LAS VEGAS – After taking the year off in 2018, two-time National Champion Zahid Valencia came out victorious at 184 lbs., while the No. 5 Sun Devils (5-0) finished third at the 38th annual Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational on Saturday.
Z. Valencia won his third title in four years at CKLV, while also being named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament for the second time in his career. Valencia was as dominant as he's been all season, earning five-straight bonus point victories to take home a first-place trophy.
"I am really excited for what the future holds, not only for me but for my team, especially coming out here having guys banged up and not able to compete and we were still in the top-three," Valencia said. "We're getting points on the board, so I am excited to see when everyone is healthy going into the NCAA Tournament. It is going to be fun to watch."
The Sun Devils now have titles at CKLV in four of the last six seasons.
ASU's third-place finish was tied for the joint-highest finish in over 19 years, as the Devils earned third back in 2017. The Sun Devils ended with 103 points behind No. 4 Ohio State (109.5) and No. 3 Nebraska (118).
Five of the 10 weights had placewinners on Saturday, as Josh Shields added his third top-five finish at CKLV, and the highest of his career after taking second to Isiah White of Nebraska. Tanner Hall filed his second runner-up finish to his name after falling to Mason Parris in the final.
Anthony Valencia (174/5th), Brandon Courtney (125/6th) and Jacori Teemer (157/8th) all finished in the top-eight in their weight classes, while A. Valencia placed for the third time at CKLV.
ASU takes nearly a month off from competition before returning to the mat after the new year with a matchup against top-five ranked Ohio State, Jan. 6 at 5 p.m. MST. The match will be broadcast live on FS1.
Top 10 Team Standings
125 -- #18 Brandon Courtney (Sixth place)
Round of 32 – #18 Brandon Courtney MD Beau Bayless (Harvard), 13-5
Round of 16 – #18 Brandon Courtney MD Joshua Portillo (Nebraska-Kearney), 10-2
Quarterfinals – #11 Devin Schroder (Purdue) FALL #18 Brandon Courtney, 6:03
Consolation Round of 8 (2) - #18 Brandon Courtney MD Lucas Rodriguez (Edinboro), 19-5
Consolation Round of 4 (1) - #18 Brandon Courtney MD #22 Jacob Schwarm (Northern Iowa), 19-10
Consolation Round of 4 (2) - Michael Deaugustino (Northwestern) DEC #18 Brandon Courtney, 6-3
Fifth Place - #8 Alexander Mackall (Iowa State) DEC #18 Brandon Courtney, 8-5
133 -- #12 Josh Kramer
Round of 32 – Dylan Koontz (Ohio State) DEC #12 Josh Kramer, 8-6
Consolation Round of 16 (1) – Forfeit (Injury)
141 -- Navonte Demison
Round of 32 – Mitchell Mckee (Minnesota)TF Navonte Demison, 16-0
Consolation Round of 16 (1) – BYE
Consolation Round of 16 (2) - Jack Ryan (Cal Poly) DEC Navonte Demison, 3-2
149 -- #23 Josh Maruca
Round of 32 – #23 Josh Maruca DEC Nick Palumbo (Sacred Heart), 3-0
Round of 16 – #9 Brayton Lee (Minnesota) DEC #23 Josh Maruca, 9-4
Consolation Round of 16 (2) – #23 Josh Maruca MD Selwyn Porter (The Citadel), 15-5
Consolation Round of 8 (1) – #23 Josh Maruca DEC Aj Leitten (NC State), 8-4
Consolation Round of 8 (2) - #5 Collin Purinton (Nebraska) DEC #23 Josh Maruca, 12-11
157 -- #19 Jacori Teemer (Eighth place)
Round of 32 - #19 Jacori Teemer MD Tyler Cunningham (Nebraska-Kearney), 14-5
Round of 16 - #19 Jacori Teemer MD Dewey Krueger (Wyoming), 18-8
Quarterfinals - #4 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) DEC #19 Jacori Teemer, 8-5
Consolation round of 8 (2) - #19 Jacori Teemer DEC Jared Franek (North Dakota State), 7-6
Consolation of 4 (1) - #17 Justin Thomas (Oklahoma) DEC #19 Jacori Teemer, 8-4
7th place - #21 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) DEC #19 Jacori Teemer, 5-0
165 -- #5 Josh Shields (Second Place)
Round of 32 - #5 Josh Shields TF Layne Van Anrooy (Michigan), 16-1
