HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – For the third consecutive year, No. 8 Arizona State Wrestling's Zahid Valencia brings the Midlands Championship 174-pound title home to Tempe while senior Tanner Hall, wrestling unattached, won his second career Midlands heavyweight title at the 56th annual Midlands Championships.
Six Sun Devils, two wrestling unattached, earned places at this year's Midlands including Josiah Kline (4th/133), Jacen Petersen (8th/165), Josh Shields (165/3rd) and Zahid Valencia (174/1st) as well as Jacori Teemer (5th/149) and Tanner Hall (1st/HWT), who both wrestled unattached. Six placers are the most for the Sun Devils since they had six in 1997, second-most all-time.
As a team, the Sun Devils finished sixth overall (83 points) and had the fourth-most total match points (367), fifth-most pins in the least time (6/22:58) and fifth-most tech falls in the least time (3/19:50).
The Sun Devils return home to host No. 5 Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 8 pm. Tickets can be purchased at the following link: https://thesundevils.com/sports/2014/10/29/209739045.aspx.
For those wanting to support the Sun Devils at a higher level and have a chance to attend pre-match receptions at all home events, get more information on the Inner Circle here: https://www.sundevilclub.com/wrestling-inner-circle.
Arizona State's Midlands Champions
1987 – Dan St. John (158)
1988 – Thom Ortiz (150), Dan St. John (158)
1989 – Zeke Jones (118), Andrew McNaughton (134), Thom Ortiz (142), Ray Miller (158), Dan St. John (167)
1995 – Markus Mollica (167)
1996 – Casey Strand (167), Aaron Simpson (177)
2001 – Eric Larkin (141)
2016 – Zahid Valencia (174), Tanner Hall (HWT)
2017 – Zahid Valencia (174)
2018 – Zahid Valencia (174), Tanner Hall (HWT, UN)
Results:
125 – #6 Ryan Millhof (0-0)
Round of 64 – Justin Cardani (#15 Illinois-UN) INJ DEF Ryan Millhof, 3:56
125 – Brandon Courtney (1-2)
Round of 32 – Brandon Courtney DEC Michael DeAugustino (#11 Northwestern-UN), 10-3
Round of 16 – Justin Cardani (#15 Illinois-UN) DEC Brandon Courtney, 8-7
Cons. Round of 16-2 – Joseph Melendez (North Carolina-UN) DEC Brandon Courtney, 10-8
133 – Josiah Kline – 4th Place (6-2)
Round of 32 – Josiah Kline TF Drew West (#19 UNI), 17-1 (7:00)
Round of 16 – Paul Glynn (#3 Iowa) DEC Josiah Kline, 3-1 SV-1
Cons. Round of 16-2 – Josiah Kline DEC Abdullah Assaf (#15 Illinois), 15-9
Cons. Quarterfinal-1 – Josiah Kline FALL Malcolm Robinson (#14 Rutgers-UN), 2:40
Cons. Quarterfinal-2 – Josiah Kline MD Doug Zapf (Penn), 10-2
Cons. Semifinal-1 – Josiah Kline FALL Colin Valdivez (#11 Northwestern), 4:25
Cons. Semifinal-2 – Josiah Kline MD Paul Glynn (#3 Iowa), 11-3
3rd Place – Zachary Sherman (North Carolina-UN) DEC Josiah Kline, 7-3
141 – Cory Crooks (4-2)
Round of 32 – Corey Shie (Army) DEC Cory Crooks, 5-1
Cons. Round of 32-2 – Cory Crooks DEC Ryan Friedman (Harvard), 8-1
Cons. Round of 16-1 – Cory Crooks DEC James Pawelski (Brown), 8-2
Cons. Round of 16-2 – Cory Crooks DEC Anthony Cheloni (Northern Illinois), 6-1
Cons. Quarterfinal-1 – Cory Crooks DEC PJ Ogunsanya (Army), 3-0
Cons. Quarterfinal-2 – Joey Gould (Bucknell) DEC Cory Crooks, 3-1
