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Sun Devil Wrestling Welcomes 14 Newcomers for 2025-26 Season

Sun Devil Wrestling Welcomes 14 Newcomers for 2025-26 SeasonSun Devil Wrestling Welcomes 14 Newcomers for 2025-26 Season

From left to right: David Szuba and Kyler Larkin

TEMPE – After the team's first season competing in the Big 12 Conference, Sun Devil Head Coach Zeke Jones announced the 14 newcomers joining the program in the 2025-26 season.

Hear from Head Coach Zeke Jones
"This is the largest class ever signed in Arizona State Wrestling history.  Collectively, there are more high school state championships, national championships, USA world team members, and international success in this class than ever before. We've signed over 10 wrestlers and intend to sign a few more before the start of the fall,” said Zeke Jones.

“Because of President Crow and Graham Rossini's commitment to Sun Devil Wrestling we've been able to assemble the largest wrestling class in ASU Wrestling history. This will allow us to hit the reset button quickly.  We'll increase our success right away. We are excited about where we're headed."

At a glance

Benji Alanis, Tucson, Arizona
The Arizona native has won 27 times in his collegiate career in the 149 weight class at Northern Colorado and earned a first-round win in the Big 12 Championship in March. Alanis has won at least ten matches in the last two seasons as part of the Bears.

In his sophomore season, he started the year off 4-0 and won five of his first six matches of his 2023 campaign. The Arizona native was ranked No. 4 nationally in high school at 138 pounds and was named a two-time FloNationals All-American and a two-time NHSCA All-American. 

Gavin Bauder, Clovis, California
The Clovis, California, native had a sensational freshman season at the junior college level at Clackamas Community College. Bauder became a NJCAA national champion in the 133-pound weight class which helped Clackamas place second at the NJCAA national championships as a team with 141.5 points. He garnered freshman of the year honors in addition to his extraordinary season.

In high school, the California native finished in the top three in three of his four years competing at NHSCA (High School Nationals). 

Gabe Delgado, Henderson, Nevada
A three-time state champion from Henderson, Nevada comes to Tempe carrying a highly successful high school career. He was a two-time Fargo All-American and a doc B finalist in the 160-pound weight class. Additionally, Delgado was a U.S. Open All-American and looks forward to developing his skills under head coach Zeke Jones while at Arizona State.

Jamar Dixon Jr., Franklin, New Jersey
The incoming freshman from Franklin, New Jersey, had a 38-4 record at Delsea Regional High School, winning 90 percent of his matches in his senior season. Dixon was a state runner-up at the state championships and was ranked No. 5 at 150 pounds during his final year in high school. Dixon reached the podium all four years he wrestled in high school, with a fifth-place showing at 132 pounds in 2022 and a seventh-place finish at 144 pounds in 2023.

Jabari Hinson, Ames, Iowa
Coming from Iowa and having 168 career wins at Ames High School. Hinson is a two-time state finalist and has placed three times at the Iowa State Championships. The Ames native has been ranked as high as No. 11 nationally in his career and won titles at the Iowa/USA State Freestyle Championships. As a sophomore he was runner-up in the 126-pound weight class at the state championships.

His father Dwight Hinson was a four-time NCAA All-American and a three-time Big 8/12 Conference Champion at Iowa State.

Israel Ibarra, Eloy, Arizona
The Arizona native finished his high school career atop the podium by winning the 175 weight class at the AIA state championships last March and helping his team become Division-IV AIA state champions. He went unbeaten in his final season wrestling for Santa Cruz High School and Ibarra was one of eight wrestlers to win the sectional title, becoming team champions. The Arizona native is a two-time Fargo All-American.

Kyler Larkin, Gilbert, Arizona
The Larkin-to-Tempe pipeline rolls on. Son of Eric Larkin, four-time All-American, national champion and Hodge Trophy Award winner, and brother of rising sophomore Kaleb, Kyler Larkin brings world experience and savviness to the Sun Devil Wrestling room as a prized recruit.