Round of 16 - #5 Josh Shields DEC Cole Moody (Wyoming), 8-4
Quarterfinals - #5 Josh Shields TF #25 Emil Soehnlen (Purdue), 19-4
Semifinals - #5 Josh Shields DEC #9 Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State), 8-2
Finals - #4 Isaiah White (Nebraska) SV1 #5 Josh Shields, 3-1
174 -- #8 Anthony Valencia (Fifth place)
Round of 32 - #8 Anthony Valencia DEC Lorenzo De La Riva (NDSU), 6-5
Round of 16 - #8 Anthony Valencia FALL Sage Heller (Hofstra), 2:58
Quarterfinals - #8 Anthony Valencia MD #15 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State), 15-6
Semifinals - #4 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) MD #8 Anthony Valencia, 11-2
Consolation Round of 4 (2) - #9 Devin Skatzka (Minnesota) MD #8 Anthony Valencia, 10-1
Fifth place - #8 Anthony Valencia wins by forfeit
184 -- #1 Zahid Valencia (First place)
Round of 32 - #1 Zahid Valencia FALL Dominic Kincaid (Fresno State), 3:37
Round of 16 - #1 Zahid Valencia FALL Jack Jessen (Northwestern), 4:43
Quarterfinals - #1 Zahid Valencia TF #10 Samuel Colbray (Iowa State), 26-8
Semifinals - #1 Zahid Valencia MD #6 Lou Deprez (Binghamton), 13-4
Finals - #1 Zahid Valencia MD #5 Trent Hidlay (NC State), 12-4
197 -- #14 Kordell Norfleet
Round of 32 – BYE
Round of 16 - #14 Kordell Norfleet DEC Greg Bulsak (Clarion), 9-8
Quarterfinals – #1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) DEC #14 Kordell Norfleet, 5-3
Consolation Round of 8 (2) – Forfeit
HWT -- #7 Tanner Hall (Second place)
Round of 32 - #7 Tanner Hall DEC Thomas Penola (Purdue), 4-2
Round of 16 - #7 Tanner Hall DEC Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra), 9-8
Quarterfinals - #7 Tanner Hall DEC #14 Brian Andrews (Wyoming), 2-1
Semifinals - #7 Tanner Hall DEC #6 Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley), 3-1
Finals - #3 Mason Parris (Michigan) DEC #7 Tanner Hall, 6-3
Z. Valencia won his third title in four years at CKLV, while also being named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament for the second time in his career. Valencia was as dominant as he's been all season, earning five-straight bonus point victories to take home a first-place trophy.
"I am really excited for what the future holds, not only for me but for my team, especially coming out here having guys banged up and not able to compete and we were still in the top-three," Valencia said. "We're getting points on the board, so I am excited to see when everyone is healthy going into the NCAA Tournament. It is going to be fun to watch."
Hardware heavy ??
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) December 8, 2019
184 lbs champ ?
CKLV Most Outstanding Wrestler ? pic.twitter.com/1BAkayauRw
The Sun Devils now have titles at CKLV in four of the last six seasons.
ASU's third-place finish was tied for the joint-highest finish in over 19 years, as the Devils earned third back in 2017. The Sun Devils ended with 103 points behind No. 4 Ohio State (109.5) and No. 3 Nebraska (118).
Heading back to Tempe with a Champion and the second best finish at #CKLV in 17 years ?? pic.twitter.com/7ST4IARbVb
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) December 8, 2019
Five of the 10 weights had placewinners on Saturday, as Josh Shields added his third top-five finish at CKLV, and the highest of his career after taking second to Isiah White of Nebraska. Tanner Hall filed his second runner-up finish to his name after falling to Mason Parris in the final.
Anthony Valencia (174/5th), Brandon Courtney (125/6th) and Jacori Teemer (157/8th) all finished in the top-eight in their weight classes, while A. Valencia placed for the third time at CKLV.
ASU takes nearly a month off from competition before returning to the mat after the new year with a matchup against top-five ranked Ohio State, Jan. 6 at 5 p.m. MST. The match will be broadcast live on FS1.
