TEMPE, Ariz. – The Sun Devil (9-1) wrestling team, ranked No. 3 by FloWrestling's dual rankings, rounds out the 2019-20 home schedule on Friday, January 31 at 6 p.m. MST when they welcome Pac-12 foe Stanford to Desert Financial Arena. The contest will feature a top-15 matchup that will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Network Bay Area.
Friday night's match will be the final home meet for Sun Devil seniors Tanner Hall, Josh Kramer, Josh Maruca, Josh Shields, and Zahid Valencia – all apart of head coach Zeke Jones first recruiting class at ASU in 2015. It's not only Jones' first recruiting class at ASU, but it's also the top-rated class by Amateur Wrestling News in 2015. The programs first No. 1 ranked recruiting class since 1988, per AWN. Overall, the five seniors have compiled 435 individual victories in an ASU singlet, including a 72-24 home record.
"This first-class coming in together was what catapulted the program and its resurgence into the elite group of teams in the country, but its more than that," said head coach Zeke Jones. "Its who they are and what they stand for. They have really defined the culture by being a character-based, solid, good group of guys. They have a love and passion for the sport and for Sun Devil wrestling and I think they have left their mark."
The 2015 class has been key cogs to lifting the program back into national prominence over the past five years, with two Pac-12 Championships (2017, 2018), two individual National Champions (Zahid Valencia 2x), six All-Americans (Josh Shields 2x, Zahid Valencia 3x, Tanner Hall) and a top-10 team finish at the 2018 NCAA Tournament – the highest finish at the NCAA's for ASU since 2010-11.
Last time out, ASU recorded their first Pac-12 win of the season over the Oregon State Beavers, improving to 9-1 on the season and 7-0 at home. After falling down early, 9-3, the Sun Devils fought back with the help of three-straight bonus-point wins led by redshirt freshman Jacori Teemer's first career pin (0:42) to help propel the team to a 26-12 victory.
ASU enters another week of individual rankings with seven Sun Devils listed by FloWrestling - Brandon Courtney (No. 7), Kramer (No. 22), Shields (No. 5), Anthony Valencia (No. 9), Valencia (No.1), Kordell Norfleet (No. 16) and Hall (No. 6). Courtney continues his rise at 125, moving into the top-10 rankings after starting his redshirt sophomore season unranked. His 17 wins mid-way through the season are tied for the team lead with teammate Z. Valencia and his eight major decisions list him in the top-20 for most majors in a single season by a Sun Devil. Z. Valencia gets back into dual competition on Friday after taking the night off against Oregon State to compete at the Matteo Pelicone in Rome, Italy, where Valencia went 3-0 and was crowned the 86-kg Freestyle champion after defeating 2016 Dan Hodge award winner Alex Dieringer, 7-5.
Stanford, ranked No. 11 by FloWrestling's dual rankings, comes into the match 8-1 with their most notable wins coming over No. 17 North Carolina, Columbia, and Utah Valley. Individually, three Cardinal wrestlers find themselves in the top-10 rankings, per FloWrestling. At 141, freshman Real Woods is ranked No. 9 with a 13-1 record. Redshirt freshman Shane Griffith (165) comes in at No. 7, owning a perfect 21-0 record with 12 bonus-point victories. Redshirt junior Nathan Traxler (197) is 15-2 on the season and ranked No. 6.
"It's a big meet," said Jones. "Stanford has a solid team and it's going to take a team effort up and down the entire line up. Each guy is going to have to do his job and be ready to hand off the energy to their teammate, the next guy up. We have to be ready to get into an old fashioned wrestling fistfight because sometimes it takes more than just technique, sometimes you just have to get gritty and tough and they are going to have to be ready to do that."
The Sun Devils own an 11-8 all-time series record against Stanford, looking to avenge a 21-15 loss in Palo Alto last season. ASU is 4-3 when Stanford comes to town, winning the last meeting in Tempe in 2018.
Fans living outside of the Bay Area can stream the match at https://pac12.me/WRES-STAN-ASU while live stats will be provided through Trackwrestling.
Single match tickets are available online at https://thesundevils.com/WRESStanford or by calling the Sun Devil Ticket Office at (480) 727-0000.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
125: #7 Brandon Courtney vs. Jackson DiSario
157: Jacori Teemer vs. Tyler Eischens
165: #5 Josh Shields vs. #7 Shane Griffith
197: #16 Kordell Norfleet vs. #6 Nathan Traxler
POLLS
- The Sun Devils, winners of four straight, move up one spot in the NWCA poll to No. 5
- ASU remains in the top-10 in all national dual ranking systems – FloWrestling (No. 4), Intermat (No. 5), Trackwrestling (No. 6), WIN Magazine (No. 7), The Open Mat (No. 7).
