TEMPE, Ariz. – After adding another top-25 win to its resume and remaining undefeated in Pac-12 competition, the No. 3 Sun Devil wrestling team wraps up its Pac-12 schedule when the team heads to the west coast to face Cal Poly on Saturday (8 p.m. MST) and Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday (1 p.m. MST).
Saturday's matchup with the Mustangs can be streamed live on Big West TV while Sunday's match will also be live-streamed at https://gorunners.com/watch/?Live=4&type=Live.
ASU looks to continue its hot streak in the penultimate weekend of dual competition before postseason action starts up in March. The Sun Devils will return to mat after adding their 11th and 12th wins of the year against Little Rock (38-9) and No. 20 Missouri (21-13) last weekend. In the first-ever meeting against the Trojans, the Sun Devils used seven bonus-point wins – tied for the most in any match this year – to earn their first victory in Little Rock. On Sunday, Jacori Teemer notched his first upset win in an ASU singlet, while Tanner Hall filed his 100th career win to help avenge last year's loss against the Tigers and secure the team's first 12-1 start since 1989-90.
"First off, Tanner (Hall) being a senior and Jacori (Teemer) being a freshman you kind of see the end of the path and the start of the path," head coach Zeke Jones said. "I think when you look at the path it's important to be grateful of this time. It is such a short window of opportunity. This is the time of year you reflect a little bit because its easy to get caught up in the moment, 'oh my gosh the Championships are here.' It is time to step back and say: 'I am grateful for the opportunity to get 100 wins, I am grateful for the opportunity to get my first top-15 win.' Just being grateful is important."
The upset win over Jacques proved enough to get the attention of many national ranking outlets as Teemer now finds himself ranked in four of five national ranking systems - Trackwrestling, InterMat, The Open Mat and FloWrestling - appearing as high as No. 13. Teemer, a winner of seven of his past eight matches, is finding his stride in the latter part of the season as he has bonus wins in three of his past four matches.
Six of 10 Sun Devil wrestlers enter a new week of rankings with their name listed in the top-10 at their respective weight classes – Brandon Courtney (No. 7), Josh Shields (No. 6), Anthony Valencia (No.9), Zahid Valencia (No. 1), Kordell Norfleet (No. 10) and Tanner Hall (No. 4).
The Mustangs, led by fourth-year head coach Jon Sioredas find themselves at 3-6 in dual competition with wins over San Francisco State (29-15), Buffalo (23-10) and California Baptist (19-16). Senior Tom Lane (197) has provided the spark in the back half of the lineup for Cal Poly as he carries a 15-3 record with seven bonus-point wins. Lane is ranked within the top-25 in all major ranking systems and comes in as high as No. 12.
Overall, the Sun Devils own a 38-12 all-time series record against the Mustangs, with the Devils winning seven consecutive matches, including three straight in San Luis Obispo.
The Roadrunners are 5-5 under the direction of fourth-year head coach Manny Rivera, with key wins over Northern Colorado (20-16), Fresno State (26-10) and Oregon State (26-16). Heavyweight Jarrod Snyder and Russell Rohlfing (149) have been standouts in the CSUB lineup this season, as Snyder is 16-8 with five bonus wins while Rohlfing is 18-7 with 10 bonus victories.
ASU holds a 28-10-1 advantage all-time over the Roadrunners since 1974, while the Maroon and Gold have won the past eight matchups and carry a 16-4 road record over CSUB.
"It's two conference meets, we have to be ready no matter who is in the lineup, Zahid (Valencia) or not," Jones said. "One thing that we have been talking about with the team is not deciding how good a team is before wrestle them - wrestle them and then you don't have to guess how good they are, you know how good they are because you just wrestled them. We have tried to instill that in this group - don't decide how good somebody is until you wrestle them and then you can decide. So come out with the same attitude whether you are wrestling the national champ or wrestling somebody that is 0-50, you approach them the same way."
Remember to follow everything Sun Devil wrestling on social media at @ASUWrestling on Twitter and @sundevilwrestling1962 on Instagram.
