CLEVELAND – None of the 330 competitors at this week's NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland have had an easy road to get here. But for two of No. 8 Arizona State's eight NCAA competitors, the road has been particularly rocky, which makes their current and future success that much better.
Ali Naser and Jason Tsirtsis are both seniors, the first making his first trip to the NCAA Championships and for the second, it's a return trip after winning an NCAA title as a freshman.
Read more about their stories below.
Ali Naser (Senior/133 lbs/2018 Pac-12 Champion)
By Evan Millstein, SDA Media Relations Assistant
Ali Naser's lifestyle consists of class, practice and dieting with little time for extracurricular activities. His every day is much different than the regular student, much like his journey to Arizona State.
At only two weeks of age, the Taliban took over Naser's city in Afghanistan. Naser's mother was tragically killed by a bomb and his father was forced to make a life-altering decision to protect Ali and his older brothers Nasim and Amir (Mo).
Aziz Naser gathered his family and fled to the Republic of Dagestan in Russia to escape the danger they were exposed to. That country just so happened to be a wrestling mecca.
After a three-year stay in Russia, Aziz and the Nasers moved to Uzbekistan for nine years to work on wrestling technique and to be closer to relatives.
Ali placed second at the Uzbekistan National Championships when he was 11. One short year later, Aziz was ready to make another sacrifice for his children.
They moved to California, not only for wrestling but for better educational opportunities. He attended El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills.
Naser transferred from Fresno City College to ASU with 2 ½ years of eligibility left. Prior to beginning his career on the mat with ASU, Ali finished his college credits through online courses and at Mesa Community College.
Like much of his life, the next step in his journey was not going to be easy. In his years prior to arriving in Tempe, grades were hard to come by.
He was struggling academically while juggling a new American culture.
"Ali Naser has had a goal ever since becoming a Sun Devil – be a champion and be a graduate," said Denzel Burnell, Sun Devil Wrestling's academic coach.
Outside of the everyday obligations that a major university requires, Naser was learning English, his fourth language (Farsi, Uzbek, Russian).
If anyone understands the true meaning of the 'American Dream', it is the senior that has endured a tremendous amount of adversity.
Head coach Zeke Jones believes the biggest thing for Naser in the classroom was learning how to manage his time and build strong habits.
"Through his worldview combined with living in the United States, Ali has been able to persevere by becoming an outstanding student-athlete," said Jones.
Midway through his junior campaign, Naser injured his back that kept him off the wrestling mat. In the classroom however, Ali posted straight A's in his Liberal Studies major last semester.
"Everything that has happened in my life has made me to who I am today," said Naser.
Today, he was recently named one of Sun Devil Athletics' Student Athlete of the Month and has two more A's on his spring of 2018 report card.
He followed his academic success with an individual Pac-12 championship in February and now, a trip to the NCAA Wrestling Championships in his final chance as a senior.
For the first time in his collegiate career, his aspirations of being a graduate and champion are within his grasp.
The academic improvement, in a way, symbolizes the journey Ali Naser took to achieve success in his life. In May, it all comes full circle when he receives his diploma.
"It hasn't happened yet but it will this summer when I graduate from Arizona State University," said Naser on his most gratifying academic success.
Jason Tsirtsis (Redshirt Senior/149 lbs/2018 Pac-12 Champion)
By McKenzie Pavacich
With 16 seconds left in overtime of the 149-pound championship finals, Jason Tsirtsis scored arguably the most important takedown of his career, capping off his redshirt freshman campaign as a 2014 NCAA national champion at Northwestern.
The crowd erupted in applause as Tsirtsis stood up in disbelief before running over to the coaches corner and jumping into their arms. His brother and dad embraced each other in the crowd, celebrating the end of an awe-inspiring run at a national title in the best way anyone in college wrestling could imagine.
When recounting that moment, the now-redshirt senior describes it as "a Cinderella Story type of tournament. It was something that I'll never forget, it was just like all of my hard work my whole life has gotten me to this point."
In a press conference following his national title match, Tsirtsis answered questions about a rough patch in his season, citing that his career would "not be a positive incline. There's going to be bumps in the road."
Looking back, nearly 1,450 days since that moment, "emotional" is still the one word Jason uses to describe his 2014 national tournament run. Three years later, a lot of things have changed—his road was certainly permeated with plenty of bumps—but one constant that remained in his life is his passion for the sport of wrestling.
