TEMPE - Sun Devil Wrestling was busy this summer - there is no offseason. Tournament titles were won, World Team spots were earned, and signees and transfers were finalized. Here's the rundown of everything big that happened for the Maroon and Gold since the end of the NCAA Championships.
First, in case you forgot: ASU finished seventh at the NCAA Championships. The Sun Devils earned four All-Americans in Brandon Courtney, Michael McGee, Kyle Parco and Cohlton Schultz and celebrated Courtney and McGee concluding their collegiate careers. 2022-23 full season recap here.
Stop Sign Season: Freestyle season kicked off with 10 Sun Devils competing at the US Open in Las Vegas. Cohlton Schultz earned his second consecutive Greco-Roman 130 kg title with a 11-0 tech fall over Adam Coon to punch his ticket to Final X. The win gave Schultz his fourth senior Open title. Ten total Sun Devils wrestled at the 2023 US Open, including Zahid Valencia who finished as a runner-up at 86 kg.
Chlebove, Schultz & Valencia Make World Teams: The first two weekends of June were huge for the program. First on the fourth, Julian Chlebove secured his spot (61 kg FS) on the U23 USA World Team, his first ever world team, with a two-match sweep over Ethan Oakley at U23 World Team Trials in Geneva, Ohio. Chlebove's honor topped off a wild seven-match blitz at the tournament. While Chlebove highlighted the tournament for ASU, other notables included Kaleb Larkin reaching the U20 70 kg FS semifinals before being bumped to the consolation bracket where he finished third overall. Cael Valencia, U23 86 kg FS, also reached the semifinals before being bumped. He ultimately finished sixth.
Final X followed, where Cohlton Schultz and Zahid Valencia competed to earn spots on the 2023 US Senior World Team. Valencia, a three-time junior/age-group USA World Team member, was on a mission to finally reach the senior World Team. The two-time NCAA champion defeated Michael Macchiavello (Wolfpack Wrestling Club) 8-0 and 9-2 in the best-of-three series to earn the 92 kg USA Senior World Team spot. Schultz (130 kg Greco Roman) made his third Senior World Team roster with back-to-back 3-0 and 5-1 victories over Adam Coon (Cliff Keen Wrestling Club).
Gone Campin': The focus June 18-July 2 was strictly on summer camp. Over 300 wrestlers, ages 13-18, from across the country flocked to Tempe for the five camps ASU put on. Coaches Zeke Jones, Lee Pritts, Frank Molinaro and Eric Thompson led sessions, and Sun Devil alumni frequently stopped by to give insight and direction. Featured guests included recent grads and collegiate standouts Brandon Courtney, Michael McGee, Josh Shields, Marlee Smith, and Josh Kramer, along with Sun Devil legends Anthony Robles and Ryan Bader.
Signee Makes Noise at Fargo: In July, incoming freshman Damian Moreno (Somerton, Arizona / Kofa) competed at 106 lbs at the USA Nationals Junior Freestyle Championships in Fargo, North Dakota where he earned two All-American finishes. Moreno finished seventh in freestyle competition and third in Greco-Roman. He teched Erik Egstad (Missouri) 10-0 in his seventh-place match, and teched Isaac Stewart (Montano) 10-1 in his third-place bout.
The New Guys:
Sun Devil Wrestling welcomes 10 new faces to the program this year:
Kaleb Larkin - 149lbs - Valiant Prep/Gilbert, AZ
Kaleb Larkin is regarded by coaches as a phenomenal wrestler, unbelievable student, and an overall amazing person. In 2019, he was a NHSCA runner-up and Greco Nationals fourth-place finisher in Fargo. He earned a sixth-place finish at the '21 Junior World Team Trials Freestyle. Larkin has big goals in life, and will be a second-generation Sun Devil after his father, Eric, was a 4x All-American and the 2003 149lb national champion.
Phil Chobot - 197lbs - South Kitsap/Port Orchard, WA
Phil Chobot earned Washington's 182lb state title in his senior year, and decided to compete in Fargo this summer to reach his full potential. Big, strong, and driven, Chobot comes from a great family that includes the current head coach of Sun Devil Baseball, Willie Bloomquist.
Nicco Ruiz - 165lbs - St. John Bosco/Ontario, CA
Nicco Ruiz is a blue chip recruit and a great student-athlete with no ceiling. He comes from a familiar place for the Sun Devil program, St. John Bosco High School. Coached by the father of Sun Devils' Zahid, Anthony, and Cael Valencia, this was a perfect fit for all parties. Ruiz took state titles in both the 152lb and 160lb weight classes, and earned the honor of Press-Telegram Boys Wrestler of the Year.
