Dec. 6, 1999
TEMPE, Ariz. - Junior All-American Steve Blackford captured the 165-pound title as the No. 17 Sun Devils finished ninth at last weekend's Las Vegas Invitational. For the Sun Devils, junior Quinn Foster also placed, finishing third at 149 pounds in the 40-team tournament which took place Dec. 3-4 at the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm, Nev. Arizona State earned 60 points, just 3.5 behind eighth-place Pittsburgh, while Oklahoma State won the tournament with 170 team points.
For Blackford, the tournament title is his second championship of the season after finishing first at the California Open on Nov. 20. The third-ranked wrestler in the country at 165 pounds, he turned in a pin, technical fall and major decision in his first four matches before decisioning No. 9 Ty Wilcox of Oklahoma State in the semifinals. Blackford then defeated fifth-ranked Joey Killar of Harvard 7-2 to clinch the 165-pound crown and improve to 16-1 on the year.
Foster, currently ranked 17th in the nation, took third at 149 pounds with a 4-1 record in Las Vegas. He opened the tournament with a major decision and two pins before falling to No. 2 Adam Tirapelle of Illinois 14-7 in the semifinals. Foster then rebounded with an 8-7 decision of No. 10 Jared Lawrence of Minnesota to finish third.
The Sun Devils return to action after taking a week off for finals on Dec. 19 when they travel to Reno, Nev., for the Reno Duals. Last year, ASU finished third at the Reno Duals with a 2-1 record that included wins over Purdue and Boise State.