Following the west coast trip, ASU will prepare for its final road trip of the regular season as they the get a chance to avenge two losses from a season ago against Lehigh on Friday, February 21 (5 p.m. MST) and North Carolina on Sunday, February 23 (Noon MST).
Arizona State Probable Lineup
125 – #8 Brandon Courtney (20-4)
133 – Josh Kramer (7-11)
141 – Navonte Demison (3-11) or Cory Crooks (2-5)
149 – Josh Maruca (7-10) or Dillon Ulrey (4-2)
157 – #13 Jacori Teemer (11-5)
165 – #6 Josh Shields (17-4)
174 – #9 Anthony Valencia (17-5)
184 – Cade Belshay (3-5) or Austin Clayton (3-2)
197 – #11 Kordell Norfleet (8-3)
285 – #4 Tanner Hall (17-3)
Cal Poly Probable Lineup
125 — Benny Martinez (7-11)
133 — Cole Reyes (7-6)
141 — Jake Ryan (5-7)
149 — Joshy Cortez (9-9)
157 — Brawley Lamer (9-9)
165 — Bernie Truax (13-9)
174 — Dylan Miracle (7-7)
184 — Trent Tracy (6-10)
197 — #16 Tom Lane (15-3)
285 — Samuel Aguilar (7-9)
CSUB Probable Lineup
125 | Alex Hernandez-Figueroa (8-13)
133 | #33 Chance Rich (7-11)
141 | Angelo Martinoni (8-9)
149 | #26 Russell Rohlfing (18-7)
157 | Wyatt Gerl (10-10)
165 | Jacob Thalin (13-10)
174 | Albert Urias (13-13)
184 | Josh Loomer (7-12)
197 | Josh Annis (6-6)
285 | Jarrod Snyder (16-8)
MATCH NOTES
MILESTONES
HALL POSTS MILESTONE VICTORY OVER MISSOURI; TEEMER EARNS PAC-12 WoW
Senior Tanner Hall picked up his 100th career win as a Sun Devil in ASU's 21-13 dual victory over No. 20 Missouri. The dual win would give ASU its first 12-1 start since 1989-90, while also supplying the sixth top-25 victory of the season. With a Tigers comeback at the forefront, Jacori Teemer helped shut the door to any kind of comeback effort in arguably his biggest win in his
college wrestling career as he knocked off No. 12 Jarrett Jacques by way of decision, 10-7 to earn his first top-15 upset in an ASU singlet. The 2-0 weekend was good enough to notch Teemer a Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week honor - the first such honor for the freshman from Long Beach, N.Y.
SEVEN BONUS VICTORIES HELP DEVILS ROLL PAST LITTLE ROCK
ASU defeated Little Rock, 38-9 on Feb. 7 in the first-ever matchup between the two programs as the Trojans enter their inaugural season as a Divison l wrestling team. With the help of the three straight falls from Anthony Valencia, Zahid Valencia and Kordell Norfleet, and two tech falls from Brandon Courtney and Jacori Teemer, ASU was able to earn its 11th win this season and take the first of many matchups to come against Little Rock.
FIVE BONUS WINS LEAD DEVILS PAST STANFORD ON SENIOR NIGHT
In the season finale at Desert Financial Arena, the Sun Devil wrestling team honored the 2015 recruiting class for its final home meet in an ASU singlet, with a commanding 28-12 victory over No. 11 Stanford on Jan. 31. The night was highlighted by a marquee matchup at 197 between Nathan Tranxler and Kordell Norfleet. It took two overtimes to decide the winner, as Norfleet was able to earn his second top-5 win of the season and get the crowd on their feet going into intermission. Overall, the Sun Devils racked up five bonus point wins from Jacori Teemer (Tech), Anthony Valencia (Major), Zahid Valencia (Tech), Brandon Courtney (Tech), and Dillon Ulrey (Major). The victory would snap an eight-match win streak for the Cardinal and notch the first undefeated season at home for ASU since 1992-93.
