A year ago, Team New York got off to a great start at Fargo when Alexis Porter captured a Cadet national title at 143 pounds.

The 2013 edition of the tournament began with another Alexis –  Schoharie’s Alexis Bleau – making the finals at 143 and grabbing the silver medal on Day 1 of action in North Dakota.  Bleau, a 2012 state qualifier from Section 2, had a dominant beginning to the event, notching three consecutive pins in pool competition – all in less than a minute and a half.

In the title match, Bleau took an early 2-0 lead at the two-minute mark of the first period and had a 2-1 advantage after one.  However, her opponent, Rachel Watters of Iowa, successfully countered a pair of Bleau shots for takedowns of her own in the second period.  The grappler from the Hawkeye State captured a 5-2 decision.

Bleau wasn’t the only placer for New York on Saturday.  She was joined on the podium by 108-pounder Jennifer Juarez, who was third and Vivian Vu, who was sixth at 154 pounds. Juarez registered a pair of falls in pool play, before completing her day with an exclamation point – another pin over Haley Franich of Washington in the bronze match. Vu bested Britteny Yost of California in early action.

Also taking the mat for the Empire State in the Cadet women’s event were Samantha Ouye-Gonzalez and Susan Yang at 115 pounds and Shannon Henry at 132.  

Wrestling continues on Sunday with the kickoff of the Cadet Greco Roman tournament.

For our preview of Fargo for Team New York, see Here.