KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Richard Figueroa has conquered KC!
The No. 8 seed Figueroa defeated No. 3 Drake Ayala (Iowa) by a 7-2 decision on Saturday evening at the T-Mobile Center, winning the school's first individual national championship in five years and the 13th title in team history.
The 125-pounder Figueroa couldn't be stopped all weekend, rattling off five wins from Thursday-Sunday to reach the top of the podium. When it was all said and done, Figueroa made his way past No. 25 Ethan Berginc (Army), No. 9 Patrick McKee (Minnesota), No. 1 Braeden Davis (Penn State), No. 12 Anthony Noto and No. 3 Drake Ayala (Iowa).
Three top-10 seeds, two top-three seeds and one national title for Richard Figueroa.
Jacori Teemer fought hard against the top-ranked Levi Hines (Penn State), but Haines was triumphant in a 5-0 decision. It capped a truly remarkable season for Teemer, who was forced to miss the entirety of last year with an injury. In his return this season, he went 25-4 and reached All-American status for the fourth time in his career. One of eight Sun Devils to earn 4x AA honors -- alongside teammates Kyle Parco and Cohlton Schultz -- Teemer further cemented his status as one of the best to ever come through the program.
Led by Figueroa, four Sun Devils placed within the top-six this week in KC. Earlier on Saturday, in the consolation rounds, Parco beat top-seeded Ridge Lovett of Nebraska to place fifth overall for the second-highest finish of his storied collegiate career.
Schultz rounded out the top-six in the 285-pound bracket, following defeats Saturday morning to Nick Feldman (Ohio State) and Zach Elam (Missouri).
FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
125 | #8 Richard Figueroa (ASU) def. #3 Drake Ayala (Iowa) (Dec 7-2)
157 | #1 Levi Haines (Penn State) def. #2 Jacori Teemer (ASU) (5-0)
HE'S DONE IT!
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) March 23, 2024
RICHIE FIGUEROA CONQUERS KC!
HE BEAYS AYALA BY A 7-2 DECISION!!! pic.twitter.com/ZYprROCZhx
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1) Penn State, 172.5
2) Cornell, 72.5
3) Michigan, 71
4) Iowa State, 68.5
5) Iowa, 67
6) Arizona State, 64.5
FINAL INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
125 | Richard Figueroa (5-0/1st place/1x All-American)
133 | Julian Chlebove (1-2)
141 | Jesse Vasquez (2-2)
149 | Kyle Parco (4-2/5th place/4x All-American)
157 | Jacori Teemer (4-1/2ndplace/4x All-American)
174 | Cael Valencia (1-2)
184 | Tony Negron (0-2/)
HWT | Cohlton Schultz (3-3/6th place/4x All-American)
SUN DEVIL WRESTLING INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS (13 TITLES WON BY 10 INDIVIDUALS)
Richard Figueroa, 125 (2024)
Zahid Valencia, 174 (2019)
Zahid Valencia, 174 (2018)
Anthony Robles, 125 (2011)
Bubba Jenkins, 157 (2011)
Eric Larkin, 149 (2003)
Markus Mollica, 167 (1995)
Markus Mollica, 158 (1993)
Ray Miller, 167 (1993)
Dan St. John, 167 (1990)
Dan St. John, 158 (1989)
Eddie Urbano, 150 (1985)
Curley Culp, HWT (1967)
SUN DEVIL WRESTLING TEAM NATIONAL CHAMPIONS (1)
1988
MOST SINGLE-SEASON ALL-AMERICANS IN SUN DEVIL TEAM HISTORY
8 | 1990
7 | 1988
5 | 1979, 1985, 1989, 1993, 2021, 2022
4 | 1980, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2006, 2023, 2024 (Figueroa/Parco/Teemer/Schultz)
SUN DEVILS IN THE POSTSEASON UNDER HEAD COACH ZEKE JONES
Year | Pac-12s | NCAAs
2023-24 | 1st | 6th
2022-23 | 4th | 7th
2021-22 | 1st | 4th
2020-21 | 1st | 4th
2019-20 | 1st | N/A (Ranked #4 in last poll)
2018-19 | 2nd | 12th
2017-18 | 1st | 10th
2016-17 | 1st | 14th
2015-16 | 2nd | 33rd
2014-15 | 2nd | 29th
2024 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships – Arizona State Results
125
#8 Richard Figueroa placed 1st and scored 22 team points
Champ. Round 1 - Richard Figueroa (ASU) won by major decision over Ethan Berginc (Army) (MD 13-2)
Champ. Round 2 - Richard Figueroa (ASU) won by major decision over Patrick McKee (Minnesota) (MD 16-7)
Quarterfinal - Richard Figueroa (Arizona State) won by decision over Braeden Davis (Penn State) (Dec 3-2)
