LOS ANGELES, CA. – Texas Wesleyan added a dual of outstanding wrestlers in 2019 CCCAA state champion Kahlil Tucker and All-American Christian Espinoza. The Rams recruiting class is impressive as they have signed various state champions and place winners to help them compete in the always competitive NAIA Division.

Tucker and Espinoza came out of California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) powerhouse Rio Hondo College. Tucker was second at the Southern Conference and competed at 133-pounds. At the state tournament, Tucker went a perfect 3-0 to win the coveted state title over Houston Scibek of Modesto Junior College. Tucker became Rio Hondo’s first state champion since 2017 when James Schmidt captured the 157-pound title.

Competing at 141-pounds, Espinoza also advance to the state finals where he met a familiar opponent in Isaiah Mora of Cerritos College. Espinoza had defeated Mora twice during the regular season. However, it was Mora’s turn to come away with a win as he defeated Espinoza 8-7.

Both athletes competed for Los Angeles Area high schools, Tucker for Montclair and Espinoza for California High. The recruitment of both these athletes will bring additional arsenal to an already tough lineup.

Additional signees for the Rams include Fargo All-American Ryan Johnson, Two-time Texas state champion James McClain-Green, two-time South Dakota state champion Mikey Kumlein, and Texas state champions Rylan Bonds and Aiden Jean.

Texas Wesleyan finished the 2019-20 dual-meet season with a 5-2 record while qualifying two of their athletes to the NAIA tournament.