149 – Jacori Teemer (UN) – 5th Place (6-2)
Round of 32 – Jacori Teemer DEC Sammy Sasso (#2 Ohio State-UN), 8-6
Round of 16 – #1 Matthew Kolodzik (#13 Princeton) DEC Jacori Teemer, 6-4 SV-1
Cons. Round of 16-2 – Jacori Teemer DEC Jake Benner (#14 Rutgers), 8-5
Cons. Quarterfinal-1 – Jacori Teemer DEC #19 Alfred Bannister (Maryland), 9-5
Cons. Quarterfinal-2 – Jacori Teemer DEC Brayton Lee (#7 Minnesota-UN), 9-7
Cons. Semifinal-1 – Jacori Teemer MD Khristian Olivas (Fresno State), 11-2
Cons. Semifinal-2 – #8 Pat Lugo (#3 Iowa) DEC Jacori Teemer, 10-3
5th Place – Jacori Teemer MFF Alec Pantaleo (#5 Michigan)
149 – Nikko Villarreal (0-2)
Round of 64 – #8 Pat Lugo (#3 Iowa) FALL Nikko Villarreal, 4:22
Cons. Round of 32-2 – Jake Benner (#14 Rutgers) DEC Nikko Villarreal, 4-2
149 – #11 Josh Maruca (1-2)
Round of 32 – Josh Maruca MD Jake Benner (#14 Rutgers), 9-1
Round of 16 – Khristia Olivas (Fresno State) DEC Josh Maruca, 6-5
Cons. Round of 16-2 – Sammy Sasso (#2 Ohio State-UN) DEC Josh Maruca, 8-5
157 – #15 Christian Pagdilao (3-2)
Round of 32 – Christian Pagdilao FALL Davey Tunon (Indiana), 4:52
Round of 16 – #20 Zach Hartman (Bucknell) MD Christian Pagdilao, 10-2
Cons. Round of 16-2 – Christian Pagdilao DEC Keegan Shaw (#3 Iowa), 10-8 SV-1
Cons. Quarterfinal-1 – Christian Pagdilao MD Hunter Ladnier (Harvard), 12-1
Cons. Quarterfinal-2 – Mike D'Angelo (#13 Princeton-UN) DEC Christian Pagdilao, 6-2
165 – Jacen Petersen – 8th Place (3-3)
Round of 32 – Jacen Petersen FALL Kenny O'Neil (#21 SDSU-UN), 4:11
Round of 16 – Jacen Petersen DEC Tyler Tarsi (Harvard), 4-3
Quarterfinal – #2 Evan Wick (#16 Wisconsin) DEC Jacen Petersen, 7-2
Cons. Quarterfinal-2 – Jacen Petersen MFF Jake Allar (Minnesota)
Cons. Semifinal-1 – Caden McWhirter (Northern Illinois) DEC Jacen Petersen, 9-4
7th Place – #16 Joseph Gunther (#15 Illinois) DEC Jacen Petersen, 6-5
165 – Anthony Valencia (UN) (3-1)
Round of 64 – Anthony Valencia DEC Troy Keller (Buffalo), 8-6 SV-1
Round of 32 – Anthony Valencia DEC Brad Laughlin (Army), 7-1
Round of 16 – Anthony Valencia FALL Tyler Dow (#16 Wisconsin-UN), 2:21
Quarterfinal – #11 Bryce Steiert (#19 UNI) MD Anthony Valencia, 10-1
Cons. Quarterfinal-2 – Caden McWhirter (Northern Illinois) MFF Anthony Valencia
165 – #5 Josh Shields – 3rd Place (5-1)
Round of 32 – Josh Shields TF Nate Jimenez (#5 Michigan-UN), 19-4
Round of 16 – Josh Shields DEC Josh Kim (Harvard), 6-3
Quarterfinal – Josh Shields TF #16 Joseph Gunther (#15 Illinois), 17-2
Semifinal – #4 Alex Marinelli (#3 Iowa) DEC Josh Shields, 4-1
Consolation Semifinal-2 – Josh Shields MD Caden McWhirter (Northern Illinois), 10-1
3rd Place – Josh Shields DEC #11 Bryce Steiert (#19 UNI), 3-2
174 – #2 Zahid Valencia – 1st Place (5-0)
Round of 32 – Zahid Valencia MD Grant Cuomo (#13 Princeton), 19-6
Round of 16 – Zahid Valencia FALL Caleb Hopkins (Campbell-UN), 4:02
Quarterfinal – Zahid Valencia FALL Willie Scott (#14 Rutgers), 2:48
Semifinal – Zahid Valencia MD #10 Ryan Christensen (#16 Wisconsin), 21-12
1st Place – Zahid Valencia MD #8 Taylor Lujan (#19 UNI), 17-7
184 – Cade Belshay (UN) (2-2)
Round of 32 – Cade Belshay DEC Jordan Atienza (Central Michigan), 2-1
Round of 16 – Cade Belshay DEC Will Feldkamp (Northern Illinois), 7-5
