Eight Ready to Represent Sun Devils at NCAA Wrestling Championships
TEMPE, Ariz. – Just one weekend remains in the 2023-24 Sun Devil Wrestling season.
Eight individuals have qualified to represent the Maroon & Gold on the sport’s biggest stage at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri from March 21-23.
The Sun Devils have netted a top-seven finish in their past three trips to the national tournament, and they’re in prime position to continue that streak this weekend in Kansas City.
Brackets | NCAA Championship Tournament Central | Sun Devil National Champions | KC-You There! Eight Sun Devils to Compete at NCAA Wrestling Championships
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDINGS/FIRST-ROUND SCHEDULE
125 | #8 Richard Figueroa (ASU) vs. Ethan Berginc (Army)
133 | #24 Julian Chlebove (ASU) vs. Dominic Serrano (Northern Colorado)
141 | #14 Jesse Vasquez (ASU) vs. Malyke Hines (Lehigh)
149 | #2 Kyle Parco (ASU) vs. Finn Solomon (Pittsburgh)
157 | #2 Jacori Teemer (ASU) vs. Matty Bianchi (Little Rock)
174 | #33 Cael Valencia (ASU) vs. Brody Baumann (Purdue)
184 | #31 Tony Negron (ASU) vs. Isaiah Salazar (Minnesota)
HWT | #4 Cohlton Schultz (ASU) vs. Nash Hutmacher (Nebraska)
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE
Thursday, March 21 | Session 1 (9 a.m. AZT) / Session 2 (4 p.m. AZT)
Friday, March 22 | Session 3 (9 a.m. AZT) / Session 4 (5 p.m. AZT)
Saturday, March 23 | Session 5 (8 a.m. AZT) / Session 6 (4 p.m. AZT)
All sessions will be available to stream via ESPN+. Live stats can be followed through TrackWrestling.
CURRENT SUN DEVILS WITH ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
In Sun Devil team history, there’s been 14 three-time All-Americans and just five four-time AAs. Parco, Schultz and Teemer have a chance to further cement their legacies this weekend by joining the team’s four-time All-American club.
Kyle Parco (149)
4th/2023
8th/2022
6th/2021 at Fresno State
Cohlton Schultz (HWT)
7th/2023
2nd/2022
4th/2021
Jacori Teemer (157)
6th/2022
4th/2021
2nd/2020*
*2020 NCAA Championships canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic. NWCA chose 1st team & 2nd team All-Americans.
SUN DEVIL WRESTLING INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS (12 TITLES WON BY NINE INDIVIDUALS)
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, 2021
5 | 1979, 1985, 1989, 1993, 2021, 2022
4 | 1980, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 2006, 2023
RECAPPING THE PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Titles won: Richard Figueroa (125), Jesse Vasquez (141), Kyle Parco (149), Jacori Teemer (157) and Cohlton Schultz (HWT)
Top-three: Julian Chlebove (2nd/133), Cael Valencia (3rd/174) and Tony Negron (2nd/184)
Team standings: Arizona State (137.5), Little Rock (114.5), Oregon State (109), Stanford (101.5), Cal Poly (96.5), CSU Bakersfield (38)
One for the road ?? pic.twitter.com/XsHTZFWYRU
— Sun Devil Wrestling (@ASUWrestling) March 11, 2024
SUN DEVILS IN THE POSTSEASON UNDER HEAD COACH ZEKE JONES
Year | Pac-12s | NCAAs
2023-24 | 1st | TBD
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
TOP-FIVE NATIONAL FINISHES IN SUN DEVIL TEAM HISTORY
1st | 1988
2nd | 1989, 1990
3rd | None
4th | 1993, 1995, 2021, 2022
5th | 1980, 2003
Outstanding work by @ASUWrestling. Wishing them the best of luck in Kansas City at next week’s @NCAA Wrestling Championships. #GoDevils! https://t.co/GRsihRMmgC
— Michael Crow (@michaelcrow) March 15, 2024
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.
THANK YOU, ART MARTORI!
The Sun Devils paid tribute to a wrestling icon in late February at Mullett Arena prior to the Nebraska dual, celebrating the accomplishments and legacy of Art Martori, who’s closing the doors of his legendary Sunkist Wrestling Club this year.
Martori was honored with a pre-match ceremony with friends, family and nearly two dozen Olympic medalists he’s shaped throughout this storied career. He was also celebrated during intermission of the dual.
The ASU alum was touched by the outpouring of support he and his family felt throughout the event.
“You don’t go off doing this for that, for people who pat you on your back. When you get this kind of support and people coming back and saying thank you, it’s overwhelming. It’s not expected. We did change lives and for people to say that to your face and give you a hug, it means a lot. In my time here with ASU with all the fellows I wrestled with, we were brothers. To be able to come back to wrestling and then people come back and tell you how you helped us, you can’t measure that.”
FOLLOW ALONG
Keep up with the Sun Devils throughout the championship weekend via @ASUWrestling and @sundevilwrestling1962.
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).
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