Adversity is a term far from foreign in the realm of college wrestling. Upsets occur regularly, injuries cause an abrupt end to seasons and careers; it all comes down to how the athlete responds to that adversity that will make the difference in the legacy he leaves behind. For Tsirtsis, an unparalleled resilience has accompanied him through his six years of eligibility that leaves just as bold of a mark on his athletic record as his accolades do.
Between the months of March and October of 2015, Jason faced more tribulation as a 22-year-old than most people do throughout their entire lives. Tsirtsis fell short of his second national title, placing third at the 149 lb. weight class. He then suffered an injury while training that following summer. Above all, he faced the ineffable losses of his sister and best friend that fall.
"From there, I was somehow supposed to go through a college wrestling season, go to school at Northwestern and be successful... and I just mentally couldn't do it," Tsirtsis said.
Jason was put on academic probation for the 2016 spring semester, where he fell short in a class, leading to his dismissal from Northwestern. Upon notice of his dismissal, Tsirtsis had an extremely small window of opportunity with limited time and resources to transition from one program to another.
"I either had to sit out and lose my last year of eligibility, or transfer and leave the school I was at for four years, and my whole life was there. So it was a hard decision, but I couldn't give up that last year," Tsirtsis said.
Tsirtsis made the decision to continue on with the one thing that remained a beacon in the darkest time of his life. He knew the process of gaining an extra year of eligibility would not be easy, and was far from guaranteed, but he found a home at Arizona State and ultimately was granted one last chance to break through the setbacks he's faced, and to use that momentum to end his collegiate career on a high note.
"Physically and mentally he was in a tough spot," head coach Zeke Jones said. "Anyone would've been in his situation and most people wouldn't have made it, but he knew that deep inside he had what it took to build himself back up. He's done the work. I'm very proud of what he's accomplished in a short amount of time at Arizona State."
Throughout the entirety of his career, Jason's coaches have contributed immensely to his success. From when he started wrestling at the age of four through his time at Northwestern, and even while at ASU, Jason's older brother Alex has been there every step of the way.
"Alex has invested so much time in his wrestling, I'm sure Jason would tell you the same: he probably wouldn't be who he was today without the help of his brother," said Dawn Tsirtsis, Jason's mother.
When the time came for Jason to make the decision to transfer to ASU, he was leaving more than just his family and home behind. He was leaving one of his most influential coaches behind as well. The dedication and prominent passion the ASU coaching staff exhibited made the decision much easier for Jason.
"I can't really express how grateful I am with how patient [ASU] has been. When I first came here, I told [the coaches] that I was far from being mentally stable, I was still dealing with depression and everything," Tsirtsis said. "I hadn't committed yet. They could've said they don't want to have to deal with all of that, but they told me that they were going to support me, and they haven't done anything but that."
With the unwavering support of his family and new coaches and teammates, Jason was able to pull himself out of the rut the devastation in his life created, to grow not only as an athlete, but in a number of personal ways as well.
"We decided to make a long-term commitment to Jason because above all, like all people, he's a human being first. [He] deserved the opportunity to work his way back from a difficult family tragedy and the first place we started was with Jason—the person," said head coach Zeke Jones.
Jason has his eyes already set the future: a future which doesn't exclude wrestling in any foreseeable time.
"I plan on continuing with freestyle, I'm excited to close the book on [folkstyle wrestling] and finish out on a strong note. I know nothing lasts forever, so I'm just trying to enjoy it. I can appreciate it more and enjoy it more because I do realize how precious things in life can be," Tsirtsis said.
He plans to continue with his training to gear up for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. After that milestone, he'll decide whether he wants to continue on with competing or begin to give back to the sport that gave him so much.
"It's inspiring to know that I can turn any sort of negatives that I had in my career into positives for other people. Having the opportunity to show kids the lifestyle and how passionate you can be about something…it's exciting to be able to use my life experiences to help them," Tsirtsis said.
In his final week of eligibility, Tsirtsis will look to build on his already impressive resume, which includes a Ken Kraft Midlands title, two Big-10 titles, a Pac-12 title, and two All-American honors on top of his 2014 national title.
"My goal is to win another NCAA title. I ultimately know that this is only going to happen if I wrestle with a focus on scoring points and constantly trying to improve and wrestle through every position. So that is a smaller goal going into the tournament," Tsirtsis said.
With an army of support behind him, Tsirtsis is ready to jump head first into the one tournament any wrestler works his whole life toward. Standing on the podium by the time Saturday evening rolls around is no easy task, but it is a feat which he plans to tackle this week in Cleveland at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.
