Daniela Mendez pins Dessie Coleman of Kennewick, her first-round opponent in Kelso.

KELSO — Ilwaco’s Serena Kuhn and Daniela Mendez were each 2-2 and Bethany Martin went 0-2 at the Kelso girls wrestling tournament, an event that brought over 700 wrestlers and began Friday, Jan. 10.

Kuhn wrestled through elbow and jaw injuries suffered in her second match. Her arm was in a sling the next day when she went to watch the boys’ tournament in Seaside, but she said she is likely to be back within two to three weeks.

Mendez, like Kuhn, won her first two rounds before dropping her last two. She used the “assassin” move to pin her second-round opponent, holding Raven Duclos over her shoulders by the neck. Tyler Rabang of Century, an eventual sixth-place finisher, pinned Mendez in the third match.

Mendez said she felt she had the ability to beat her last opponent, Nalany Rubio from Pasco. Mendez was on the verge of a pin in the first round but ran out of time, with first rounds in the consolation brackets going only a minute. Rubio managed to pin Mendez 4:08 into the match.