(Photo: Reece Andrews/WCSN)
Looking to further its four-meet winning streak, No. 18 Arizona State (6-4, 3-1) will return to Desert Financial Arena for a noon Senior Day meet with CSU Bakersfield (1-10, 0-4) on Thursday.
Excellent performances in the Sun Devils’ 125-, 133-, 141- and 149-pound weight classes have been critical to their recent success. Since the team’s win streak began at Stanford on Jan. 22, ASU’s lightweights are 14-2 and have totaled eight bonus-point victories.
The Sun Devils will return to the mat for the first time since Feb. 5, an extended rest period that may prove important for a team that hasn’t been fully health for much of the season, especially for a 197-pound division in which three different wrestlers have competed for them over their past four meets. The weight class was thought to be among the more dependable ones this season, but that was before four-time Pac-12 champion senior Kordell Norfleet missed months of competition dating back to Dec. 2. In Norfleet’s absence, junior Jonathon Fagen, sophomore Josh Nummer and freshman Damion Shunke have all notched starts.
Still, the 197-pound division will be forfeited to ASU because CSU Bakersfield will not submit any of its wrestlers for the weight class.
As the Sun Devils hope to streak through the remainder of their regular-season schedule en route to the postseason, the Roadrunners contrast such aspirations as one-win program that has lost seven straight duals — the last four of which were against Pac-12 opponents, including Stanford in an embarrassing 43-0 defeat.
The Sun Devils have found much success against the Roadrunners, especially during head coach Zeke Jones’ reign.
ASU is undefeated against CSU Bakersfield during Jones’ nine-season tenure as head coach, as part of a winning streak that began on Jan. 29, 2012.
The Sun Devils boast two top-10 wrestlers in the 125-pound weight class: senior Brandon Courtney, who has competed in and dominated their last three meets, as well as sophomore Richard Figueroa, who still boasts the longest undefeated streak to begin an ASU career (17-0). Such talent has put Jones in a unique position with the Pac-12 and NCAA Championships rapidly approaching. Jones can start Courtney or Figueroa in any given meet, and the Sun Devils will open the competition with one of the country’s top wrestlers in the division.
Either of the wrestlers will face junior Eddie Flores, who is 12-11 this season for CSU Bakersfield. Courtney and Flores have battled twice before, but both matches went Courtney’s way as he secured a 9-3 decision in last season’s battle and a 13-5 major decision during the 2018-19 regular season.
Another important wrestler for the Sun Devils is No. 4 133-pound senior Michael McGee, who is 16-2 this season and has won his weight class in seven consecutive meets. The Roadrunners have started three wrestlers in the 133-pound weight class in the last four duals: junior Chance Rich, sophomore Romeo McNeal and freshman Santino Sanchez. Sanchez has earned the past two starts but has lost by technical fall in both matches.
With inconsistency in the Roadrunners’ starting lineup at 133 pounds, McGee could potentially add another huge win for the Sun Devils and continue his climb up the ASU record books. McGee looks to jump into the top five for most wins (127) in program history, which would technically tie him Severn Dan, who competed for ASU from 1977-81.
In the 149-pound class, ASU No. 5 sophomore Kyle Parco looks to continue his dominance against senior Josh Brown, who is 16-12 this season but has lost in his last three matches. Parco and Brown faced last season, with Parco coming out on top in a 4-2 decision. Parco has combined for a 19-4 record this season and has won seven straight dual matches.
Sun Devils No. 5 sophomore heavyweight Cohlton Schultz will battle either redshirt freshman Paul Sharp or sophomore Jake Andrews. Schultz is 16-2 this season and has continued the dominance he’s shown throughout his career. Sharp is 5-7 this season and secured a victory in CSU Bakersfield’s most recent dual, while Andrews is 2-16 and hasn’t won a single dual match.
Following a short stint with Team USA Wrestling, Schultz has gone undefeated as an anchor at the end of ASU’s lineup.
ASU No. 15 141-pound sophomore Jesse Vasquez will likely wrestle senior Luis Ramos, who is 4-7 this season. Vasquez has been crucial in ASU’s recent run, winning six of his last seven duals and adding two bonus-point victories across the stretch, though Ramos remains defeated in dual matches this season.