Ali Naser and Jason Tsirtsis are both seniors, the first making his first trip to the NCAA Championships and for the second, it's a return trip after winning an NCAA title as a freshman.
Read more about their stories below.
Ali Naser (Senior/133 lbs/2018 Pac-12 Champion)
By Evan Millstein, SDA Media Relations Assistant
Ali Naser's lifestyle consists of class, practice and dieting with little time for extracurricular activities. His every day is much different than the regular student, much like his journey to Arizona State.
At only two weeks of age, the Taliban took over Naser's city in Afghanistan. Naser's mother was tragically killed by a bomb and his father was forced to make a life-altering decision to protect Ali and his older brothers Nasim and Amir (Mo).
Aziz Naser gathered his family and fled to the Republic of Dagestan in Russia to escape the danger they were exposed to. That country just so happened to be a wrestling mecca.
After a three-year stay in Russia, Aziz and the Nasers moved to Uzbekistan for nine years to work on wrestling technique and to be closer to relatives.
Ali placed second at the Uzbekistan National Championships when he was 11. One short year later, Aziz was ready to make another sacrifice for his children.
They moved to California, not only for wrestling but for better educational opportunities. He attended El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills.
Naser transferred from Fresno City College to ASU with 2 ½ years of eligibility left. Prior to beginning his career on the mat with ASU, Ali finished his college credits through online courses and at Mesa Community College.
Like much of his life, the next step in his journey was not going to be easy. In his years prior to arriving in Tempe, grades were hard to come by.
He was struggling academically while juggling a new American culture.
"Ali Naser has had a goal ever since becoming a Sun Devil – be a champion and be a graduate," said Denzel Burnell, Sun Devil Wrestling's academic coach.
Outside of the everyday obligations that a major university requires, Naser was learning English, his fourth language (Farsi, Uzbek, Russian).
If anyone understands the true meaning of the 'American Dream', it is the senior that has endured a tremendous amount of adversity.
Head coach Zeke Jones believes the biggest thing for Naser in the classroom was learning how to manage his time and build strong habits.
"Through his worldview combined with living in the United States, Ali has been able to persevere by becoming an outstanding student-athlete," said Jones.
Midway through his junior campaign, Naser injured his back that kept him off the wrestling mat. In the classroom however, Ali posted straight A's in his Liberal Studies major last semester.
"Everything that has happened in my life has made me to who I am today," said Naser.
Today, he was recently named one of Sun Devil Athletics' Student Athlete of the Month and has two more A's on his spring of 2018 report card.
He followed his academic success with an individual Pac-12 championship in February and now, a trip to the NCAA Wrestling Championships in his final chance as a senior.
For the first time in his collegiate career, his aspirations of being a graduate and champion are within his grasp.
The academic improvement, in a way, symbolizes the journey Ali Naser took to achieve success in his life. In May, it all comes full circle when he receives his diploma.
"It hasn't happened yet but it will this summer when I graduate from Arizona State University," said Naser on his most gratifying academic success.
Jason Tsirtsis (Redshirt Senior/149 lbs/2018 Pac-12 Champion)
By McKenzie Pavacich
With 16 seconds left in overtime of the 149-pound championship finals, Jason Tsirtsis scored arguably the most important takedown of his career, capping off his redshirt freshman campaign as a 2014 NCAA national champion at Northwestern.
The crowd erupted in applause as Tsirtsis stood up in disbelief before running over to the coaches corner and jumping into their arms. His brother and dad embraced each other in the crowd, celebrating the end of an awe-inspiring run at a national title in the best way anyone in college wrestling could imagine.
When recounting that moment, the now-redshirt senior describes it as "a Cinderella Story type of tournament. It was something that I'll never forget, it was just like all of my hard work my whole life has gotten me to this point."
In a press conference following his national title match, Tsirtsis answered questions about a rough patch in his season, citing that his career would "not be a positive incline. There's going to be bumps in the road."
Looking back, nearly 1,450 days since that moment, "emotional" is still the one word Jason uses to describe his 2014 national tournament run. Three years later, a lot of things have changed—his road was certainly permeated with plenty of bumps—but one constant that remained in his life is his passion for the sport of wrestling.
