PHILADELPHIA – The sun has finally set on Cohlton Schultz's collegiate career, but not before he further cemented himself in team history in his final hours as a Sun Devil.
Schultz became the first five-time All-American in Sun Devil Wrestling history on Friday evening thanks to a 15-5 major decision win against No. 14 Gavin Hoffman (Lock Haven). Schultz went on to beat No. 5 Ben Kueter (Iowa) later that evening and advanced to the third-place match on Saturday following No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet's (Penn State) medical forfeit. In the battle for third, Schultz used a late two-point reversal to down No. 7 Isaac Trumble (NC State), clinching the third top-four finish at NCAAs in his career.
In a program full of legends, accolades and rich history, Schultz stands in a league of his own.
His All-American honors also extended head coach Zeke Jones' streak of having at least one All-American or more in each season since 2017.
Schultz was joined by 125-pounder Richard Figueroa and 165-pounder Nicco Ruiz at the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
Sun Devil results by individual
125 | No. 5 Richard Figueroa (1-2)
Championship R1: No. 5 Richard Figueroa over No. 28 Koda Holeman (Cal Poly) by Dec 12-7
Championship R2: No. 12 Dean Peterson (Rutgers) over No. 5 Richard Figueroa by fall (5:42)
Cons. R2: No. 22 Trever Anderson (Northern Iowa) over No. 5 Richard Figueroa by MD 17-8
165 | No. 15 Nicco Ruiz (1-2)
Championship R1: No. 18 Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) over No. 15 Nicco Ruiz by Dec 7-6
Cons. R1: No. 15 Nicco Ruiz over No. 31 Cody Goebel (Wisconsin) by MD 16-3
Cons. R2: No. 16 Kyle Mosher (Hofstra) over No. 15 Nicco Ruiz by fall (3:50)
HWT | No. 9 Cohlton Schultz (3rd place/6-1)
Championship R1: No. 9 Cohlton Schultz over No. 24 Nolan Neves (North Carolina) by MD 8-0
Championship R2: No. 9 Cohlton Schultz over No. 8 Luke Luffman (Illinois) by Dec 7-0
Quarterfinal: No. 1 Gable Steveson (Minnesota) over No. 9 Cohlton Schultz by TF (20-5/6:23)
Cons. R4: No. 9 Cohlton Schultz over No. 14 Gavin Hoffman (Lock Haven) by MD 15-5
Cons. R5: No. 9 Cohlton Schultz over No. 5 Ben Kueter (Iowa) by MD 10-2
Cons. Semifinal: No. 9 Cohlton Schultz over No. 3 Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) by MFFL
Third-place: No. 9 Cohlton Schultz over No. 7 Isaac Trumble (NC State) by Dec 5-3
Defending champion Richard Figueroa, the No. 5 seed in this year's 125-pound pool, was denied a quest for a second title. He was eliminated from the championship bracket following a loss to No. 12 Dean Peterson (Rutgers) on Thursday evening.
Nicco Ruiz, making his first appearance at the NCAA Championships, was bounced from the tournament after a loss to Hofstra's No. 16 Kyle Mosher on Friday. The redshirt freshman Ruiz notched his first career win at the national tournament Thursday evening, majoring No. 31 Cody Goebel (Wisconsin), 16-3. A midseason injury halted the momentum of Ruiz, who is slated to enter next season as one of the country's top 165-pounders.
Cohlton Schultz's career finishes at NCAAs
2nd (2022), 3rd (2025), 4th (2021), 6th (2024), 7th (2023)
Team scores
1) Penn State, 177
2) Nebraska, 117
3) Oklahoma State, 102.5
4) Iowa, 81
t5) Minnesota, 51.5
t5) Ohio State, 51.5
...
t18) Arizona State, 21
t18) Stanford, 21
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 Devils in the postseason under head coach Zeke Jones
Year | Conference | NCAAs
2024-25 | 11th | t-18th
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
Individual national champions under Coach Jones
Zahid Valencia, 174 (2018)
Zahid Valencia, 174 (2019)
Richard Figueroa, 125 (2024)
National runner-up under Coach Jones
Brandon Courtney, 125 (2021)
Cohlton Schultz, HWT (2022)
Jacori Teemer, 157 (2024)
All-Americans under Coach Jones (by year, weight, place)
Blake Stauffer, 2015 (184/4th)
Zahid Valencia, 2017 (174/3rd)
Tanner Hall, 2017 (HWT/3rd)
Zahid Valencia, 2018 (174/1st)
Josh Shields, 2018 (157/7th)
Jason Tsirtsis, 2018 (149/7th)
Zahid Valencia, 2019 (174/1st)
Josh Shields, 2019 (165/6th)
Christian Pagdilao, 2019 (157/7th)
Josh Shields, 2020* (165/First-Team)
Anthony Valencia, 2020* (174/First-Team)
Tanner Hall, 2020* (HWT/First-Team)
Brandon Courtney, 2020* (Second-Team)
Jacori Teemer, 2020* (Second-Team)
Kordell Norfleet, 2020* (Second-Team)
Brandon Courtney, 2021 (125/2nd)
Michael McGee, 2021 (133/6th)
Jacori Teemer, 2021 (157/4th)
Cohlton Schultz, 2021 (HWT/4th)
Anthony Valencia, 2021 (165/8th)
Brandon Courtney, 2022 (125/6th)
Michael McGee, 2022 (133/6th)
Kyle Parco, 2022 (149/8th)
Jacori Teemer, 2022 (157/6th)
Cohlton Schultz, 2022 (HWT/2nd)
Brandon Courtney, 2023 (125/3rd)
Michael McGee, 2023 (133/3rd)
Kyle Parco, 2023 (149/5th)
Cohlton Schultz, 2023 (HWT/7th)
Richard Figueroa, 2024 (125/1st)
Kyle Parco, 2024 (149/5th)
Jacori Teemer, 2024 (157/2nd)
Cohlton Schultz, 2024 (HWT/6th)
Cohlton Schultz, 2025 (HWT/3rd)
Thank you, Sun Devil fans!
The Sun Devils' first season in the Big 12 Conference provided great moments and new rivalries. Thank you, Sun Devil fans, for your constant support throughout the 2024-25 season!