TEMPE, Ariz.—The Arizona State wrestling team (7-6, 0-1 Pac-12) is set for three duals this week, taking on Utah Valley on the road on Thursday before returning to Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday to host West Virginia and Pac-12 foe Stanford.
Thursday’s contest in Orem, Utah, is set for a 7:30 p.m. MT start, and will be live streamed on UVU TV.
On Saturday, the Sun Devils will play host to a trio of duals aired on the Pac-12 Networks. At 11 a.m. MT, ASU will take on West Virginia in a rematch of the Nov. 8 dual in Morgantown, before the Mountaineers will take on Stanford at 1 p.m. MT. At 3 p.m. MT, the Sun Devils will resume the Pac-12 slate against the Cardinal.
Updates throughout all three ASU matches will also be available on Twitter by following @ASUWrestling.
ASU PROBABLES
125: Ares Carpio (7-10, 3-6 duals, 0-1 Pac-12) OR Mikel Perales (2-8, 1-6 duals, 0-0 Pac-12)
133: Cord Coronado (1-6, 1-4 duals, 0-1 Pac-12) OR Tyree Owens (0-1, 0-1 duals, 0-0 Pac-12)
141: Robbie Mathers (15-9, 8-5 duals, 1-0 Pac-12)
149: No. 14 Matt Kraus (17-5, 10-1 duals, 1-0 Pac-12) OR Christian Pagdilao (4-2, 2-0 duals, 0-0 Pac-12)
157: No. 20 Oliver Pierce (15-11, 8-5 duals, 0-1 Pac-12)
165: Jacen Petersen (7-10, 7-6 duals, 0-1 Pac-12) OR Preston McCalmon (3-6, 1-4 duals, 0-0 Pac-12)
174: Anthony Anderson (1-2, 1-2 duals, 0-0 Pac-12)
184: No. 11 Blake Stauffer (11-2, 11-0 duals, 1-0 Pac-12)
197: Josh DaSilveira (11-6, 9-4 duals, 1-0 Pac-12)
HWT: No. 6 Tanner Hall (17-7, 8-4 duals, 1-0 Pac-12) OR Sully Cauley (0-0, 0-0 duals, 0-0 Pac-12)
UTAH VALLEY (3-5, 0-0 BIG 12) PROBABLES
125 – #19 Chasen Tolbert, Sr. (13-4, 7-1 duals)
133 – Jade Rauser, Sr. (12-4, 5-2)
141 – Jarod Maynes, RSo. (6-10, 2-6) or Trevor Willson, Jr. (6-2, 0-0)
149 – Matthew Ontiveros, So. (8-12, 0-3)
157 – Raider Lofthouse, RFr. (6-10, 2-6)
165 – Brayden Humpherys, RSo. (4-7, 1-4) or Dalton Harmon, So. (3-2, 0-0)
174 – Ross Taylor, Sr. (7-7, 5-3)
184 – Will Sumner, RFr. (9-7, 3-5)
197 – #19 Derek Thomas, Sr. (9-3, 6-0) or Aryton Almberg, So. (2-7, 0-2)
285 – Dustin Dennison, RSo. (7-8, 3-4) or Jordan Karst, So. (9-4, 0-1)
Last week, the Wolverines won five bouts in their dual against CSU Bakersfield, but were forced to forfeit the bout at 165, and fell, 27-19, to the Roadrunners. Jade Rauser won by pin at 133 pounds, while Ross Taylor picked up a major decision at 174.
In 2015, the Sun Devils opened the home slate with a 22-15 win over Utah Valley. In head coach Zeke Jones’ home debut with ASU, the Sun Devils won six of 10 bouts, with Blake Stauffer posting a fall at 184 pounds, while 157-pounder Joel Smith picked up a major decision to propel the Sun Devils to the win.
