Feb. 2, 2000
TEMPE, Ariz. - The No. 13 Sun Devil wrestling team improved to 2-0 in the Pac-10 Conference this season with a 22-15 victory over Cal Poly SLO Sunday afternoon in San Luis Obispo, Calif. With the victory, Arizona State is now 8-7 overall on the season.
Arizona State jumped out to an early 9-0 lead in the dual meet with wins from sophomore Will McCleve (Gilbert, Ariz.) at 197 pounds, senior heavyweight Randy Leydecker (Carson City, Nev.) and senior Michael Kawamura (Rosemead, Calif.), the eighth-ranked wrestler in the nation at 125.
Cal Poly's Alberto Garzo put the Mustangs on the board with a hard-fought 3-1 win over sophomore Daniel Hyman (Walnut Creek, Calif.), but sophomore and 13th-ranked David Douglas (Harvey, Ill.) kept the Sun Devils on top 12-3 with a 4-1 decision over Cal Poly's James Gross at 141 pounds.
The Mustangs then capitalized on a forfeit by the Sun Devils at 149 pounds and a victory at 157 pounds to tie the score at 12-12 with three matches to wrestle. Junior Steve Blackford (Des Moines, Iowa) then stepped up for the Sun Devils. Ranked No. 2 in the country at 165 pounds, Blackford pinned the Mustangs's Brett Schuman in 3:11 to record his ninth win by fall of the season and put the Sun Devils ahead for good. Cal Poly won at 174 pounds, but junior R.D. Pursell (Phoenix, Ariz.) sealed the win for ASU with a 10-2 major decision in the final match of the afternoon.
197 - Will McCleve (ASU) dec. Gregg Herrington (CP), 6-3
Hwt - Randy Leydecker (ASU) dec. Dan Leahy (CP), 14-8
125 - Michael Kawamura (ASU) dec. Jaime Garza (CP), 5-2
133 - Alberto Garza (CP) dec. Daniel Hyman (ASU), 3-1
141 - David Douglas (ASU) dec. James Gross (CP), 4-1
149 - Aaron Gharst (CP) wins by forfeit
157 - Jesse Reta (CP) dec. Nick Frost (ASU), 8-4
165 - Steve Blackford (ASU) pinned Brett Schuman (CP), 3:11
174 - Steve Strange (CP) dec. Curtis Owen (ASU), 10-7
184 - R.D. Purcell (ASU) major dec. Ismail Abdullah (CP), 10-2