TEEMER NOTCHES FIRST PIN IN WIN OVER THE BEAVERS
Redshirt freshman Jacori Teemer (157) made his second start at Desert Financial Arena a memorable one, picking up his first career pin as a Sun Devil, while also recording ASU's fastest pin (0:42) of the season to help push the Sun Devils to a 26-12 victory over Oregon State on Jan. 17. It was the team's fourth come from behind victory of the season led by the back half of lineup, as three straight bonus-point wins by Teemer, Josh Shields (pin), and Anthony Valencia (tech fall) proved to be the difference maker in solidifying the Devils first 9-1 start since 1990.
ZAHID VALENCIA EARNS THIRD PAC-12 WoW HONOR
Valencia helped lead the Sun Devils past Harvard, Campbell and No. 11 Iowa State on Jan. 11 at Chase Field, with four bonus-point wins, including one major decision over Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State), one pin against Michael Doggett (Harvard) and two more majors over No. 15 ranked Andrew Morgan (Campbell) and No. 14 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State). His four bonus wins was good enough to surpass 2011 National Champion Anthony Robles for the most career bonus-point victories (93) in program history. The Pac-12 honor was Valencia's third time receiving the accolade as he also named in his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Saturday's matchup with the Mustangs can be streamed live on Big West TV while Sunday's match will also be live-streamed at https://gorunners.com/watch/?Live=4&type=Live.
ASU looks to continue its hot streak in the penultimate weekend of dual competition before postseason action starts up in March. The Sun Devils will return to mat after adding their 11th and 12th wins of the year against Little Rock (38-9) and No. 20 Missouri (21-13) last weekend. In the first-ever meeting against the Trojans, the Sun Devils used seven bonus-point wins – tied for the most in any match this year – to earn their first victory in Little Rock. On Sunday, Jacori Teemer notched his first upset win in an ASU singlet, while Tanner Hall filed his 100th career win to help avenge last year's loss against the Tigers and secure the team's first 12-1 start since 1989-90.
"First off, Tanner (Hall) being a senior and Jacori (Teemer) being a freshman you kind of see the end of the path and the start of the path," head coach Zeke Jones said. "I think when you look at the path it's important to be grateful of this time. It is such a short window of opportunity. This is the time of year you reflect a little bit because its easy to get caught up in the moment, 'oh my gosh the Championships are here.' It is time to step back and say: 'I am grateful for the opportunity to get 100 wins, I am grateful for the opportunity to get my first top-15 win.' Just being grateful is important."
The upset win over Jacques proved enough to get the attention of many national ranking outlets as Teemer now finds himself ranked in four of five national ranking systems - Trackwrestling, InterMat, The Open Mat and FloWrestling - appearing as high as No. 13. Teemer, a winner of seven of his past eight matches, is finding his stride in the latter part of the season as he has bonus wins in three of his past four matches.
Six of 10 Sun Devil wrestlers enter a new week of rankings with their name listed in the top-10 at their respective weight classes – Brandon Courtney (No. 7), Josh Shields (No. 6), Anthony Valencia (No.9), Zahid Valencia (No. 1), Kordell Norfleet (No. 10) and Tanner Hall (No. 4).
The Mustangs, led by fourth-year head coach Jon Sioredas find themselves at 3-6 in dual competition with wins over San Francisco State (29-15), Buffalo (23-10) and California Baptist (19-16). Senior Tom Lane (197) has provided the spark in the back half of the lineup for Cal Poly as he carries a 15-3 record with seven bonus-point wins. Lane is ranked within the top-25 in all major ranking systems and comes in as high as No. 12.
Overall, the Sun Devils own a 38-12 all-time series record against the Mustangs, with the Devils winning seven consecutive matches, including three straight in San Luis Obispo.
The Roadrunners are 5-5 under the direction of fourth-year head coach Manny Rivera, with key wins over Northern Colorado (20-16), Fresno State (26-10) and Oregon State (26-16). Heavyweight Jarrod Snyder and Russell Rohlfing (149) have been standouts in the CSUB lineup this season, as Snyder is 16-8 with five bonus wins while Rohlfing is 18-7 with 10 bonus victories.
ASU holds a 28-10-1 advantage all-time over the Roadrunners since 1974, while the Maroon and Gold have won the past eight matchups and carry a 16-4 road record over CSUB.
