TEMPE, Ariz. – No. 11 Sun Devil Wrestling is set for a busy week to open the 2024 calendar year, as they'll host No. 9 Iowa State on Friday, Jan. 5 (Hamilton High School/6 p.m. AZT) before visiting CSU Bakersfield on Sunday, Jan. 7 (3 p.m. AZT).
Follow along during the ASU-Iowa State showdown via the ASU Live Stream. Both duals this week can be followed through live stats provided by TrackWrestling.
Headlined by a top-five matchup in the heavyweight and a top-10 matchup in the 149, the Sun Devils and Cyclones are sure to put on a show, with anticipated projections such as:
125 | (11) Richard Figueroa vs. (23) Kysen Terukina
133 | (23) Julian Chlebove vs. (7) Evan Frost
149 | (4) Kyle Parco vs. (7) Casey Swiderski*
157 | (4) Jacori Teemer vs. (20) Cody Chittum
184 | (29) Tony Negron vs. (9) Will Feldkamp
285 | (5) Cohlton Schultz vs. (3) Yonger Bastida
(Rankings courtesy of Jan. 3 InterMat polls.)
*Bold denotes rematch from previously in the season, when the Sun Devils met the Cyclones at the December Cliff Keen Invitational and Parco beat Swiderski in a narrow 4-2 decision.
HOMECOMING CYCLONES
Fans may recognize a few Cyclones who will return to their home states on Friday evening. Both Anthony Echemendia (141) and Nando Villaescusa (197) wrestled at Sunnyside High School in Tucson, and the former was a state champion and posted a 52-0 career record.
Aside from the hometown kids, the Sun Devils will be tasked with containing David Carr (165), the 2021 NCAA champion and four-time NCAA qualifier. Carr's resume also includes the two-time Iowa State Male Athlete of the Year, a four-time All-American and a four-time Big 12 Champion.
CSU Bakersfield, recently removed from competing at the Reno Tournament of Champions in December, are 0-2 this season, dropping duals against Wyoming and Oregon State.
Dating back to their first meeting in 1974, the Sun Devils own a 30-11-1 record against Bakersfield, having last met in 2023. In last season's dual, the Sun Devils breezed past the Roadrunners, 42-0.
WORLD TRAVELER RETURNS
All-American Cohlton Schultz is set to make his 2023-24 season debut when he suits up on Friday against the Cyclone. Every Sun Devil fan will be excited to see him step onto the mat at Hamilton High against (3) Younger Bastida. Despite his absence from the Sun Devil lineup, he has been more than active over the last few months, collecting wins across the world that include a Greco-Roman Senior Nationals Championship and a silver medal at the Pan-Am Games in Santiago, Chile.
Now back into folkstyle, Schultz will have an opportunity to improve upon his No. 5 ranking in what is expected to be a tremendous heavyweight showdown.
LEADING THE CHARGE
A three-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year and 1988 Sun Devil national champion, head coach Zeke Jones was hired to lead his alma mater in April 2014 and immediately turned the program into a national powerhouse while continuing the Sun Devils' tradition of success in the conference.
Jones is directly responsible for bringing five Pac-12 Championships to Tempe since his arrival - bringing ASU's total conference title count to 23. He developed a two-time national champion in Zahid Valencia, a 125 national runner-up in Brandon Courtney (2021) and in 2022, led heavyweight Cohlton Schultz to national runner-up honors. ASU has celebrated 29 All-America honors since Jones' hiring.
Jones is directly responsible for 32 individual Pac-12 titles, five NCAA top-10 finishes, four Pac-12 Most Outstanding Wrestlers, six Pac-12 Wrestlers of the Year, and three Pac-12 Freshmen/Newcomers of the year.
DEVIL DOMINANCE
As injuries in the early going have forced Jones to tweak his lineup a bit, a number of Sun Devils have stepped up in a big way to weather the storm, as Chlebove, Parco, Teemer and Negron have combined to go 41-13 thus far in the season. The return of Schultz this Friday will only raise the ceiling of this Sun Devil squad.
- 133 | Julian Chlebove (11-4)
- 149 | Kyle Parco (11-2)
- 157 | Jacori Teemer (10-2)
- 184 | Tony Negron (9-5)
JACORI'S STORY
Watch All-American Jacori Teemer as he joined Tim Healey, the Voice of the Sun Devils, on The Anderson Healey Show in October 2023 to detail his return from an injury that sidelined him for the entirety of the 2022-23 season, his goals for his senior season and much more.
READ IT AGAIN
In the Sun Devils' last time out, Jacori Teemer was the story at the 59th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill. Listed as the top-seed in the 157 bracket, Teemer cruised to a perfect 6-0 showing to win the title at NOW Arena. He toppled (3) Trevor Chumbley (Northwestern) by an 11-6 decision in the championship round.
Top-Seeded Teemer Wins Title at Midlands Championships
FOLLOW ALONG
Keep up with the Sun Devils in what is sure to be another thrilling season under head coach Zeke Jones via @ASUWrestling and @sundevilwrestling1962.