Adversity is a term far from foreign in the realm of college wrestling. Upsets occur regularly, injuries cause an abrupt end to seasons and careers; it all comes down to how the athlete responds to that adversity that will make the difference in the legacy he leaves behind. For Tsirtsis, an unparalleled resilience has accompanied him through his six years of eligibility that leaves just as bold of a mark on his athletic record as his accolades do.
Between the months of March and October of 2015, Jason faced more tribulation as a 22-year-old than most people do throughout their entire lives. Tsirtsis fell short of his second national title, placing third at the 149 lb. weight class. He then suffered an injury while training that following summer. Above all, he faced the ineffable losses of his sister and best friend that fall.
"From there, I was somehow supposed to go through a college wrestling season, go to school at Northwestern and be successful... and I just mentally couldn't do it," Tsirtsis said.
Jason was put on academic probation for the 2016 spring semester, where he fell short in a class, leading to his dismissal from Northwestern. Upon notice of his dismissal, Tsirtsis had an extremely small window of opportunity with limited time and resources to transition from one program to another.
"I either had to sit out and lose my last year of eligibility, or transfer and leave the school I was at for four years, and my whole life was there. So it was a hard decision, but I couldn't give up that last year," Tsirtsis said.
Tsirtsis made the decision to continue on with the one thing that remained a beacon in the darkest time of his life. He knew the process of gaining an extra year of eligibility would not be easy, and was far from guaranteed, but he found a home at Arizona State and ultimately was granted one last chance to break through the setbacks he's faced, and to use that momentum to end his collegiate career on a high note.
"Physically and mentally he was in a tough spot," head coach Zeke Jones said. "Anyone would've been in his situation and most people wouldn't have made it, but he knew that deep inside he had what it took to build himself back up. He's done the work. I'm very proud of what he's accomplished in a short amount of time at Arizona State."
Throughout the entirety of his career, Jason's coaches have contributed immensely to his success. From when he started wrestling at the age of four through his time at Northwestern, and even while at ASU, Jason's older brother Alex has been there every step of the way.
"Alex has invested so much time in his wrestling, I'm sure Jason would tell you the same: he probably wouldn't be who he was today without the help of his brother," said Dawn Tsirtsis, Jason's mother.
When the time came for Jason to make the decision to transfer to ASU, he was leaving more than just his family and home behind. He was leaving one of his most influential coaches behind as well. The dedication and prominent passion the ASU coaching staff exhibited made the decision much easier for Jason.
"I can't really express how grateful I am with how patient [ASU] has been. When I first came here, I told [the coaches] that I was far from being mentally stable, I was still dealing with depression and everything," Tsirtsis said. "I hadn't committed yet. They could've said they don't want to have to deal with all of that, but they told me that they were going to support me, and they haven't done anything but that."
With the unwavering support of his family and new coaches and teammates, Jason was able to pull himself out of the rut the devastation in his life created, to grow not only as an athlete, but in a number of personal ways as well.
"We decided to make a long-term commitment to Jason because above all, like all people, he's a human being first. [He] deserved the opportunity to work his way back from a difficult family tragedy and the first place we started was with Jason—the person," said head coach Zeke Jones.
Jason has his eyes already set the future: a future which doesn't exclude wrestling in any foreseeable time.
"I plan on continuing with freestyle, I'm excited to close the book on [folkstyle wrestling] and finish out on a strong note. I know nothing lasts forever, so I'm just trying to enjoy it. I can appreciate it more and enjoy it more because I do realize how precious things in life can be," Tsirtsis said.
He plans to continue with his training to gear up for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. After that milestone, he'll decide whether he wants to continue on with competing or begin to give back to the sport that gave him so much.
"It's inspiring to know that I can turn any sort of negatives that I had in my career into positives for other people. Having the opportunity to show kids the lifestyle and how passionate you can be about something…it's exciting to be able to use my life experiences to help them," Tsirtsis said.
In his final week of eligibility, Tsirtsis will look to build on his already impressive resume, which includes a Ken Kraft Midlands title, two Big-10 titles, a Pac-12 title, and two All-American honors on top of his 2014 national title.
"My goal is to win another NCAA title. I ultimately know that this is only going to happen if I wrestle with a focus on scoring points and constantly trying to improve and wrestle through every position. So that is a smaller goal going into the tournament," Tsirtsis said.
With an army of support behind him, Tsirtsis is ready to jump head first into the one tournament any wrestler works his whole life toward. Standing on the podium by the time Saturday evening rolls around is no easy task, but it is a feat which he plans to tackle this week in Cleveland at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships.