NOVI, Mich. – The No. 6 Sun Devils took the early lead, holding two different leads early in the match, and trailed by just a point with three weights to go, but ultimately fell, 21-18, to No. 3 Michigan in their season-opening dual.
"Overall, our men competed well; they wrestled hard and competed with toughness, but ultimately we couldn't control all the variables," said head coach Zeke Jones. "I'm proud of the fight but we certainly have some cleaning up to do to push past a team like that."
The dual starting at 157 lbs., Pac-12 champion Josh Shields continued his impressive start to the season with a 4-3 decision after winning a title at the Michigan State Open last weekend, giving ASU the early 3-0 lead. Shields' late single leg within the final 20 seconds earned him the victory.
At 165, Pac-12 champion Anthony Valencia got the first takedown, but Michigan took the lead, 4-3, after third-ranked Logan Massa strung together four takedowns for an 11-3 major decision.
Top-ranked All-American Zahid Valencia (No. 1), beginning another quest for an undefeated season, regained the lead for the Sun Devils, 6-4, with a 4-2 decision.
True freshmen Kordell Norfleet (184) and Cade Belshay (197) made their Sun Devil debuts in back-to-back weights just before intermission but Michigan once again regained the lead, 10-6, a lead they would ultimately keep for the duration.
All-American and third-ranked Tanner Hall earned a pair of escapes near the end of his bout with No. 2 Adam Coon, ultimately falling 5-2, but a Wolverine forfeit at 125 lbs. brought the Sun Devils back within one, 13-12.
A pair of major decisions for Michigan at 133 and 141 lbs ultimately sealed the fate of the match but the margin would be narrowed as Michigan's Malik Amine injury defaulted to No. 13 Josh Maruca in the final bout of the evening (149 lbs).
The Sun Devils regroup and travel to Columbus to face No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday, Nov. 12 (11 am MT), a match which will be streamed on OSU's website with live scoring on Trackwrestling.
Four Sun Devils – Josh Kramer (125), Cory Crooks (141), Christian Pagdilao (157), and Oliver Pierce (157) – will compete at Saturday's Eastern Michigan Open, beginning at 9 am ET/7 am MT. Live coverage can be found on Trackwrestling.
No. 3 MICHIGAN (21), No. 6 ARIZONA STATE (18)
157: No. 12 Josh Shields dec. No. 7 Alec Pantaleo, 4-3
165: No. 3 Logan Massa MD No. 6 Anthony Valencia, 11-3
174: No. 1 Zahid Valencia dec. No. 4 Myles Amine, 4-2
184: No. 5 Domenic Abounader dec. Kordell Norfleet, 10-5
197: No. 6 Kevin Beazley dec. Cade Belshay, 7-2
HWT: No. 2 Adam Coon dec. No. 3 Tanner Hall, 5-2
125: No. 7 Ryan Millhof FF Jack Medley (Forfeit)
133: No. 2 Stevan Micic MD Ali Naser, 15-5
141: Sal Profaci MD Nikko Villarreal, 12-0
149: No. 13 Josh Maruca DEF Malik Amine (Injury Default 2:08)
"Overall, our men competed well; they wrestled hard and competed with toughness, but ultimately we couldn't control all the variables," said head coach Zeke Jones. "I'm proud of the fight but we certainly have some cleaning up to do to push past a team like that."
The dual starting at 157 lbs., Pac-12 champion Josh Shields continued his impressive start to the season with a 4-3 decision after winning a title at the Michigan State Open last weekend, giving ASU the early 3-0 lead. Shields' late single leg within the final 20 seconds earned him the victory.
At 165, Pac-12 champion Anthony Valencia got the first takedown, but Michigan took the lead, 4-3, after third-ranked Logan Massa strung together four takedowns for an 11-3 major decision.
Top-ranked All-American Zahid Valencia (No. 1), beginning another quest for an undefeated season, regained the lead for the Sun Devils, 6-4, with a 4-2 decision.
True freshmen Kordell Norfleet (184) and Cade Belshay (197) made their Sun Devil debuts in back-to-back weights just before intermission but Michigan once again regained the lead, 10-6, a lead they would ultimately keep for the duration.
All-American and third-ranked Tanner Hall earned a pair of escapes near the end of his bout with No. 2 Adam Coon, ultimately falling 5-2, but a Wolverine forfeit at 125 lbs. brought the Sun Devils back within one, 13-12.
A pair of major decisions for Michigan at 133 and 141 lbs ultimately sealed the fate of the match but the margin would be narrowed as Michigan's Malik Amine injury defaulted to No. 13 Josh Maruca in the final bout of the evening (149 lbs).
The Sun Devils regroup and travel to Columbus to face No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday, Nov. 12 (11 am MT), a match which will be streamed on OSU's website with live scoring on Trackwrestling.
Four Sun Devils – Josh Kramer (125), Cory Crooks (141), Christian Pagdilao (157), and Oliver Pierce (157) – will compete at Saturday's Eastern Michigan Open, beginning at 9 am ET/7 am MT. Live coverage can be found on Trackwrestling.
No. 3 MICHIGAN (21), No. 6 ARIZONA STATE (18)
157: No. 12 Josh Shields dec. No. 7 Alec Pantaleo, 4-3
165: No. 3 Logan Massa MD No. 6 Anthony Valencia, 11-3
174: No. 1 Zahid Valencia dec. No. 4 Myles Amine, 4-2
184: No. 5 Domenic Abounader dec. Kordell Norfleet, 10-5
197: No. 6 Kevin Beazley dec. Cade Belshay, 7-2
HWT: No. 2 Adam Coon dec. No. 3 Tanner Hall, 5-2
125: No. 7 Ryan Millhof FF Jack Medley (Forfeit)
133: No. 2 Stevan Micic MD Ali Naser, 15-5
141: Sal Profaci MD Nikko Villarreal, 12-0
149: No. 13 Josh Maruca DEF Malik Amine (Injury Default 2:08)