- 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
- 2 major decision wins needed for Josh Shields to move into 2nd all-time in career major wins in ASU history (sits at 31 behind Steve Blackfords' 32)
- 2 pins needed for Zahid Valencia to move into 3rd for most career pins in ASU history (sits 4th with 40 behind Gary Coleys' 41)
- 2 major decision wins needed for Brandon Courtney to move into ASU's top-10 for most majors in a season (sits T-17th with 8)
- 3 wins needed for Tanner Hall to reach the 100 career win mark (currently sits at 97)
- 2 bonus-point wins needed for Anthony Valencia to move into T-5th all-time in career bonus wins in ASU history (sits at 54 behind teammate Josh Shields with 55)
JACORI 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.
SUN DEVILS SWEEP DUALS ON THE DIAMOND
The Sun Devils went 3-0 on the day, defeating Harvard, Campbell and No. 11 Iowa State in a historic outing as they hosted the first-ever college wrestling event at a major league baseball stadium (Chase Field). The Maroon and Gold opened the quad meet with a dominant 43-3 win over the Pilgrims, which included ASU winning nine of 10 matches and picking up their first 40-point score since 2012.
Dillon Ulrey (149), Anthony Valencia (174), Zahid Valencia (184) and Kordell Norfleet (197) all picked up six points in the match to put the team up comfortably and notch the first time in seven years that ASU had four wrestlers with a pin in a single match.
Rounding out the first session of action, the Sun Devils found themselves down 15-6 against Campbell heading to intermission. With the help of four-straight wins from the back half of the line-up, including three-straight majors, ASU closed the gap and defeated Campbell, 21-18.
The quad finale against No. 11 Iowa State was another come from behind win for ASU, with the back half providing another clutch outing with five-straight wins to cruise to a 21-12 win over the Cyclones. With three wins and the fourth top-25 win of the season, the Sun Devils are 8-1 for the first time since 2007. Overall, ASU compiled 13 extra-point victories as Norfleet and Z. Valencia led the way with three while Anthony Valencia added two more. Z. Valencia's extra-point victories were good enough to surpass 2011 National Champion Anthony Robles to set the record for the most career bonus-point victories in ASU history (94).
VALENCIA BROTHERS, SCHULTZ PUNCH TICKET TO US OLYMPIC TRIALS
Anthony Valencia, Zahid Valencia, and Cohlton Schultz all punched their tickets for a spot at the US Olympic Trials, set for April 4-5, after finishing within the top-five of their respective weight classes at the U.S. Senior Nationals. Z. Valencia (86 kg) went a perfect 5-0 in his quest for first place in men's freestyle, while Schultz went 4-0 to sit atop the podium as the 130-kg Greco-Roman Champion. A. Valencia battled his way through the consolation bracket to garner a fifth-place trophy in the 74-kg freestyle division.
#HODGEWATCH
Zahid Valencia has been declared the pound-for-pound best college wrestler in the nation by FloWrestling rankings. He has rattled off 16 bonus point victories in 17 matches, with six major decisions, two tech falls, seven pins and one forfeit. At the Sun Devil Duals (Jan. 11), Valencia surpassed 2011 National Champion Anthony Robles for ASU's all-time career bonus-point wins leader (94).
In 17 wins so far, Valencia has beaten some of the best college wrestlers in the nation at 184, with bonus-point wins over No. 5 Trent Hidlay (NC State), No. 6 Lou Deprez (Binghampton), No. 10 Sam Colbray (Iowa State), No. 15 Andrew Morgan (Campbell) and No. 14 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State). Not to mention, this comes after moving up a weight class from 174 to 184, where Valencia was a two-time National Champion and third place finisher in his first three years.
JOIN THE INNER CIRCLE
Sun Devil Wrestling is just one part of a very successful wrestling community in the Valley of the Sun and is happy to open its doors for the Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle Receptions. During a Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle Reception say hello to former NCAA National Champions and Olympic Medalists, have a conversation with wrestling coaches on the national stage, interact with former Sun Devil wrestlers along with friends and families of the program, and listen to a pre-match analysis from a current Sun Devil Wrestling coach.
While in the Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle Reception, enjoy beverages while having a light snack prior to heading to your seats to watch the Sun Devils in action. The Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle Receptions are located in Room 116 inside Wells Fargo Arena. Doors open one hour prior to each Sun Devil Wrestling home contest.
Admission for two (2) is provide to Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle Receptions for wrestling supporters who donate $200 or more to Sun Devil Wrestling. Your donation will be used to continue the tradition of Sun Devil Wrestling and build a successful future.
Join here: https://www.sundevilclub.com/wrestling-inner-circle.