WEST VIRGINIA PROBABLES
125: Zeke Moisey (So., 21-7) OR Ryan Elliott (r-Fr., 5-6)
133: Keegan Moore (Fr., 14-10) OR Cory Stainbrook (Jr., 5-7)
141: Tony DeAngelo (Jr., 12-13 )
149: Zachary Moore (Fr., 10-9 ) OR James Dekrone (Sr., 7-5 ) OR Louis Colonna (Fr., 2-4 )
157: Dylan Cottrell (Jr,. 21-5)
165: Connor Flynn (Fr., 12-13)
174: Ross Renzi (Sr., 11-11 )
184: Bubba Scheffel (Sr., 14-8)
197: Jacob A. Smith (Jr., 20-6)
HWT: A.J. Vizcarrondo (Sr., 12-12)
The Mountaineers picked up a pair of major decision wins, one at 157 and one at 197, in last week’s dual against Oklahoma, but fell, 23-11.
ASU and West Virginia last met on Sunday, Nov. 8, as part of the Mountaineer Quad. The Sun Devils picked up wins at 141, 149, 165, 184, and heavyweight, but dropped the bout, 22-14.
STANFORD PROBABLES
125: #18 Connor Schram (13-3, 3-1 duals) OR Brian Rossi (12-9, 3-2 duals)
133: Mason Pengilly (7-4, 1-2 duals)
141: #2 Joey McKenna (14-1, 6-0 duals) OR Peter Russo (9-3, 2-0 duals)
149: Tommy Pawelski (5-6, 2-2 duals)
157: Walker Dempsey (5-6, 4-2 duals)
165: #18 Jim Wilson (16-5, 8-1 duals)
174: Keaton Subjeck (11-5, 2-2 duals) OR Peter Galli (13-8, 5-0 duals)
184: Garet Krohn (11-4, 2-1 duals) OR Zach Nevills (10-7, 3-1 duals)
197: Michael Sojka (11-6, 4-3 duals)
285: Nathan Butler (19-4, 6-1 duals)
Last week, the Cardinal defeated Duke, 27-15, at home, winning seven of the 10 bouts. After dropping the opening weight, 197, Stanford came back by way of a major decision from Nathan Butler at heavyweight and a victory via forfeit at 125 pounds. The Cardinal capped the match with 184-pounder Garet Krohn picking up a 9-4 decision.
In 2015, the Cardinal defeated the Sun Devils, 18-13. ASU had wins in four of the 10 bouts, including a major decision from Blake Stauffer at 184.
LAST TIME OUT
For the first time since 2004, the Sun Devils upset No. 14 Iowa State, 23-18.
Kraus came in with the team score at 20-18 in ASU’s favor, and the Sun Devils needed the win to clinch the dual with the Cyclones. He took on Iowa State’s No. 18 Gabe Moreno, and used a third-period takedown before holding on in the 5-4 victory.
ASU started the night off with a win, redshirt sophomore Oliver Pierce picking up four points with the 12-4 major decision over Logan Breitenbach, but then fell behind as the Cyclones picked up a pin and a major decision win in the following weights.
Redshirt senior and All-American Blake Stauffer snapped the losing skid with an 8-2 decision win over Dane Pestano at 184 pounds, while fellow redshirt senior Josh DaSilveira pinned Marcus Harrington in the first period of the bout at 197 to give the Sun Devils back the lead, 13-10.
Freshman Tanner Hall picked up an 11-0 major decision over Joe Scanlan to give ASU the seven-point lead, before Iowa State grabbed a decision at 125 and a tech fall at 133 to go up, 18-17.
At 141, Robbie Mathers picked up the three points ASU needed to regain the lead with an 8-3 decision over John Meeks, before Kraus wrapped up the match at 149 pounds.
UP NEXT
ASU will round out the home slate on Friday, Jan. 29, hosting Oregon State at 5 p.m. MT on the Pac-12 Networks. Prior to the match, the Sun Devils will recognize their senior class.