Arturo Anaya - 165lbs - Kofa/Somerton, AZ
From Yuma, AZ, Arturo Anaya is coming off two 160lb second-place finishes at state, and will add depth in the middle weights. He follows his fathers' footsteps, as Arturo Anaya Sr. also wrestled for Kofa HS and the Sun Devils with Pepe Moreno, father of fellow recruit Damian Moreno. Anaya enjoys pushing himself on and off the field, as he graduated as valedictorian of his class and will be majoring in electrical engineering and minoring in film and media production.
Damian Moreno - 125lbs - Kofa/Somerton, AZ
Heralded as a talented wrestler and dedicated student, Damian Moreno is coming off of a very impressive summer after becoming a double All-American in Fargo. In high school, Moreno was a 2x 106lb state champion and recorded a 113lb second-place finish. During his time as a state champ, he recorded 72 wins in a row on his way to 160 career match wins.
Trent Wikel - 184lbs - Desert Mountain/Scottsdale, AZ
Trent Wikel's exciting style of wrestling has led him to a state championship in two weight classes and a 49-2 record as a senior. He's experienced places outside of Arizona, but really felt a desire to stay home after a decorated career at Desert Mountain High School.
Kai Argyros - 197lbs - Don Bosco Prep/Hawthorne, NJ
After graduating from Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, Kai Argyros attended Valiant Prep and fell in love with the area and the Sun Devil program. With a phenomenal work ethic in all facets of his life, the coaches are excited to see him develop and add depth to the upper weights.
Aidan Hernandez - 157lbs - Francis Howell Central/Saint Charles, MO
After medaling three times, Aidan Hernandez took Missouri's 165lb state title in his senior year, capping off a 161-13 high school career. A three-sport athlete, Hernandez was looking at continuing his athletic career in wrestling or baseball. He checks all the boxes of what an exemplary Sun Devil will be, and the coaches believe his development will skyrocket once he focuses year-round on wrestling.
Luke Isaak - 174lbs - Shadow Mountain/Phoenix, AZ
Luke Isaak is a local stud, and has shown his drive throughout the summer by wrestling in Fargo and coming into the wrestling room on the first day that he could. If anyone needs some practice or a workout, he's ready to go. Isaak became a state champion at the 190lb weight class in his senior year.
Daniel Miranda - 133lbs - Mountain View/Tucson, AZ
Coaches see a bright future for Daniel Miranda. An Arizona 132lb state champion, he also earned a spot on NHSCA's Academic All American's Team and will be a student in Barrett, the Honors College. He's a worker, and comes in the room every day with a big smile on his face.
Chance McLane - 165lbs - Oklahoma State/Bozeman, MT
Chance McLane is a graduate transfer from Oklahoma State. Coaches needed someone at his weight and found exactly what they were looking for in the transfer portal: A man of character, a great wrestler and teammate, and a desire to be the best in all areas of life. McLane was a 3x Montana state champion and wrestled to a 17-3 record at Oklahoma State last year, including seven falls, three tech falls, and two major decisions.
Gold Bear Gets Elevated: After two seasons in a volunteer coaching position, Eric Thompson was elevated to a full-time staff member on July 1 thanks to the new NCAA rules governing assistant coaching positions. At the time of his promotion, Thompson said:
"Having this opportunity is exciting, and the goal doesn't change. Being elevated shows our university's dedication to wrestling and I'm thankful to all of our administrators for taking our sport and this program so seriously. Coming here to work with Zeke Jones - a legend of the sport - has been eye opening. As I continue down this career path I'm always going to be thankful to be able to learn from one of the greats, and spending time with assistant coaches Lee Pritts and Frank Molinaro has been good as well for both me personally and for my overall career. It's important to be around these kinds of people and I feel lucky and blessed to have them here at Arizona State."
Coaches Staying Busy
Assistant Coach Lee Pritts and recently-elevated Assistant Coach Eric Thompson have been active this summer. Both were on the official coaching staff for several major tournaments, which included:
Coming up…
Julian Chlebove and Cohlton Schultz aren't done with international duty just yet. Schultz and USA Wrestling head to Belgrade, Serbia, September 16-24 for the Senior World Championships. Schultz will battle in the Greco-Roman 130 kg class. Chlebove follows with the U23 World Championships October 23-29. The final location has yet to be decided, but the candidates are Cairo, Egypt; Tirana, Albania, and Skopje, North Macedonia.
First, in case you forgot: ASU finished seventh at the NCAA Championships. The Sun Devils earned four All-Americans in Brandon Courtney, Michael McGee, Kyle Parco and Cohlton Schultz and celebrated Courtney and McGee concluding their collegiate careers. 2022-23 full season recap here.
