Buchanan Female Wrestler Honored by City of Clovis

L-R: Saul Rodriguez, Cristelle Rodriguez, Coach Damani Buckley, and Jerri Rodriguez. PHOTO BY RON SUNDQUIST/CLOVIS ROUNDUP

It has been quite the year for Cristelle Rodriguez.

The Buchanan High wrestler won the silver medal while representing the U.S. at the 2019 Cadet World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria in August.

And now, the City of Clovis has awarded Rodriguez with a proclamation recognizing her achievements.

“It is really exciting,” Rodriguez said. “I was surprised, because I just love wrestling so much and the awards come and I am like ‘whoa, I actually do this’.”

Rodriguez, now 15, has been wrestling since she was 9 and has made quite a name for herself in the wrestling world. 

She was the first female wrestler in the Clovis Unified School District to ever win a CIF state championship and in 2018, she was on the USA Olympic Pan American team in which she became a champion in the schoolgirl division.

In May, Rodriguez competed in the Women’s Freestyle National Tournament in Texas, where she successfully qualified for a World team.

And with all that she has done, Rodriguez still has her eyes set on the loftiest of goals. 

“I want to make it to the Olympics and see how old I am until I can’t make it to the Olympics anymore.”

And she is well on her way. 

Rodriguez is currently on the Olympic Circuit, with her goals within reach. 

But for now, Rodriguez returns to the Buchanan wrestling team which has won the last four CIF State Championships. 

Michael graduated from Fresno State in May 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in print journalism. During his time at the university, he served as sports and managing editor for The Collegian, Fresno State’s student-run newspaper. In addition to the Clovis Roundup, Michael has written for The Fresno Bee, the Kingsburg Recorder and Selma Enterprise. He has a passion for sports and can be found on the sidelines at local games, bringing the citizens of Clovis the athletics news they deserve.