Friday night's match will be the final home meet for Sun Devil seniors Tanner Hall, Josh Kramer, Josh Maruca, Josh Shields, and Zahid Valencia – all apart of head coach Zeke Jones first recruiting class at ASU in 2015. It's not only Jones' first recruiting class at ASU, but it's also the top-rated class by Amateur Wrestling News in 2015. The programs first No. 1 ranked recruiting class since 1988, per AWN. Overall, the five seniors have compiled 435 individual victories in an ASU singlet, including a 72-24 home record.
"This first-class coming in together was what catapulted the program and its resurgence into the elite group of teams in the country, but its more than that," said head coach Zeke Jones. "Its who they are and what they stand for. They have really defined the culture by being a character-based, solid, good group of guys. They have a love and passion for the sport and for Sun Devil wrestling and I think they have left their mark."
The 2015 class has been key cogs to lifting the program back into national prominence over the past five years, with two Pac-12 Championships (2017, 2018), two individual National Champions (Zahid Valencia 2x), six All-Americans (Josh Shields 2x, Zahid Valencia 3x, Tanner Hall) and a top-10 team finish at the 2018 NCAA Tournament – the highest finish at the NCAA's for ASU since 2010-11.
Last time out, ASU recorded their first Pac-12 win of the season over the Oregon State Beavers, improving to 9-1 on the season and 7-0 at home. After falling down early, 9-3, the Sun Devils fought back with the help of three-straight bonus-point wins led by redshirt freshman Jacori Teemer's first career pin (0:42) to help propel the team to a 26-12 victory.
ASU enters another week of individual rankings with seven Sun Devils listed by FloWrestling - Brandon Courtney (No. 7), Kramer (No. 22), Shields (No. 5), Anthony Valencia (No. 9), Valencia (No.1), Kordell Norfleet (No. 16) and Hall (No. 6). Courtney continues his rise at 125, moving into the top-10 rankings after starting his redshirt sophomore season unranked. His 17 wins mid-way through the season are tied for the team lead with teammate Z. Valencia and his eight major decisions list him in the top-20 for most majors in a single season by a Sun Devil. Z. Valencia gets back into dual competition on Friday after taking the night off against Oregon State to compete at the Matteo Pelicone in Rome, Italy, where Valencia went 3-0 and was crowned the 86-kg Freestyle champion after defeating 2016 Dan Hodge award winner Alex Dieringer, 7-5.
Stanford, ranked No. 11 by FloWrestling's dual rankings, comes into the match 8-1 with their most notable wins coming over No. 17 North Carolina, Columbia, and Utah Valley. Individually, three Cardinal wrestlers find themselves in the top-10 rankings, per FloWrestling. At 141, freshman Real Woods is ranked No. 9 with a 13-1 record. Redshirt freshman Shane Griffith (165) comes in at No. 7, owning a perfect 21-0 record with 12 bonus-point victories. Redshirt junior Nathan Traxler (197) is 15-2 on the season and ranked No. 6.
"It's a big meet," said Jones. "Stanford has a solid team and it's going to take a team effort up and down the entire line up. Each guy is going to have to do his job and be ready to hand off the energy to their teammate, the next guy up. We have to be ready to get into an old fashioned wrestling fistfight because sometimes it takes more than just technique, sometimes you just have to get gritty and tough and they are going to have to be ready to do that."
The Sun Devils own an 11-8 all-time series record against Stanford, looking to avenge a 21-15 loss in Palo Alto last season. ASU is 4-3 when Stanford comes to town, winning the last meeting in Tempe in 2018.
Fans living outside of the Bay Area can stream the match at https://pac12.me/WRES-STAN-ASU while live stats will be provided through Trackwrestling.
Single match tickets are available online at https://thesundevils.com/WRESStanford or by calling the Sun Devil Ticket Office at (480) 727-0000.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
125: #7 Brandon Courtney vs. Jackson DiSario
157: Jacori Teemer vs. Tyler Eischens
165: #5 Josh Shields vs. #7 Shane Griffith
197: #16 Kordell Norfleet vs. #6 Nathan Traxler
POLLS
- The Sun Devils, winners of four straight, move up one spot in the NWCA poll to No. 5
- ASU remains in the top-10 in all national dual ranking systems – FloWrestling (No. 4), Intermat (No. 5), Trackwrestling (No. 6), WIN Magazine (No. 7), The Open Mat (No. 7).