Quarterfinal – Cash #16 Wilcke (#3 Iowa) DEC Cade Belshay, 4-1
Cons. Quarterfinal-2 – Thomas Penola (Purdue-UN) DEC Cade Belshay, 12-10 SV-1
HWT – Tanner Hall (UN) – 1st Place (5-0)
Round of 32 – Tanner Hall MD Tommy Helton (SIU Edwardsville), 10-1
Round of 16 – Tanner Hall DEC Brady Daniel (#8 ASU), 1-0
Quarterfinal – Tanner Hall INJ DEF #18 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan), :49
Semifinal – Tanner Hall DEC Jere Heino (Campbell-UN), 3-1 SV-1
1st Place – Tanner Hall DEC Conan Jennings (#11 Northwestern), 4-3
HWT – Brady Daniel (3-2)
Round of 64 – Brady Daniel DEC Keaton Kluever (North Carolina-UN), 5-2
Round of 32 – Brady Daniel DEC Alex Aarsvold (South Dakota), 6-2
Round of 16 – Tanner Hall (#8 ASU-UN) DEC Brady Daniel, 1-0
Cons. Round of 16-2 – Brady Daniel DEC Brian Burns (#15 Illinois), 3-1
Cons. Quarterfinal-1 – Robert Heald (Army) MD Brady Daniel, 14-5
Six Sun Devils, two wrestling unattached, earned places at this year's Midlands including Josiah Kline (4th/133), Jacen Petersen (8th/165), Josh Shields (165/3rd) and Zahid Valencia (174/1st) as well as Jacori Teemer (5th/149) and Tanner Hall (1st/HWT), who both wrestled unattached. Six placers are the most for the Sun Devils since they had six in 1997, second-most all-time.
Valencia and Hall became the 16th and 17th Midlands titlists from ASU. Hall becomes the fourth Sun Devil to win multiple titles while Valencia becomes just the second Sun Devil to win three titles (Dan St. John in 1987, 1988, 1989).Jacori Teemer finishes his (unattached) collegiate debut at the #Midlands56 with a fifth-place finish. ??
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) December 31, 2018
Hear from the redshirt freshman about his performance this weekend. ??#SunDevilIntensity ?? pic.twitter.com/GC0fcXijg4
Valencia led the field with the most total match points (89), scored the second-most team points (28), and had the third-most single match points (21). Shields had the seventh-most tech falls in the least time (2/12:50) while Josiah Kline had the sixth-most total match points (65).?? #SunDevils on the podium at 165 ??
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) December 31, 2018
Congrats to Jacen Petersen, Josh Shields, and Zahid Valencia on your #Midlands56 performances! ??#SunDevilIntensity ?? pic.twitter.com/R3tHxZEbBD
Congrats to @Jkline125 on an impressive weekend for the #SunDevils!#FindYourWhy#SunDevilIntensity ?? pic.twitter.com/axdo3OpBfr
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) December 31, 2018
As a team, the Sun Devils finished sixth overall (83 points) and had the fourth-most total match points (367), fifth-most pins in the least time (6/22:58) and fifth-most tech falls in the least time (3/19:50).
The Sun Devils return home to host No. 5 Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 8 pm. Tickets can be purchased at the following link: https://thesundevils.com/sports/2014/10/29/209739045.aspx.
For those wanting to support the Sun Devils at a higher level and have a chance to attend pre-match receptions at all home events, get more information on the Inner Circle here: https://www.sundevilclub.com/wrestling-inner-circle.