"It's two conference meets, we have to be ready no matter who is in the lineup, Zahid (Valencia) or not," Jones said. "One thing that we have been talking about with the team is not deciding how good a team is before wrestle them - wrestle them and then you don't have to guess how good they are, you know how good they are because you just wrestled them. We have tried to instill that in this group - don't decide how good somebody is until you wrestle them and then you can decide. So come out with the same attitude whether you are wrestling the national champ or wrestling somebody that is 0-50, you approach them the same way."
Remember to follow everything Sun Devil wrestling on social media at @ASUWrestling on Twitter and @sundevilwrestling1962 on Instagram.
Following the west coast trip, ASU will prepare for its final road trip of the regular season as they the get a chance to avenge two losses from a season ago against Lehigh on Friday, February 21 (5 p.m. MST) and North Carolina on Sunday, February 23 (Noon MST).
Arizona State Probable Lineup
125 – #8 Brandon Courtney (20-4)
133 – Josh Kramer (7-11)
141 – Navonte Demison (3-11) or Cory Crooks (2-5)
149 – Josh Maruca (7-10) or Dillon Ulrey (4-2)
157 – #13 Jacori Teemer (11-5)
165 – #6 Josh Shields (17-4)
174 – #9 Anthony Valencia (17-5)
184 – Cade Belshay (3-5) or Austin Clayton (3-2)
197 – #11 Kordell Norfleet (8-3)
285 – #4 Tanner Hall (17-3)
Cal Poly Probable Lineup
125 — Benny Martinez (7-11)
133 — Cole Reyes (7-6)
141 — Jake Ryan (5-7)
149 — Joshy Cortez (9-9)
157 — Brawley Lamer (9-9)
165 — Bernie Truax (13-9)
174 — Dylan Miracle (7-7)
184 — Trent Tracy (6-10)
197 — #16 Tom Lane (15-3)
285 — Samuel Aguilar (7-9)
CSUB Probable Lineup
125 | Alex Hernandez-Figueroa (8-13)
133 | #33 Chance Rich (7-11)
141 | Angelo Martinoni (8-9)
149 | #26 Russell Rohlfing (18-7)
157 | Wyatt Gerl (10-10)
165 | Jacob Thalin (13-10)
174 | Albert Urias (13-13)
184 | Josh Loomer (7-12)
197 | Josh Annis (6-6)
285 | Jarrod Snyder (16-8)
MATCH NOTES
- Brandon Courtney (125) recently added his name to the top-10 for most majors in one season in ASU history after picking up his ninth major over Cameron Valdiviez (Missouri), 17-6. A 2-0 road trip this past week pushed his match win-streak to eight – tied for second-most on the team.
- Jacori Teemer (157) eclipsed double-digit wins as a Sun Devil over the weekend and increased his win-streak to four matches – a career-best.
- Josh Shields (165) added major decisions No. 5 and 6 to his season total and moved up the ASU leader board for most career majors and bonus-point wins – sits second all-time in majors (33) and tied for fifth in bonus-point wins (57). Shields has won two-straight matches.
- Anthony Valencia (174) is riding a seven-match win-streak into Saturday, with six of seven matches being decided by bonus-point decisions.
- Zahid Valencia (184) leads the team with 28 consecutive wins, dating back to last season. With two more wins coming over this past weekend, Valencia moved past Ryan Bader for ninth all-time in overall wins in program history (121).
- Tanner Hall (HWT) clinched win No. 100 on Sunday, making him the third wrestler from the 2015 recruiting class to reach that mark (Zahid Valencia, 121 & Josh Shields, 115). He ties Anthony Valencia for the third-longest win-streak with seven.
- The Sun Devils, winners of seven straight, remain at No. 5 in the NWCA Coaches poll
- ASU remains in the top-10 in all national dual/tournament ranking systems – FloWrestling (No. 3), Trackwrestling (No. 4), Intermat (No. 4), The Open Mat (No. 4) and WIN Magazine (No. 6).