Stop Sign Season: Freestyle season kicked off with 10 Sun Devils competing at the US Open in Las Vegas. Cohlton Schultz earned his second consecutive Greco-Roman 130 kg title with a 11-0 tech fall over Adam Coon to punch his ticket to Final X. The win gave Schultz his fourth senior Open title. Ten total Sun Devils wrestled at the 2023 US Open, including Zahid Valencia who finished as a runner-up at 86 kg.
Chlebove, Schultz & Valencia Make World Teams: The first two weekends of June were huge for the program. First on the fourth, Julian Chlebove secured his spot (61 kg FS) on the U23 USA World Team, his first ever world team, with a two-match sweep over Ethan Oakley at U23 World Team Trials in Geneva, Ohio. Chlebove's honor topped off a wild seven-match blitz at the tournament. While Chlebove highlighted the tournament for ASU, other notables included Kaleb Larkin reaching the U20 70 kg FS semifinals before being bumped to the consolation bracket where he finished third overall. Cael Valencia, U23 86 kg FS, also reached the semifinals before being bumped. He ultimately finished sixth.
Final X followed, where Cohlton Schultz and Zahid Valencia competed to earn spots on the 2023 US Senior World Team. Valencia, a three-time junior/age-group USA World Team member, was on a mission to finally reach the senior World Team. The two-time NCAA champion defeated Michael Macchiavello (Wolfpack Wrestling Club) 8-0 and 9-2 in the best-of-three series to earn the 92 kg USA Senior World Team spot. Schultz (130 kg Greco Roman) made his third Senior World Team roster with back-to-back 3-0 and 5-1 victories over Adam Coon (Cliff Keen Wrestling Club).
At the top! ?? @z_money_97 pic.twitter.com/0a8je5VyJ8
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) July 14, 2023
Cohltrane is back on the @USAWrestling Senior World Team! ?????? pic.twitter.com/CG9Jdx8VSI
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) June 11, 2023
Gone Campin': The focus June 18-July 2 was strictly on summer camp. Over 300 wrestlers, ages 13-18, from across the country flocked to Tempe for the five camps ASU put on. Coaches Zeke Jones, Lee Pritts, Frank Molinaro and Eric Thompson led sessions, and Sun Devil alumni frequently stopped by to give insight and direction. Featured guests included recent grads and collegiate standouts Brandon Courtney, Michael McGee, Josh Shields, Marlee Smith, and Josh Kramer, along with Sun Devil legends Anthony Robles and Ryan Bader.
Signee Makes Noise at Fargo: In July, incoming freshman Damian Moreno (Somerton, Arizona / Kofa) competed at 106 lbs at the USA Nationals Junior Freestyle Championships in Fargo, North Dakota where he earned two All-American finishes. Moreno finished seventh in freestyle competition and third in Greco-Roman. He teched Erik Egstad (Missouri) 10-0 in his seventh-place match, and teched Isaac Stewart (Montano) 10-1 in his third-place bout.
The New Guys:
Sun Devil Wrestling welcomes 10 new faces to the program this year:
Kaleb Larkin - 149lbs - Valiant Prep/Gilbert, AZ
Kaleb Larkin is regarded by coaches as a phenomenal wrestler, unbelievable student, and an overall amazing person. In 2019, he was a NHSCA runner-up and Greco Nationals fourth-place finisher in Fargo. He earned a sixth-place finish at the '21 Junior World Team Trials Freestyle. Larkin has big goals in life, and will be a second-generation Sun Devil after his father, Eric, was a 4x All-American and the 2003 149lb national champion.
Phil Chobot - 197lbs - South Kitsap/Port Orchard, WA
Phil Chobot earned Washington's 182lb state title in his senior year, and decided to compete in Fargo this summer to reach his full potential. Big, strong, and driven, Chobot comes from a great family that includes the current head coach of Sun Devil Baseball, Willie Bloomquist.
Nicco Ruiz - 165lbs - St. John Bosco/Ontario, CA
Nicco Ruiz is a blue chip recruit and a great student-athlete with no ceiling. He comes from a familiar place for the Sun Devil program, St. John Bosco High School. Coached by the father of Sun Devils' Zahid, Anthony, and Cael Valencia, this was a perfect fit for all parties. Ruiz took state titles in both the 152lb and 160lb weight classes, and earned the honor of Press-Telegram Boys Wrestler of the Year.
Arturo Anaya - 165lbs - Kofa/Somerton, AZ
From Yuma, AZ, Arturo Anaya is coming off two 160lb second-place finishes at state, and will add depth in the middle weights. He follows his fathers' footsteps, as Arturo Anaya Sr. also wrestled for Kofa HS and the Sun Devils with Pepe Moreno, father of fellow recruit Damian Moreno. Anaya enjoys pushing himself on and off the field, as he graduated as valedictorian of his class and will be majoring in electrical engineering and minoring in film and media production.