IN THE RANKINGS
With the upset of Iowa State, the Sun Devils earned 10 votes toward the NWCA/USA Today rankings. ASU is also ranked at No. 15 in the FloWrestling Tournament rankings, and No. 21 in the WrestlingReport rankings.
Individuals:
141-Robbie Mathers: 28 (WrestlingReport)
149-Matt Kraus: 14 (TOM), 15 (FLO), 15 (InterMat), 20 (AWN), 20 (WrestlingReport)
157-Oliver Pierce: 20 (AWN), 32 (WrestlingReport)
184-Blake Stauffer: 3 (FLO), 5 (WrestlingReport), 5 (TOM), 8 (InterMat), 11 (AWN)
HWT-Tanner Hall: 7 (AWN), 8 (WrestlingReport), 8 (FLO), 9 (TOM), 10 (InterMat)
KRAUS NAMED PAC-12 WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Matt Kraus was named the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week, the conference office announced on Tuesday, Jan. 12.
Kraus (16-5 overall, 9-1 duals) went 2-0 as the Sun Devils competed at the 36th Virginia Duals in Hampton, Va., upsetting All-American Alex Richardson of Old Dominion, and defeating Virginia Tech’s Sal Mastriani.
Against the then-No. 24 Monarchs, Kraus was ASU’s first scorer of the match, getting the team on the board with a 3-2 decision win over Richardson, propelling ASU to the 25-11 victory.
Kraus also got the Sun Devils on the board in the 28-12 loss to Virginia Tech, taking down Mastriani, 9-4.
STAUFFER IN THE ASU WRESTLING RECORD BOOK
Blake Stauffer appears in five categories in the Arizona State Wrestling record book, most recently moving to a tie for No. 26 all time in career overall victories with 90 with Marco Sanchez (1988-93). His 48 dual victories are a tie for No. 15 all-time. with Eric Larkin (1999-03) and Tom Kolopus (1982-85).
He is now 38-0 (19MD, 12TF, 7F) in bonus-point victories in his career, tied for No. 12 with Quin Foster (1998-02; 10MD, 1TF, 27F).
Stauffer sits at No. 11 in major decision wins with 19, and No. 4 all-time in tech falls with 12.
2015-16 TOURNAMENT PLACERS
Second Place: Tanner Hall (Midlands Championships)
Fourth Place: Matt Kraus (Las Vegas Invite)
Fourth Place: Tanner Hall (Las Vegas Invite)
Fifth Place: Chace Eskam (Reno TOC)
Seventh Place: Robbie Mathers (Las Vegas Invite)
STAUFFER WINS AT NWCA ALL-STAR CLASSIC
All-American Blake Stauffer opened his redshirt senior season with a victory at the 50th NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 1 at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, defeating Lehigh’s All-American Nate Brown in a 4-1, sudden victory decision.
For his efforts, Stauffer was named the red team’s outstanding wrestler for the classic, and is ASU’s 14th NWCA All-Star Classic winner in program history, the first since Anthony Robles and Bubba Jenkins won in 2011.
ROBLES RETURNS TO PAC-12 NETWORKS BROADCAST TEAM
Arizona State wrestling standout and 2011 NCAA Champion Anthony Robles returns for his second season as an analyst for the Pac-12 Networks, it was announced on Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Robles joins Rich Burk, Jason Knapp, and Ken Chertow, covering nine regular-season matchups around the league.
The broadcast schedule includes four in Tempe, culminating in the Pac-12 Championships finals on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 5 p.m. PT/6 p.m. MT.
Last season, along with joining the Pac-12 Networks broadcast crew, Robles joined the ESPN broadcast team in its coverage of the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
JOIN THE INNER CIRCLE
Sun Devil Wrestling is just one part of a very successful wrestling community in the Valley of the Sun and is happy to opens its doors for the Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle Receptions. During a Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle Reception say hello to former NCAA National Champions and Olympic Medalists, have a conversation with wrestling coaches on the national stage, interact with former Sun Devil wrestlers along with friends and families of the program, and listen to a pre-match analysis from a current Sun Devil Wrestling coach.
