(Photo By: Sun Devil Athletics)
Tempe – What better way to collect your program’s 600th victory than to dominate your local foes in front of the home crowd? That was Arizona State Wrestling’s preferred way to celebrate Friday evening at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe.
Friday Night’s victories lifted ASU’s program to its 600th program victory; a special moment for the Devils in front of a home crowd that made its presence felt throughout the evening. Chants of “Go Devils” rained down from high atop the Desert Financial stands, further fueling the Devil’s dominance.
“It’s just great, and I always feel all the love from everybody,” junior Oregon State transfer Austin Scott said. Scott, who is from Tuscon, had family and friends in attendance to watch him make his home debut.
Despite 2023 NCAA 125-pound champion Richard Figueroa and other notables not competing (Julian Chlebove, No. 19 in 133-pound class; and Azizbek Fayzullaev, No. 32 in 184-pound class), ASU dominated its tri-meet against the Embry-Riddle Eagles and the Arizona Christian Firestorm winning 48-5 and 43-3. ASU’s dominance was expected from the nation’s newly ranked No. 11 team versus two NAIA opponents.
The Sun Devils collected six pins as a team, including 141-pounder Emilio Ysaguirre, the No. 15 149-pounder Jesse Vasquez, and the No. 5 heavyweight Cohlton Shultz. The highlight pin came from 133-pounder Carter Dibert, who pinned ACU’s Sean Archuleta in just 53 seconds. Quickness was the theme of the night, and ASU made quick work of both ACU and Embry-Riddle defeating the two in under two hours.
Early, the Sun Devils looked to remain perfect across the board, until ACU’s heavyweight Kaiden Cisneros defeated Phil Chobot by decision after a long neutral position match. Then, Embry-Riddle’s 125-pounder Landon Smith took down Max Brooster in ASU’s only major decision loss. However, ASU would quickly respond with Dibert’s signature pin.
Another notable performance came from star and the No. 15 ranked 165-pounder Nicco Ruiz, who got the special night started with a major decision victory over the Eagle’s Will Prater by a score of 19-4. Ruiz is expected to remain a key figure in the Sun Devil’s starting lineup.
What appeared to be a normal match turned into quite the uphill battle for 125-pounder Damian Moreno who was forced into injury time due to a head laceration. Assistant Athletic Trainer Jess Battilochi made quick work of Moreno and bandaged his head. Visually shaken up, Moreno returned to the match to defeat ACU’s Abraham Pablo in an invigorating sudden victory.
ASU will get set for a quick turnaround, as they head to Stillwater for what will be its first Big 12 matchup vs No. 4 Oklahoma State.
“We’re here at Arizona State, a top-five team in the country,” Ysaguirre said. “Although the rankings don’t show it, but we just are, and we prove it time and time.”
The Devils feel disrespected by the media and are hungry to prove them wrong. A team win versus vaunted No. 4 OSU would likely change that narrative. Tonight may have been against weaker competition, but it was a much-needed bounce-back victory after a tough road trip.