Arizona State's Midlands Champions
1987 – Dan St. John (158)
1988 – Thom Ortiz (150), Dan St. John (158)
1989 – Zeke Jones (118), Andrew McNaughton (134), Thom Ortiz (142), Ray Miller (158), Dan St. John (167)
1995 – Markus Mollica (167)
1996 – Casey Strand (167), Aaron Simpson (177)
2001 – Eric Larkin (141)
2016 – Zahid Valencia (174), Tanner Hall (HWT)
2017 – Zahid Valencia (174)
2018 – Zahid Valencia (174), Tanner Hall (HWT, UN)
Results:
125 – #6 Ryan Millhof (0-0)
Round of 64 – Justin Cardani (#15 Illinois-UN) INJ DEF Ryan Millhof, 3:56
125 – Brandon Courtney (1-2)
Round of 32 – Brandon Courtney DEC Michael DeAugustino (#11 Northwestern-UN), 10-3
Round of 16 – Justin Cardani (#15 Illinois-UN) DEC Brandon Courtney, 8-7
Cons. Round of 16-2 – Joseph Melendez (North Carolina-UN) DEC Brandon Courtney, 10-8
133 – Josiah Kline – 4th Place (6-2)
Round of 32 – Josiah Kline TF Drew West (#19 UNI), 17-1 (7:00)
Round of 16 – Paul Glynn (#3 Iowa) DEC Josiah Kline, 3-1 SV-1
Cons. Round of 16-2 – Josiah Kline DEC Abdullah Assaf (#15 Illinois), 15-9
Cons. Quarterfinal-1 – Josiah Kline FALL Malcolm Robinson (#14 Rutgers-UN), 2:40
Cons. Quarterfinal-2 – Josiah Kline MD Doug Zapf (Penn), 10-2
Cons. Semifinal-1 – Josiah Kline FALL Colin Valdivez (#11 Northwestern), 4:25
Cons. Semifinal-2 – Josiah Kline MD Paul Glynn (#3 Iowa), 11-3
3rd Place – Zachary Sherman (North Carolina-UN) DEC Josiah Kline, 7-3
141 – Cory Crooks (4-2)
Round of 32 – Corey Shie (Army) DEC Cory Crooks, 5-1
Cons. Round of 32-2 – Cory Crooks DEC Ryan Friedman (Harvard), 8-1
Cons. Round of 16-1 – Cory Crooks DEC James Pawelski (Brown), 8-2
Cons. Round of 16-2 – Cory Crooks DEC Anthony Cheloni (Northern Illinois), 6-1
Cons. Quarterfinal-1 – Cory Crooks DEC PJ Ogunsanya (Army), 3-0
Cons. Quarterfinal-2 – Joey Gould (Bucknell) DEC Cory Crooks, 3-1
149 – Jacori Teemer (UN) – 5th Place (6-2)
Round of 32 – Jacori Teemer DEC Sammy Sasso (#2 Ohio State-UN), 8-6
Round of 16 – #1 Matthew Kolodzik (#13 Princeton) DEC Jacori Teemer, 6-4 SV-1
Cons. Round of 16-2 – Jacori Teemer DEC Jake Benner (#14 Rutgers), 8-5
Cons. Quarterfinal-1 – Jacori Teemer DEC #19 Alfred Bannister (Maryland), 9-5
Cons. Quarterfinal-2 – Jacori Teemer DEC Brayton Lee (#7 Minnesota-UN), 9-7
Cons. Semifinal-1 – Jacori Teemer MD Khristian Olivas (Fresno State), 11-2
Cons. Semifinal-2 – #8 Pat Lugo (#3 Iowa) DEC Jacori Teemer, 10-3
5th Place – Jacori Teemer MFF Alec Pantaleo (#5 Michigan)
149 – Nikko Villarreal (0-2)
Round of 64 – #8 Pat Lugo (#3 Iowa) FALL Nikko Villarreal, 4:22
Cons. Round of 32-2 – Jake Benner (#14 Rutgers) DEC Nikko Villarreal, 4-2
149 – #11 Josh Maruca (1-2)
Round of 32 – Josh Maruca MD Jake Benner (#14 Rutgers), 9-1
Round of 16 – Khristia Olivas (Fresno State) DEC Josh Maruca, 6-5
Cons. Round of 16-2 – Sammy Sasso (#2 Ohio State-UN) DEC Josh Maruca, 8-5
157 – #15 Christian Pagdilao (3-2)
Round of 32 – Christian Pagdilao FALL Davey Tunon (Indiana), 4:52
Round of 16 – #20 Zach Hartman (Bucknell) MD Christian Pagdilao, 10-2
Cons. Round of 16-2 – Christian Pagdilao DEC Keegan Shaw (#3 Iowa), 10-8 SV-1
Cons. Quarterfinal-1 – Christian Pagdilao MD Hunter Ladnier (Harvard), 12-1
Cons. Quarterfinal-2 – Mike D'Angelo (#13 Princeton-UN) DEC Christian Pagdilao, 6-2