While in the Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle Reception, enjoy beverages while having a light snack prior to heading to your seats to watch the Sun Devils in action.
Admission for two (2) is provide to Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle Receptions for wrestling supporters who donate $100 or more to Sun Devil Wrestling. Your donation will be used to continue the tradition of Sun Devil Wrestling and build a successful future.
The Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle Receptions are located in Room 116 inside Wells Fargo Arena. Doors open one hour prior to each Sun Devil Wrestling home contest.
Join here: http://www.sundevilclub.com/wrestling-inner-circle?DB_OEM_ID=30300
ASU TO HOST THE 2016 PAC-12 WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
On Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, Arizona State will host Oregon State, Stanford, Boise State, Cal Poly, and Cal State Bakersfield at the Pac-12 Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Arena.
The Pac-12 Conference will release ticket information at a later date.
In 2015, Blake Stauffer and Christian Pagdilao became ASU’s first conference champions since 2011 with wins at 184 pounds and 149 pounds, respectively. Their performances helped ASU to a second-place finish with 107.0 points, the Sun Devils’ best finish since winning it all in 2006.
THE 2016 NCAA WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships are set for March 17-19 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
In 2015, ASU qualified six wrestlers, including All-American Blake Stauffer, who finished fourth overall at the 184-pound weight class. Other NCAA qualifiers returning to the 2015-16 roster include Ares Carpio (125), Matt Kraus (141), Christian Pagdilao (149), and Oliver Pierce (157).
2015 PAC-12 SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR ESKAM RETURNS FOR SIXTH SEASON
ASU’s heavyweight wrestler Chace Eskam, the 2015 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, head coach Zeke Jones announced prior to the season.
Eskam was granted a final year to compete for the Sun Devils following the successful cancer battle that sidelined him during his sophomore year. Following his freshman season at Cal State Fullerton, Eskam transferred to Arizona State in 2011, was diagnosed with the illness in 2012, and went into remission the following year.
In 2013-14, Eskam returned to the mat at 197 pounds, winning his first bout in over a year by way of a 4-2 sudden-victory decision. Later in the season, Eskam moved up a weight class and started at heavyweight for the Sun Devils for the rest of the year.
In 2014-15, Eskam started each match for ASU at heavyweight, going 17-14, including a 4-1 mark in Pac-12 dual bouts. He also recorded three bonus-point victories on the year, and was the first wrestling conference scholar-athlete since the 2013 season.
THE RETURNERS
Anthony Anderson (R-Fr./174), Sully Cauley (R-Fr./197), Alexander D’Aloisio (R-Fr./133), Austyn Harris (R-Fr./HWT), Michael Oramas (R-Fr./149), Mikel Perales (R-Fr./125), Koby Reyes (R-Fr./141), Jacen Petersen (So./165), Christian Pagdilao (R-So./149), Oliver Pierce (R-So./157), Dalton Brady (Jr./133), Jesse Calderon (Jr./133), Wes Moore (Jr./197), Ryan Nantuna (Jr./149), Ares Carpio (Sr./125), Cord Coronado (Sr./133), Matt Kraus (Sr./149), Kaylon Sencio (Sr./157), Josh DaSilveira (R-Sr./197), Preston McCalmon (R-Sr./165), Tyree Owens (R-Sr./125), Blake Stauffer (R-Sr./184), Chace Eskam (6th Year Senior/HWT)
THE NEWCOMERS
Lance Benick (Fr./197/Fridley, Minn.), Jake Deutschlander (Fr./165/Carver, Minn.), Chance Eskam (Fr./HWT/Carlsbad, Calif.), Andy Gandara (Fr./141/Somerton, Ariz.), Tanner Hall (Fr./HWT/Meridian, Idaho), Paul Klein (Fr./133/New Orleans, La.), Josh Kramer (Fr./125, Buckeye, Ariz.), Josh Maruca (Fr./149/Murrysville, Pa.), Ted Rico (Fr./133/Queen Creek, Ariz.), Tyler Sage (Fr./141/Weston, Fla.), Josh Shields (Fr./157/Murrysville, Pa.), Conner Small (Fr./174/Issaquah, Wash.), Zach Smith (Fr./174/Wexford, Mass.), Antony Valencia (Fr./165/Bellflower, Calif.), Zahid Valencia (Fr./184/Bellflower, Calif.), Nikko Villarreal (Fr./Gilroy, Calif./Gilroy HS), Kirk Wilson (Fr./HWT/Baton Rouge, La.), Robbie Mathers (So./141)
ASU WELCOMES COUNTRY’S NO. 1-RANKED RECRUITING CLASS TO TEMPE
Arizona State’s incoming freshman class was named No. 1 in the nation, Amateur Wrestling News announced in August.