Considered one of the top 132-pounders in the 2024 class, Larkin is a 2023 Fargo champion and won the college division at last fall's Reno Tournament of Champions at 133 pounds. He was listed as the No. 17 recruit in the class, and his family-wide connections to Tempe helped the Arizona native stay home. He's represented Team USA on the national stage as a world cadet team member and a 2025 U20 US Open Champion. In a few weeks, he will wrestle at the U20 Pan American Games.

Jude Randall, Edmond, Oklahoma
A transfer from Oklahoma, he spent his first season in Norman with a 9-3 record and compiled two pins and a tech fall while wrestling at 157 pounds. Spending his first season as a redshirt he went 3-1 for a second-place finish at the Viking Open and went 5-1 at the Bob Smith Open for fourth place. 

From Edmond North High School he was a two-time OSSAA state place winner and the 2024 6A 175-pound runner-up. He helped his team set a new championship tournament record with 260.5 points to win the Class 6A title. Randall is a 2024 Fargo Junior Greco-Roman All-American and national champion at 157 pounds and the 2023 USA Wrestling Southern Plains Region champion. He's a U20 Greco national champion and will represent team USA at the U20 Pan American games in Peru this month.

Ben Szuba, Brick, New Jersey
The younger brother of David Szuba, the New Jersey native, wrestled at the 285 lb weight class at Brick National High School, compiling a 39-9 record and placing sixth at the state championships. A multi-sport athlete, Szuba also played football at Brick National totaling 80 tackles and two forced fumbles in his two seasons. His older brother David, also committed to Arizona State after wrestling at Rider University.

David Szuba, Brick, New Jersey
Coming from Rider University the heavyweight has compiled a 68-37 record and qualified for the NCAA championships in his junior season, netting a win in the opening round in 2024. As a senior, he went 12-1 and won the MAC title as a heavyweight in his junior year.

In his first two seasons at Rider, he finished in the top 5 at the MAC Championships and was named an NWCA Scholar-Athlete and a MAC Scholar-Athlete his sophomore season. While attending Brick National, he was a four-time state qualifier and a state champion in 2021 in the 285 weight class.

Leo Tukhlynovych, Shakopee, Minnesota
Coming in from Rochester (MN) Community and Technical College and being a third-team All-American at the NJCAA level. Tukhlynovych helped the Yellowjackets to a NJCAA D-III national title with a third-place finish in the 174 weight class for the second straight season. The sophomore won seven consecutive matches to earn All-American honors. As a freshman, he earned third-team All-American honors in the 165 lb weight category. 

Ane'e Vigil, Brighton, Colorado
A two-time NJCAA 125-pound national champion from Clackamas Community College will join the Sun Devils this upcoming season following a successful junior college tenure. He's a back-to-back first-team NJCAA All-American and earned freshman of the year honors in 2024. While wrestling at Prairie View High School, where he was a three-time 5A state champion. 

Mel Whitehead, Henderson, Nevada
The four-time Nevada state champion in the 215 weight class at Liberty High School brings his stacked resume to Tempe. Whitehead is a three-time Fargo All-American and became the second wrestler to win four state titles in class 5A. He's a 9-time high school All-American and a U17 92 kg All-American wrestler.

Currently ranked No. 9 in the country at 215 pounds, he's a two-time NHSCA All-American. He also excels in the classroom with a 4.0 GPA and plans to major in biomedical science.

Aiden Ysaguirre, Eloy, Arizona
Joining his older brother Emilio Ysaguirre the Eloy, Arizona native is the No. 99 recruit in FloWrestling's class of 2025 and went undefeated two years in high school, becoming an AIA Division-IV state champion in the 215 weight class. Ysaguirre is also a two-time junior Fargo All-American and an NHSCA All-American and will look to make an impact right away for the Sun Devils. He's one of three newcomers to stay in-state.

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