The Sun Devils climbed as high as No. 8 in the nation in the final team standings of the season and three earned All-America honors in Zahid Valencia, Josh Shields, and Jason Tsirtsis, the most for ASU since 2011.
TFW you become an All-American??(@J_paps3) #SunDevilIntensity #NCAAWrestling ??: Blake Slater pic.twitter.com/QH8aZ9lwE8
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) March 17, 2018
Zahid Valencia capped his sophomore season with a perfect 32-0 and his first national championship, also a finalist for the prestigious Hodge Award, marking the first national champion for ASU since Bubba Jenkins and Anthony Robles in 2011.
ICYMI - At the #NCAAWrestling championships - redemption is spelt Z-A-H-I-D. @ASUWrestling finished top 10 in the country! ??but here's a look at #SunDevil @z_money_97's first NCAA title. ???? #12Sports pic.twitter.com/5Na3zVNSon
— Tresa Tudrick (@tresatudrick) March 19, 2018
As a team at NCAA's, ASU also recorded their first top-10 team finish since 2010-11, finishing 10th overall. With 8 NCAA qualifiers (Ryan Millhof & Tanner Hall qualified aside from Pac-12 champions), it was the most for the Sun Devils since qualifying eight in 2003 and six won Pac-12 championships – Ali Naser (133), Jason Tsirtsis (149), Josh Shields (157), Anthony Valencia (165), Zahid Valencia (174), and Kordell Norfleet (184).
The Sun Devils won their second consecutive Pac-12 title, 20th conference championship overall, the first back-to-back titles since 2005 and 2006, a stretch in which they won three in four years and four in six years (also 2001 and 2003).
Head coach Zeke Jones earned his second consecutive Pac-12 Coach of the Year honor while Zahid Valencia won back-to-back Wrestler of the Year honors.
Sophomore slump? "Never heard of it." - Zahid Valencia... probably.
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) March 28, 2018
The Sun Devil capped an undefeated season with an NCAA title, finishing with a PERFECT 32-0 record!
Congratulations @z_money_97 on being named #Pac12Wrestle Wrestler of the Year: https://t.co/f5atW44VSF pic.twitter.com/C1UIni4aFB
Kordell Norfleet was named Newcomer/Freshman of the Year, an honor Valencia won last season, marking the first time in conference history someone has won both Newcomer/Freshman of the Year and Wrestler of the Year.
True freshman Kordell Norfleet took #Pac12Wrestle by storm claiming the Pac-12 Champ title at 184 pounds!
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) March 28, 2018
Congratulations to @ASUWrestling's Kordell Norfleet on being named Freshman/Newcomer of the Year: https://t.co/f5atW44VSF pic.twitter.com/nwThdGwdXy
Throughout the regular season, the Sun Devils won 10 straight duals, the third-longest streak in program history. They also won their first Virginia Duals title in the 38-year history of the tournament.
Zahid Valencia was rocking a special pair of shoes this weekend in Cleveland. pic.twitter.com/lL6Ub6pNSq
— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) March 18, 2018
The home schedule started in a unique setting in the first ever "Grappling at Gammage" as ASU hosted then-No. 22 Pitt at the ASU Gammage Theatre, a historic venue on the ASU Tempe campus.
Academically, seven Sun Devils were named between three Pac-12 All-Academic teams as Tanner Hall and Ryan Millhof were named First Team, All-American Josh Shields was named Second Team and Anthony Valencia, Cory Crooks, and Josh Kramer were named Honorable Mention.
The program also honored their past, welcoming back the 1988 NCAA championship team to Tempe for the 30th anniversary of what is still the only NCAA wrestling title west of the Rockies.