Semifinal - Richard Figueroa (Arizona State) won by decision over Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) (Dec 4-3)
1st Place Match - Richard Figueroa (Arizona State) won by decision over Drake Ayala (Iowa) (Dec 7-2)
133
#24 Julian Chlebove placed Unknown and scored 1 team point
Champ. Round 1 - Julian Chlebove (ASU) won by decision over Dominick Serrano (Northern Colorado) (Dec 4-1)
Champ. Round 2 - Evan Frost (Iowa State) won by decision over Julian Chlebove (Arizona State) (Dec 4-1)
Cons. Round 2 - Aaron Nagao (Penn State) won by decision over Julian Chlebove (Arizona State) (Dec 5-1)
141
#14 Jesse Vasquez placed Unknown and scored 3.5 team points
Champ. Round 1 - Jesse Vasquez (Arizona State) won by decision over Malyke Hines (Lehigh) (Dec 5-2)
Champ. Round 2 - Real Woods (Iowa) won by major decision over Jesse Vasquez (Arizona State) (MD 8-0)
Cons. Round 2 - Jesse Vasquez (Arizona State) won by fall over Jordan Titus (West Virginia) (Fall 6:26)
Cons. Round 3 - Josh Koderhandt (Navy) 25-8 won by decision over Jesse Vasquez (Arizona State) 11-4 (Dec 9-5)
149
#2 Kyle Parco placed 5th and scored 11 team points
Champ. Round 1- Kyle Parco (Arizona State) won by decision over Finn Solomon (Pittsburgh) (Dec 5-4)
Champ. Round 2 - Kyle Parco (Arizona State) won by decision over Cody Bond (Appalachian State) (Dec 4-2)
Quarterfinal - Kyle Parco (Arizona State) won by decision over Chance Lamer (Cal Poly) (MD 14-4)
Semifinal - Austin Gomez (Michigan) 13-2 won by decision over Kyle Parco (Arizona State) 24-4 (Dec 11-7)
Cons. Semi - Ty Watters (West Virginia) won by fall over Kyle Parco (Arizona State) (Fall 6:48)
5th Place Match - Kyle Parco (Arizona State) won by decision over Ridge Lovett (Nebraska) (Dec 3-1)
157
#2 Jacori Teemer placed 2nd and scored 17 team points
Champ. Round 1 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) won by decision over Matty Bianchi (Little Rock) (Dec 7-3)
Champ. Round 2 - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) won in sudden victory - 1 over Cael Swensen (South Dakota State) (SV-1 4-1)
Quarterfinal - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) won by decision over Jared Franek (Iowa (Dec 5-2)
Semifinal - Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) won by major decision over Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) (MD 12-2)
1st Place Match - Levi Haines (Penn State) won by decision over Jacori Teemer (Arizona State) (Dec 5-0)
174
#33 Cael Valencia placed Unknown and scored 1 team point
Prelim - Cael Valencia (Arizona State) won by decision over Brody Baumann (Purdue) (Dec 5-0)
Champ. Round 1 - Mekhi Lewis (Virginia Tech) won by major decision over Cael Valencia (Arizona State) (MD 14-3)
Cons. Round 1 - Max Maylor (Wisconsin) won by decision over Cael Valencia (Arizona State) (Dec 14-9)
184
#31 Tony Negron placed unknown and scored 0 team points
Champ. Round 1 - Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota) won by decision over Tony Negron (Arizona State) (Dec 2-1)
Cons. Round 1 - Reece Heller (Pittsburgh) 21-7 won by fall over Tony Negron (Arizona State) 13-11 (Fall 5:00)
HWT
#4 Cohlton Schultz placed 6th and scored 9 team points
Champ. Round 1 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) won by decision over Nash Hutmacher (Nebraska) (Dec 10-3)
Champ. Round 2 - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) won by decision over Yaraslau Slavikouski (Rutgers) (Dec 3-1)
Quarterfinal - Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) won in sudden victory - 1 over Nathan Taylor (Lehigh) (SV-1 4-1)
Semifinal - Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) won by decision over Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) (Dec 8-1)
Cons. Semi - Zach Elam (Missouri) won by decision over Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) (Dec 1-0)
5th Place Match - Nick Feldman (Ohio State) won by decision over Cohlton Schultz (Arizona State) (Dec 11-4)
NOTABLES
- Richard Figueroa won the school's first individual national championship since 2019 (Zahid Valencia). He becomes the 10th individual Sun Devil to win a national title.