- After upsetting No. 1 Penn State back in late November, the Sun Devils moved up to No. 4 in the NWCA poll – the highest-ranking received for ASU since 1998.
MILESTONES
- 4 major decision wins needed for Josh Shields to move into 1st all-time in career major wins in program history (sits at 33 behind Zahid Valencias' 36)
- 2 wins needed for Zahid Valencia to pass Anthony Robles (122) for 8th all-time for most career wins as a Sun Devil (sits at 121)
- 1 major decision win needed for Brandon Courtney to move into T-7th all-time for most majors in one season (sits T-10th with 9)
- 1 bonus-point win needed for Anthony Valencia to move into T-5th all-time in career bonus wins in program history (sits at 55 with teammate Josh Shields)
HALL POSTS MILESTONE VICTORY OVER MISSOURI; TEEMER EARNS PAC-12 WoW
Senior Tanner Hall picked up his 100th career win as a Sun Devil in ASU's 21-13 dual victory over No. 20 Missouri. The dual win would give ASU its first 12-1 start since 1989-90, while also supplying the sixth top-25 victory of the season. With a Tigers comeback at the forefront, Jacori Teemer helped shut the door to any kind of comeback effort in arguably his biggest win in his
college wrestling career as he knocked off No. 12 Jarrett Jacques by way of decision, 10-7 to earn his first top-15 upset in an ASU singlet. The 2-0 weekend was good enough to notch Teemer a Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week honor - the first such honor for the freshman from Long Beach, N.Y.
SEVEN BONUS VICTORIES HELP DEVILS ROLL PAST LITTLE ROCK
ASU defeated Little Rock, 38-9 on Feb. 7 in the first-ever matchup between the two programs as the Trojans enter their inaugural season as a Divison l wrestling team. With the help of the three straight falls from Anthony Valencia, Zahid Valencia and Kordell Norfleet, and two tech falls from Brandon Courtney and Jacori Teemer, ASU was able to earn its 11th win this season and take the first of many matchups to come against Little Rock.
FIVE BONUS WINS LEAD DEVILS PAST STANFORD ON SENIOR NIGHT
In the season finale at Desert Financial Arena, the Sun Devil wrestling team honored the 2015 recruiting class for its final home meet in an ASU singlet, with a commanding 28-12 victory over No. 11 Stanford on Jan. 31. The night was highlighted by a marquee matchup at 197 between Nathan Tranxler and Kordell Norfleet. It took two overtimes to decide the winner, as Norfleet was able to earn his second top-5 win of the season and get the crowd on their feet going into intermission. Overall, the Sun Devils racked up five bonus point wins from Jacori Teemer (Tech), Anthony Valencia (Major), Zahid Valencia (Tech), Brandon Courtney (Tech), and Dillon Ulrey (Major). The victory would snap an eight-match win streak for the Cardinal and notch the first undefeated season at home for ASU since 1992-93.
TEEMER NOTCHES FIRST PIN IN WIN OVER THE BEAVERS
Redshirt freshman Jacori Teemer (157) made his second start at Desert Financial Arena a memorable one, picking up his first career pin as a Sun Devil, while also recording ASU's fastest pin (0:42) of the season to help push the Sun Devils to a 26-12 victory over Oregon State on Jan. 17. It was the team's fourth come from behind victory of the season led by the back half of lineup, as three straight bonus-point wins by Teemer, Josh Shields (pin), and Anthony Valencia (tech fall) proved to be the difference maker in solidifying the Devils first 9-1 start since 1990.
ZAHID VALENCIA EARNS THIRD PAC-12 WoW HONOR
Valencia helped lead the Sun Devils past Harvard, Campbell and No. 11 Iowa State on Jan. 11 at Chase Field, with four bonus-point wins, including one major decision over Gavin Hoffman (Ohio State), one pin against Michael Doggett (Harvard) and two more majors over No. 15 ranked Andrew Morgan (Campbell) and No. 14 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State). His four bonus wins was good enough to surpass 2011 National Champion Anthony Robles for the most career bonus-point victories (93) in program history. The Pac-12 honor was Valencia's third time receiving the accolade as he also named in his freshman and sophomore seasons.