s Ridgeview — in the championship match.
In the Junior division of the folkstyle championships, Kouyoumtjian won her first three matches by pin with the last two falls coming in under two minutes. Facing Nor Cal Take Down’s Mikayla Vega, Kouyoumtjian defeated the CIF State finalist in a close 4-3 decision. At the CIF State finals last season, Vega placed fifth in the 106-pound weight class.
“Not only did she win her age group of folkstyle frosh/soph at 112 pounds, she challenged herself and went up to the junior/senior 112-pound level and won that state championship to capture two of the three crowns,” MHS head coach Arthur Demerath said. “[But] on her way to those two titles, [she] defeated state qualifiers and state placers in both age groups.
“She then went to the USA Cadet Freestyle championships at 112 pounds and dominated her first two opponents before winning a close match in the finals. She was down I believe with 10 seconds remaining and took her opponent down to win her third title. Very impressive for only being a freshmen,” Demerath added.
At the April Cadet freestyle championship tournament, Kouyoumtjian won the title match in an 18-17 decision against Alisha Narvaez — a CIF State qualifier from the North Coast Section’s Arroyo. She won her other two matches of the tournaments by technical falls of 10-0 and 14-4.
One of the biggest difference between freestyle and folkstyle wrestling is that in freestyle the focus is on remaining on your feet and getting points for takedowns, whereas with folkstyle being able to control your opponent is key.
“Freestyle is focused more on high risk moves to score more points,” Demerath said. “For example, you could score four points if while taking down your opponent, you expose their back for a split second. In folk, you would have to hold your opponents shoulders at 45 degrees or more for a two count to get four points. Freestyle is also about countering your opponent shots. If you can stop their poor shot and expose their back, with defensive moves we teach, you can score two points while never even securing a takedown.”
Representing the state of California during the summer, Kouyoumtjian competed in the U.S. Marine Corps Cadet and Junior Freestyle Nationals Championships in Fargo, North Dakota. In the back-to-back tournaments, Kouyoumtjian took second in the Cadet division and finished top 12 for the Junior division.
“To compete in the national tournament back-to-back was very nerve-wracking because I was cutting enormous amounts of weight just to be able to compete,” Kouyoumtjian said. “I had conditioned just enough to be able to perform at a high level after struggling physically with making weight. I originally didn’t want to wrestle in two tournaments but after losing in the finals, I had nothing left to lose. I wanted to come back for more. Falling short of my goal of becoming a national champion made me come back to the tournament the next day.”
Kouyoutmjian added that it was “very scary” to wrestle at such elite levels, but that doing so has only prepared her for her sophomore season at Monache where she plans to take care of some unfinished business.
“Being able to wrestle the tournaments backto-back really boosted my mental toughness, revealing to me that I’m No. 2 in the nation,” Kouyoumtjian said. “It made me more confident for the upcoming high school season, where I look to avenge my previous loss and if it’s God’s plan, become a state champion.”
A freshman during last year’s 2017-18 wrestling season, Kouyoumtjian went 32-2 and was undefeated up until the CIF Central Section Masters tournament where she lost to the eventual 111-pound CIF State champion, senior Alledia Martinez of Selma, and runner-up, junior Ashley Venegas of Mt. Whitney.
“Charlotte, in my opinion, has the potential to be one of the greatest wrestlers to ever wear a Monache singlet,” Demerath said. “Although she may not look like a rough and tough girl, she has shown to be a dominating, focused wrestler, that will stand toe-to-toe with anyone in the circle. Her hard work and dedication to this sport will provide her with a lot more championships in the future.”