- This marked the fourth consecutive NCAA Championships that the Sun Devils have had at least four All-Americans, thanks to the efforts of Richard Figueroa, Kyle Parco, Jacori Teemer and Cohlton Schultz.
- Parco, Teemer and Schultz became the eighth Sun Devils in school history to earn four-time All-American honors, joining legends Shawn Charles, Brandon Courtney, Eric Larkin, Ray Miller and Markus Mollica.
- The last time ASU had multiple finalists at the NCAA Championships was 2011, when 125-pounder Anthony Robles and 157-pounder Bubba Jenkins each won a title. It's the last time in school history the Sun Devils have had multiple title winners in the same season, too.
- "I got my mojo back": Fresh off of two top-five wins against Lehigh and Nebraska back in February, Richard Figueroa told local media his mojo was back and he felt he was finally firing on all cylinders. A man of his word, Figueroa has since rattled off 10 wins, five of which have come this weekend on the biggest stage in the sport. His latest was his biggest.
- With his win on Friday evening, Jacori Teemer rattled off 15 consecutive victories entering championship Saturday, four of which have come right here at the T-Mobile Center.
- Cohlton Schultz dropped consecutive matches for the first time in his storied Sun Devil career, falling to both No. 1 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) and No. 6 Zach Elam (Missouri) this weekend in KC. (In Dec. 2022, Schultz was tagged with three consecutive losses at the Cliff Keen Invitational due to medically forfeiting two matches. Thus, as a Sun Devil, he had previously never lost consecutive matches he competed in.)
- Got his number: Parco defeated Nebraska's Ridge Lovett, the top-ranked wrestler in the 149-pound bracket, for the second time this season. He got him back in mid-February in Tempe and again in the fifth-place match on Saturday morning. A fifth-place national finish is the second-best in Parco's college career (4th, 5th, 6th, 8th).
READ IT AGAIN
It's been a weekend to remember in Kansas City. Catch up on everything that's been written from the T-Mobile Center:
Figueroa, Teemer to Compete for NCAA Championship Title on Final Day in KC (March 23, 2024)
4-For-4! Four Sun Devils Earn All-American Status, Punch Tickets to NCAA Championship Semifinal (March 23, 2024)
Four Sun Devils Reach Quarterfinals at NCAA Championships (March 23, 2024)
Eight Ready to Represent Sun Devils at NCAA Wrestling Championships (March 20, 2024)
AT A GLANCE
The Arizona State wrestling team is one of the most decorated programs in the west as the Sun Devils have captured 24 conference titles in their over 50-year history, including 22 Pac-10/12 and two Western Athletic Conference crowns.
Since joining the Pac-10/12 Conference in time for the 1978-79 season, the Sun Devils have been one of the most dominant member institutions, claiming half of the titles. The only West-coast school to have won the NCAA Championships, the Sun Devils have accumulated over 120 individual Pac-10/12 titles and 28 WAC crowns (Over 140 total titles in program history).
THANK YOU, SUN DEVIL NATION!
That's all for the 2023-24 season, a year filled with new accomplishments, program-bests and an individual national title. Through it all, we heard your support and felt your presence.
See you next season!