Damian Moreno - 125lbs - Kofa/Somerton, AZ
Heralded as a talented wrestler and dedicated student, Damian Moreno is coming off of a very impressive summer after becoming a double All-American in Fargo. In high school, Moreno was a 2x 106lb state champion and recorded a 113lb second-place finish. During his time as a state champ, he recorded 72 wins in a row on his way to 160 career match wins.
Trent Wikel - 184lbs - Desert Mountain/Scottsdale, AZ
Trent Wikel's exciting style of wrestling has led him to a state championship in two weight classes and a 49-2 record as a senior. He's experienced places outside of Arizona, but really felt a desire to stay home after a decorated career at Desert Mountain High School.
Kai Argyros - 197lbs - Don Bosco Prep/Hawthorne, NJ
After graduating from Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, Kai Argyros attended Valiant Prep and fell in love with the area and the Sun Devil program. With a phenomenal work ethic in all facets of his life, the coaches are excited to see him develop and add depth to the upper weights.
Aidan Hernandez - 157lbs - Francis Howell Central/Saint Charles, MO
After medaling three times, Aidan Hernandez took Missouri's 165lb state title in his senior year, capping off a 161-13 high school career. A three-sport athlete, Hernandez was looking at continuing his athletic career in wrestling or baseball. He checks all the boxes of what an exemplary Sun Devil will be, and the coaches believe his development will skyrocket once he focuses year-round on wrestling.
Luke Isaak - 174lbs - Shadow Mountain/Phoenix, AZ
Luke Isaak is a local stud, and has shown his drive throughout the summer by wrestling in Fargo and coming into the wrestling room on the first day that he could. If anyone needs some practice or a workout, he's ready to go. Isaak became a state champion at the 190lb weight class in his senior year.
Daniel Miranda - 133lbs - Mountain View/Tucson, AZ
Coaches see a bright future for Daniel Miranda. An Arizona 132lb state champion, he also earned a spot on NHSCA's Academic All American's Team and will be a student in Barrett, the Honors College. He's a worker, and comes in the room every day with a big smile on his face.
Chance McLane - 165lbs - Oklahoma State/Bozeman, MT
Chance McLane is a graduate transfer from Oklahoma State. Coaches needed someone at his weight and found exactly what they were looking for in the transfer portal: A man of character, a great wrestler and teammate, and a desire to be the best in all areas of life. McLane was a 3x Montana state champion and wrestled to a 17-3 record at Oklahoma State last year, including seven falls, three tech falls, and two major decisions.
Cohltrane is back on the @USAWrestling Senior World Team! ?????? pic.twitter.com/CG9Jdx8VSI
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) June 11, 2023
Gold Bear Gets Elevated: After two seasons in a volunteer coaching position, Eric Thompson was elevated to a full-time staff member on July 1 thanks to the new NCAA rules governing assistant coaching positions. At the time of his promotion, Thompson said:
"Having this opportunity is exciting, and the goal doesn't change. Being elevated shows our university's dedication to wrestling and I'm thankful to all of our administrators for taking our sport and this program so seriously. Coming here to work with Zeke Jones - a legend of the sport - has been eye opening. As I continue down this career path I'm always going to be thankful to be able to learn from one of the greats, and spending time with assistant coaches Lee Pritts and Frank Molinaro has been good as well for both me personally and for my overall career. It's important to be around these kinds of people and I feel lucky and blessed to have them here at Arizona State."
Coaches Staying Busy
Assistant Coach Lee Pritts and recently-elevated Assistant Coach Eric Thompson have been active this summer. Both were on the official coaching staff for several major tournaments, which included:
- The Open
- U-20 Trials
- U-23 Trials
- Julian Chlebove earned the 61kg title
- Final X (USA Wrestling world team tournament)
- Colhton Schultz earned the 130kg Greco-Roman spot on the team
- Former Sun Devil Zahid Valencia earned the 92kg Freestyle spot on the team
- Polyak Imre & Varga Janos Memorial in Budapest, Hungary
- Zahid Valencia took gold at 92kg
At the top! ?? @z_money_97 pic.twitter.com/0a8je5VyJ8
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) July 14, 2023
Coming up…
Julian Chlebove and Cohlton Schultz aren't done with international duty just yet. Schultz and USA Wrestling head to Belgrade, Serbia, September 16-24 for the Senior World Championships. Schultz will battle in the Greco-Roman 130 kg class. Chlebove follows with the U23 World Championships October 23-29. The final location has yet to be decided, but the candidates are Cairo, Egypt; Tirana, Albania, and Skopje, North Macedonia.