165 – Jacen Petersen – 8th Place (3-3)
Round of 32 – Jacen Petersen FALL Kenny O'Neil (#21 SDSU-UN), 4:11
Round of 16 – Jacen Petersen DEC Tyler Tarsi (Harvard), 4-3
Quarterfinal – #2 Evan Wick (#16 Wisconsin) DEC Jacen Petersen, 7-2
Cons. Quarterfinal-2 – Jacen Petersen MFF Jake Allar (Minnesota)
Cons. Semifinal-1 – Caden McWhirter (Northern Illinois) DEC Jacen Petersen, 9-4
7th Place – #16 Joseph Gunther (#15 Illinois) DEC Jacen Petersen, 6-5
165 – Anthony Valencia (UN) (3-1)
Round of 64 – Anthony Valencia DEC Troy Keller (Buffalo), 8-6 SV-1
Round of 32 – Anthony Valencia DEC Brad Laughlin (Army), 7-1
Round of 16 – Anthony Valencia FALL Tyler Dow (#16 Wisconsin-UN), 2:21
Quarterfinal – #11 Bryce Steiert (#19 UNI) MD Anthony Valencia, 10-1
Cons. Quarterfinal-2 – Caden McWhirter (Northern Illinois) MFF Anthony Valencia
165 – #5 Josh Shields – 3rd Place (5-1)
Round of 32 – Josh Shields TF Nate Jimenez (#5 Michigan-UN), 19-4
Round of 16 – Josh Shields DEC Josh Kim (Harvard), 6-3
Quarterfinal – Josh Shields TF #16 Joseph Gunther (#15 Illinois), 17-2
Semifinal – #4 Alex Marinelli (#3 Iowa) DEC Josh Shields, 4-1
Consolation Semifinal-2 – Josh Shields MD Caden McWhirter (Northern Illinois), 10-1
3rd Place – Josh Shields DEC #11 Bryce Steiert (#19 UNI), 3-2
174 – #2 Zahid Valencia – 1st Place (5-0)
Round of 32 – Zahid Valencia MD Grant Cuomo (#13 Princeton), 19-6
Round of 16 – Zahid Valencia FALL Caleb Hopkins (Campbell-UN), 4:02
Quarterfinal – Zahid Valencia FALL Willie Scott (#14 Rutgers), 2:48
Semifinal – Zahid Valencia MD #10 Ryan Christensen (#16 Wisconsin), 21-12
1st Place – Zahid Valencia MD #8 Taylor Lujan (#19 UNI), 17-7
174 | ??
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) December 31, 2018
Another one for the collection ??
Zahid Valencia picks up a 17-7 major decision en route to his THIRD #Midland56 title! #SunDevilIntensity ?? pic.twitter.com/4ubVgNysNo
184 – Cade Belshay (UN) (2-2)
Round of 32 – Cade Belshay DEC Jordan Atienza (Central Michigan), 2-1
Round of 16 – Cade Belshay DEC Will Feldkamp (Northern Illinois), 7-5
Quarterfinal – Cash #16 Wilcke (#3 Iowa) DEC Cade Belshay, 4-1
Cons. Quarterfinal-2 – Thomas Penola (Purdue-UN) DEC Cade Belshay, 12-10 SV-1
HWT – Tanner Hall (UN) – 1st Place (5-0)
Round of 32 – Tanner Hall MD Tommy Helton (SIU Edwardsville), 10-1
Round of 16 – Tanner Hall DEC Brady Daniel (#8 ASU), 1-0
Quarterfinal – Tanner Hall INJ DEF #18 Matt Stencel (Central Michigan), :49
Semifinal – Tanner Hall DEC Jere Heino (Campbell-UN), 3-1 SV-1
1st Place – Tanner Hall DEC Conan Jennings (#11 Northwestern), 4-3
285 | ??
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) December 31, 2018
Boom! A 4-3 decision over Northwestern's Conan Jennings, and unattached Tanner Hall is your #Midland56 champ! #SunDevilIntensity ?? pic.twitter.com/gIRLQ1gW3k
HWT – Brady Daniel (3-2)
Round of 64 – Brady Daniel DEC Keaton Kluever (North Carolina-UN), 5-2
Round of 32 – Brady Daniel DEC Alex Aarsvold (South Dakota), 6-2
Round of 16 – Tanner Hall (#8 ASU-UN) DEC Brady Daniel, 1-0
Cons. Round of 16-2 – Brady Daniel DEC Brian Burns (#15 Illinois), 3-1
Cons. Quarterfinal-1 – Robert Heald (Army) MD Brady Daniel, 14-5