- 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
- 2 major decision wins needed for Josh Shields to move into 2nd all-time in career major wins in ASU history (sits at 31 behind Steve Blackfords' 32)
- 2 pins needed for Zahid Valencia to move into 3rd for most career pins in ASU history (sits 4th with 40 behind Gary Coleys' 41)
- 2 major decision wins needed for Brandon Courtney to move into ASU's top-10 for most majors in a season (sits T-17th with 8)
- 3 wins needed for Tanner Hall to reach the 100 career win mark (currently sits at 97)
- 2 bonus-point wins needed for Anthony Valencia to move into T-5th all-time in career bonus wins in ASU history (sits at 54 behind teammate Josh Shields with 55)
JACORI 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.
SUN DEVILS SWEEP DUALS ON THE DIAMOND
The Sun Devils went 3-0 on the day, defeating Harvard, Campbell and No. 11 Iowa State in a historic outing as they hosted the first-ever college wrestling event at a major league baseball stadium (Chase Field). The Maroon and Gold opened the quad meet with a dominant 43-3 win over the Pilgrims, which included ASU winning nine of 10 matches and picking up their first 40-point score since 2012.
Dillon Ulrey (149), Anthony Valencia (174), Zahid Valencia (184) and Kordell Norfleet (197) all picked up six points in the match to put the team up comfortably and notch the first time in seven years that ASU had four wrestlers with a pin in a single match.
Rounding out the first session of action, the Sun Devils found themselves down 15-6 against Campbell heading to intermission. With the help of four-straight wins from the back half of the line-up, including three-straight majors, ASU closed the gap and defeated Campbell, 21-18.
The quad finale against No. 11 Iowa State was another come from behind win for ASU, with the back half providing another clutch outing with five-straight wins to cruise to a 21-12 win over the Cyclones. With three wins and the fourth top-25 win of the season, the Sun Devils are 8-1 for the first time since 2007. Overall, ASU compiled 13 extra-point victories as Norfleet and Z. Valencia led the way with three while Anthony Valencia added two more. Z. Valencia's extra-point victories were good enough to surpass 2011 National Champion Anthony Robles to set the record for the most career bonus-point victories in ASU history (94).
the cheez-it bowl isn't the only NCAA athletics event @ChaseField has hosted in the last month.
— Emily Caron (@_emcaron) January 21, 2020
how a last minute @TheSunDevils wrestling match at the @Dbacks' field is paving the way for future partnerships: https://t.co/mtDQBusH28
VALENCIA BROTHERS, SCHULTZ PUNCH TICKET TO US OLYMPIC TRIALS
Anthony Valencia, Zahid Valencia, and Cohlton Schultz all punched their tickets for a spot at the US Olympic Trials, set for April 4-5, after finishing within the top-five of their respective weight classes at the U.S. Senior Nationals. Z. Valencia (86 kg) went a perfect 5-0 in his quest for first place in men's freestyle, while Schultz went 4-0 to sit atop the podium as the 130-kg Greco-Roman Champion. A. Valencia battled his way through the consolation bracket to garner a fifth-place trophy in the 74-kg freestyle division.
#HODGEWATCH
Zahid Valencia has been declared the pound-for-pound best college wrestler in the nation by FloWrestling rankings. He has rattled off 16 bonus point victories in 17 matches, with six major decisions, two tech falls, seven pins and one forfeit. At the Sun Devil Duals (Jan. 11), Valencia surpassed 2011 National Champion Anthony Robles for ASU's all-time career bonus-point wins leader (94).
In 17 wins so far, Valencia has beaten some of the best college wrestlers in the nation at 184, with bonus-point wins over No. 5 Trent Hidlay (NC State), No. 6 Lou Deprez (Binghampton), No. 10 Sam Colbray (Iowa State), No. 15 Andrew Morgan (Campbell) and No. 14 Marcus Coleman (Iowa State). Not to mention, this comes after moving up a weight class from 174 to 184, where Valencia was a two-time National Champion and third place finisher in his first three years.
JOIN THE INNER CIRCLE
Sun Devil Wrestling is just one part of a very successful wrestling community in the Valley of the Sun and is happy to open its doors for the Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle Receptions. During a Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle Reception say hello to former NCAA National Champions and Olympic Medalists, have a conversation with wrestling coaches on the national stage, interact with former Sun Devil wrestlers along with friends and families of the program, and listen to a pre-match analysis from a current Sun Devil Wrestling coach.
While in the Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle Reception, enjoy beverages while having a light snack prior to heading to your seats to watch the Sun Devils in action. The Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle Receptions are located in Room 116 inside Wells Fargo Arena. Doors open one hour prior to each Sun Devil Wrestling home contest.
Admission for two (2) is provide to Sun Devil Wrestling Inner Circle Receptions for wrestling supporters who donate $200 or more to Sun Devil Wrestling. Your donation will be used to continue the tradition of Sun Devil Wrestling and build a successful future.
Join here: https://www.sundevilclub.com/wrestling-inner-circle.