Top 10 Team Standings
- Nebraska (118)
- Ohio State (109.5)
- ASU (103)
- Northern Iowa (94)
- Purdue (92.5)
- Iowa State (82.5)
- Minnesota (79.5)
- NC State (77.5)
- Northwestern (77)
- Oklahoma (66.5)
125 -- #18 Brandon Courtney (Sixth place)
Round of 32 – #18 Brandon Courtney MD Beau Bayless (Harvard), 13-5
Round of 16 – #18 Brandon Courtney MD Joshua Portillo (Nebraska-Kearney), 10-2
Quarterfinals – #11 Devin Schroder (Purdue) FALL #18 Brandon Courtney, 6:03
Consolation Round of 8 (2) - #18 Brandon Courtney MD Lucas Rodriguez (Edinboro), 19-5
Consolation Round of 4 (1) - #18 Brandon Courtney MD #22 Jacob Schwarm (Northern Iowa), 19-10
Consolation Round of 4 (2) - Michael Deaugustino (Northwestern) DEC #18 Brandon Courtney, 6-3
Fifth Place - #8 Alexander Mackall (Iowa State) DEC #18 Brandon Courtney, 8-5
133 -- #12 Josh Kramer
Round of 32 – Dylan Koontz (Ohio State) DEC #12 Josh Kramer, 8-6
Consolation Round of 16 (1) – Forfeit (Injury)
141 -- Navonte Demison
Round of 32 – Mitchell Mckee (Minnesota)TF Navonte Demison, 16-0
Consolation Round of 16 (1) – BYE
Consolation Round of 16 (2) - Jack Ryan (Cal Poly) DEC Navonte Demison, 3-2
149 -- #23 Josh Maruca
Round of 32 – #23 Josh Maruca DEC Nick Palumbo (Sacred Heart), 3-0
Round of 16 – #9 Brayton Lee (Minnesota) DEC #23 Josh Maruca, 9-4
Consolation Round of 16 (2) – #23 Josh Maruca MD Selwyn Porter (The Citadel), 15-5
Consolation Round of 8 (1) – #23 Josh Maruca DEC Aj Leitten (NC State), 8-4
Consolation Round of 8 (2) - #5 Collin Purinton (Nebraska) DEC #23 Josh Maruca, 12-11
157 -- #19 Jacori Teemer (Eighth place)
Round of 32 - #19 Jacori Teemer MD Tyler Cunningham (Nebraska-Kearney), 14-5
Round of 16 - #19 Jacori Teemer MD Dewey Krueger (Wyoming), 18-8
Quarterfinals - #4 Ryan Deakin (Northwestern) DEC #19 Jacori Teemer, 8-5
Consolation round of 8 (2) - #19 Jacori Teemer DEC Jared Franek (North Dakota State), 7-6
Consolation of 4 (1) - #17 Justin Thomas (Oklahoma) DEC #19 Jacori Teemer, 8-4
7th place - #21 Peyton Robb (Nebraska) DEC #19 Jacori Teemer, 5-0
165 -- #5 Josh Shields (Second Place)
Round of 32 - #5 Josh Shields TF Layne Van Anrooy (Michigan), 16-1
Round of 16 - #5 Josh Shields DEC Cole Moody (Wyoming), 8-4
Quarterfinals - #5 Josh Shields TF #25 Emil Soehnlen (Purdue), 19-4
Semifinals - #5 Josh Shields DEC #9 Andrew Fogarty (North Dakota State), 8-2
Finals - #4 Isaiah White (Nebraska) SV1 #5 Josh Shields, 3-1
174 -- #8 Anthony Valencia (Fifth place)
Round of 32 - #8 Anthony Valencia DEC Lorenzo De La Riva (NDSU), 6-5
Round of 16 - #8 Anthony Valencia FALL Sage Heller (Hofstra), 2:58
Quarterfinals - #8 Anthony Valencia MD #15 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State), 15-6
Semifinals - #4 Bryce Steiert (Northern Iowa) MD #8 Anthony Valencia, 11-2
Consolation Round of 4 (2) - #9 Devin Skatzka (Minnesota) MD #8 Anthony Valencia, 10-1
Fifth place - #8 Anthony Valencia wins by forfeit
184 -- #1 Zahid Valencia (First place)
Round of 32 - #1 Zahid Valencia FALL Dominic Kincaid (Fresno State), 3:37
Round of 16 - #1 Zahid Valencia FALL Jack Jessen (Northwestern), 4:43
Quarterfinals - #1 Zahid Valencia TF #10 Samuel Colbray (Iowa State), 26-8
Semifinals - #1 Zahid Valencia MD #6 Lou Deprez (Binghamton), 13-4
Finals - #1 Zahid Valencia MD #5 Trent Hidlay (NC State), 12-4
197 -- #14 Kordell Norfleet
Round of 32 – BYE
Round of 16 - #14 Kordell Norfleet DEC Greg Bulsak (Clarion), 9-8
Quarterfinals – #1 Kollin Moore (Ohio State) DEC #14 Kordell Norfleet, 5-3
Consolation Round of 8 (2) – Forfeit
HWT -- #7 Tanner Hall (Second place)
Round of 32 - #7 Tanner Hall DEC Thomas Penola (Purdue), 4-2
Round of 16 - #7 Tanner Hall DEC Zachary Knighton-Ward (Hofstra), 9-8
Quarterfinals - #7 Tanner Hall DEC #14 Brian Andrews (Wyoming), 2-1
Semifinals - #7 Tanner Hall DEC #6 Tate Orndorff (Utah Valley), 3-1
Finals - #3 Mason Parris (Michigan) DEC #7 Tanner Hall, 6-3