BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Arizona State wrestling kicks off the season with a bang this weekend in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. ASU will look to improve upon its No. 5 ranking with both a dual against Rutgers and the Journeymen Collegiate Classic. The Sun Devils will face the Scarlet Knights on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 3:00 p.m. AZ and roll right into the tournament on Sunday, Nov. 12 starting at 7:00 a.m. AZ. The Rutgers dual will stream via Rokfin, and Sunday's action is on FloWrestling. Watch links for both events are here.
The Sun Devils return five 2022 All-Americans in Brandon Courtney (125 lbs), Michael McGee (133 lbs), Kyle Parco (149 lbs), Jacori Teemer (157 lbs), and Colhton Schultz (HWT). 2020 All-Americans Kordell Norfleet (197) and Anthony Montalvo (184) are also on the squad.
A look ahead
Arizona State opens the home slate with a huge matchup against No. 3 Missouri Thursday No. 17 in the brand new Mullett Arena. Wrestling starts at 7:00 p.m. A total of 10 All-Americans will be in the building, including defending national champion at 165 Keegan O'Toole. Tickets are still available and will be sold at the door too.
Sun Devil Notables
Rutgers Notables
ASU Probable Lineup
125: Richard Figueroa: Won bronze at 57 kg at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games
133: #4 Michael McGee: 2x All-American, Pac-12 Champion
141: #19 Jesse Vasquez: 7-1 before season-ending injury in 2021-22 season
149: #4 Kyle Parco: 2x All-American, Pac-12 Champion
157: Max Wilner: Appeared in 3 tournaments, earning a 7-4 overall record with 2 falls
165: Tony Negron: Transferred from Penn State where he went 5-0 at Edinboro Open
174: Cael Valencia: Redshirted last year, going 12-4 in open tournaments
184: #22 Anthony Montalvo: All-American, '20 Big-12 bronze medalist
197: Jonathon Fagen: Transferred from Cornell where he went 6-7 as a freshman
HWT: David Palosika
Rutgers Probable lineup
125/133: No. 17 Dylan Shawver OR #18 Dean Peterson
141: No. 21 Sammy Alvarez OR Joseph Olivieri
149: HM Anthony White: Finished 22-4 as an unattached redshirt last season
157: Andrew Clark OR Al DeSantis
165: Connor O'Neill: '22 NCAA Qualifier, '22 Big Ten Championships eighth place
174: No. 24 Jackson Turley: '21 All-American
184: No. 9 John Poznanski OR Brian Soldano
197: No. 30 Billy Janzer OR Kyle Epperly
HWT: No. 31 Boone McDermott: '22 Big Ten Championships starter, '20 NJCAA national champion
Up Next
The Sun Devils host No. 3 Missouri Nov. 17 at 7:00pm for the first home dual of the year, and the first wrestling event in Mullett Arena. That dual will stream on Pac-12 Insider. Following Missouri, ASU will travel back to Pennsylvania for the Keystone Classic.
The Sun Devils return five 2022 All-Americans in Brandon Courtney (125 lbs), Michael McGee (133 lbs), Kyle Parco (149 lbs), Jacori Teemer (157 lbs), and Colhton Schultz (HWT). 2020 All-Americans Kordell Norfleet (197) and Anthony Montalvo (184) are also on the squad.
A look ahead
Arizona State opens the home slate with a huge matchup against No. 3 Missouri Thursday No. 17 in the brand new Mullett Arena. Wrestling starts at 7:00 p.m. A total of 10 All-Americans will be in the building, including defending national champion at 165 Keegan O'Toole. Tickets are still available and will be sold at the door too.
Sun Devil Notables
- McGee's 110 collegiate wins lead the Sun Devils' active roster. Brandon Courtney is right behind him with 93.
- This is only the second meeting in program history between ASU and Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights took the lone series victory 21-12 back in January 2013.
- The Sun Devils have seven All-Americans on the roster in Brandon Courtney (125 lbs), Michael McGee (133 lbs), Kyle Parco (149 lbs), Jacori Teemer (157 lbs), Anthony Montalvo (184), Kordell Norfleet (197) Colhton Schultz (HWT).
- Courtney and Schultz are chasing NCAA individual titles after finishing as runner-ups in their respective weight classes. Courtny earned silver in 2021, and Schultz earned silver in 2022.
- This ASU squad has historically been successful in the first battles of the year. The Sun Devils claimed a 22-12 win over No. 17 Oklahoma last fall and had 13 titles across the first two tournaments. In fall 2021, ASU picked up a pair of dual victories over Little Rock (39-3) and No. 20 Oklahoma (20-12).
Rutgers Notables
- Rutgers is beginning this season with a ranking of No. 36 in the country, according to FloWrestling. The Scarlet Knights left last year's NCAA Championships with two All-Americans and a 20th-place finish.
- Sophomore John Poznanski enters this weekend as FloWrestling's No. 9 ranked wrestler at 184 lbs. The 2x NCAA qualifier, and '21 All-American (fourth place) opened up last season on a 13-match winning streak with wins over six ranked opponents during that stretch.
- Sammy Alvarez, No. 21 at 141 lbs, finished his true freshman season with a 26-10 record and qualified for the '20 NCAA Championships. He was ranked as high as No. 5 in the country during his sophomore campaign, ending with a 3-0 record and missing the postseason. He then finished last year with an 8-2 record.
- No. 17 Dylan Shawyer was a '22 NCAA qualifier at 125 lbs and placed seventh at the '22 Big Ten Championships. He began the season last year on an 11-0 tear.
ASU Probable Lineup
125: Richard Figueroa: Won bronze at 57 kg at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games
133: #4 Michael McGee: 2x All-American, Pac-12 Champion
141: #19 Jesse Vasquez: 7-1 before season-ending injury in 2021-22 season
149: #4 Kyle Parco: 2x All-American, Pac-12 Champion
157: Max Wilner: Appeared in 3 tournaments, earning a 7-4 overall record with 2 falls
165: Tony Negron: Transferred from Penn State where he went 5-0 at Edinboro Open
174: Cael Valencia: Redshirted last year, going 12-4 in open tournaments
184: #22 Anthony Montalvo: All-American, '20 Big-12 bronze medalist
197: Jonathon Fagen: Transferred from Cornell where he went 6-7 as a freshman
HWT: David Palosika
Rutgers Probable lineup
125/133: No. 17 Dylan Shawver OR #18 Dean Peterson
141: No. 21 Sammy Alvarez OR Joseph Olivieri
149: HM Anthony White: Finished 22-4 as an unattached redshirt last season
157: Andrew Clark OR Al DeSantis
165: Connor O'Neill: '22 NCAA Qualifier, '22 Big Ten Championships eighth place
174: No. 24 Jackson Turley: '21 All-American
184: No. 9 John Poznanski OR Brian Soldano
197: No. 30 Billy Janzer OR Kyle Epperly
HWT: No. 31 Boone McDermott: '22 Big Ten Championships starter, '20 NJCAA national champion
Up Next
The Sun Devils host No. 3 Missouri Nov. 17 at 7:00pm for the first home dual of the year, and the first wrestling event in Mullett Arena. That dual will stream on Pac-12 Insider. Following Missouri, ASU will travel back to Pennsylvania for the Keystone Classic.