This marks the first time the Sun Devils have had the top recruiting class, per AWN, since 1988. The last time ASU was ranked was at 11 in 2010.
Announced in the fall of 2014, the ASU signees include Anthony Valencia (St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif.), Zahid Valencia (St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif.), Lance Benick (Totino-Grace HS, Fridley, Minn.), Josh Maruca (Franklin Regional HS, Murrysville, Pa.), Josh Shields (Franklin Regional HS, Murrysville, Pa.), and Nikko Villarreal (Gilroy, Gilroy, Calif.). Tanner Hall (Meridian, Meridian, Idaho) signed with the Sun Devils in the spring.
ANTHONY VALENICA TO TAKE 2015-16 TO PREP FOR RIO OLYMPIC TRIALS
In preparation for the upcoming Olympic Trials and the 2016 Rio Olympics, Anthony Valencia has decided to redshirt the upcoming competition season.
“You don’t get the chance to qualify to redshirt to focus on the Olympics very often when you’re someone as young as Anthony,” head coach Zeke Jones said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a high school senior qualify, but he meets the US Olympic Standard to take a year where he can train and compete, travel all around the country and the world, which will put him on track to reaching his ultimate, and really any athlete’s ultimate goal to be an Olympic Champion.”
Valencia reached the qualification standards while still in high school as he finished in the top-8 at the 2015 Senior World Team Trials earlier this year.
The U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials will be held in Iowa City, Iowa, in 2016. The event is scheduled for April 8-10, four months prior to the Olympic Games.
The 2016 Summer Olympics will be held Aug. 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
HEAD COACH ZEKE JONES
The seventh coach in ASU wrestling history, Zeke Jones was hired in April 2014. In his first season with the Sun Devils, Jones led ASU to a second-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships, the best finish since 2006, and coached six wrestlers to the 2015 NCAA Wrestling Championships, including All-American Blake Stauffer (184 pounds).
An Olympic silver medalist for the United States, Jones was the 1991 World Champion at 52kg, a four-time World-Cup Champion, and coached United States’ Olympians in the 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2012 Olympic Games.
A member of ASU’s 1988 NCAA Wrestling Championship team, Jones was a three-time All-American and Pac-10 Champion for the Sun Devils. A national runner-up at 118, Jones sits at No. 4 in ASU’s career record book in both overall victories (134) and dual victories (59). He also holds the school record for dual match victories in a season with 22 during the 1989-90 campaign.
THE COACHING STAFF
Joining head coach Zeke Jones on the 2015-16 coaching staff are fourth-year assistant coach Lee Pritts, second-year assistant coach Chris Pendleton, and volunteer assistant Jordan Oliver.
Pendleton previously served as an assistant coach at Wyoming for four seasons, and specialized in training the team’s upper weight classes. Pendleton was a two-time NCAA Champion and three-time All-American at Oklahoma State.
Oliver, also a two-time NCAA Champion from Oklahoma State was a four-time All-American for the Cowboys, and set the career record for pins with 54. In his second year with USA Wrestling, Oliver stands as the No. 2 wrestler at 65 kg.