TEMPE, Ariz.—The Arizona State wrestling team kicked off the 2014-15 season on Saturday as it hosted its annual Maroon & Gold Intersquad at the Riches Wrestling Complex.
The Sun Devils opened the day with 21 preliminary matches, followed by eight more matches during the afternoon session.
“It was a good opportunity for me to see everyone wrestle for the first time in a competitive environment, with a singlet, at weight, and under stress,” head coach Zeke Jones said. “That’s really when you find out what kind of wrestler you have. I think right now we are on track. I’ve seen improvements since the first day we got here, and I like what we see so far.”
Returning NCAA qualifier Blake Stauffer picked up an 8-4 decision win over redshirt senior Kevin Radford in ASU’s only match between 184-pounders, and junior Ray Waters returned at 174-pounds with 12-1 major decision win over Matt Schneider.
Sophomore transfer Dalton Brady made his debut with ASU at 133 pounds, winning a tech fall over senior Tyree Owens, 19-4, before scoring a 15-5 major decision over junior Cord Coronado that afternoon.
Fellow sophomore transfer Judson Preskitt also picked up a bonus point victory, defeating freshman Mikel Perales, 14-2, at 125 pounds. Preskitt also held off a comeback try from freshman Hayden Lee, edging him out, 7-6.
Five Sun Devils pinned their teammates, starting with sophomore transfer Christian Pagdalio’s fall over sophomore Ryan Nantuna in 1:17 in one of the eight matches that occurred between 149-poundsers.
Junior Matt Kraus, who started every bout at 141 pounds a season ago, pinned sophomore Josh Beam in 2:00 in his first bout at 149 pounds.
ASU’s fourth sophomore transfer, Oliver Pierce, pinned teammate Pablo Moreno in 2:08 in one of the 157-pound contests, while Lee picked up a win in his first match of the day when he pinned Perales in 1:39.
Sophomore Wes Moore picked up the final pin of the day, taking down freshman Sullivan Cauley in 1:09 in one of the 197-pound matches.
At 141, sophomore Mech Spraggins opened the day with a 13-4 major decision over freshman Koby Reyes, and then defeated Jesse Calderon in a 5-1 decision in the afternoon session.
Redshirt junior Josh DaSilveira won both his matches on the afternoon, defeating Cauley in a 4-1 decision before edging Moore in overtime, 3-2.
ASU’s last match of the day came at 157-pounds, with Pierce edging out redshirt senior Joel Smith with a late takedown, 3-1.
“We saw a lot of strength from our experienced guys on the team, and then we saw a lot of the newcomers emerging into their roles,” Jones said. “We had a very nice blend, and those younger guys, the newcomers, the transfers, are really showing that they want to take a spot in the lineup and be the top Sun Devil. It’s very promising to see going into our first season together.”
The Sun Devils will open the 2014-15 season on Sunday, Nov. 2 at the Daktronics Open in Brookings, S.D. ASU’s first home match is on Friday, No. 21 against Utah Valley at 7 p.m. MT at Wells Fargo Arena.