RB’s Snider, who placed second in state last year, hopes to capture the top spot in 2026

Gabriel Santo recalled the moment he knew Rancho Bernardo wrestling teammate Mary Snider was someone very special.

“She hurt her ankle — not wrestling me — and although she was in pain, she wrestled through it,” said Santo. “I respected her even more for doing that. She took the injury as a challenge.

“To me, it was inspiring. She is always pushing to be better, and she has a great mindset.”

Mind you, Santo himself is no slouch. He has compiled a 18-5 record competing at 152 pounds and placed second at the Jim Londos Memorial Tournament last weekend. He credits that to having Snider as a wrestling partner.

Snider, a senior, has glittering credentials, including placing second at the state championships competing at 140 pounds a year ago.

That was her only loss after compiling a 98-match winning streak.

She moved to the 155-pound weight class this season and her lone setback came in the Goddess of Olympia semifinals in late December when she was pinned at 1:05 by the defending California state champion, Natalie Blanco of Chino.

“I’ll admit I was a little nervous and I got caught,” said Snider in a matter-of-fact reply that belies her competitiveness. “I’m an aggressive wrestler and I took a bad shot. The next thing I know, I’m in a cradle and there was no escape.

“Being seeded fourth, I met (Blanco) in the semi finals and won the third place match. She went on to beat (former Monte Vista High wrestler) Olivia Davis in the finals.

“No one likes to lose, but I’d rather lose now than what happened last year when I lost in the state championships. I’ve gone over the video of that match (against Blanco) a few times and I know I’ll learn from it.”

The switch to 155 pounds wasn’t a difficult one.

“It’s a slower game at 155 pounds,” said the 5-foot-10, 17-year-old. “When I wrestled at 140, I was one of the tallest wrestlers, but now there are some others who are as tall as I am. I feel very comfortable at 155. 

Snider didn’t waste any time being upset about the loss in December, immediately returning to face teammates like Santo in preparation for the next time she’ll face Blanco.

She vividly remembers last year’s state finals where she lost 7-1 to Pitman’s Yzabella Austin, which helped motivate her through the off-season where she competed for the Rancho Bernardo Wrestling Club.

“She got a couple of takedowns and then rode me,” Snider said. “It happens.”

Just not very often.

She rolled through the 157-pound weight class last weekend at the South Bay Classic, pinning all three of her foes and only taking 3:49 to win the championship match.

“I always give my absolute all, even if I’m down 14-1,” said Snider, who carries a 4.16 GPA and is hoping to continue wrestling in college. “It’s a growing sport, but right now there are only seven Division 1 schools offering women’s wrestling. There are more Division 2 schools and lot of Division 3 and NAIA schools, so we’ll see what happens.”

Wherever she lands, Snider, who hadn’t wrestled before her freshman year but did do jiu jitsu, plans to major in mechanical engineering, including helping design drones. That’s in addition to continuing her wrestling career.

That’s in the future but right now, Castro for one won’t be surprised if Snider captures the state 155-pound crown in Bakersfield a month from now.

“She always pushes to be better,” said Santo who is looking to advance one more round in the section Masters Championships to join Snider at the state meet. “She is one of the most technically sound wrestlers on the team, boys or girls.

“I’m stronger and faster than she is, but she is better technically, so it evens out,” said Santo. “It’s two-sided, we both gain from wrestling each other. She learns how to handle someone who might be stronger or faster while I learn technical things that help me.”

“She absolutely can win state.”