(Photo: Sun Devil Athletics)
After welcoming the biggest signing class in Arizona State wrestling history, head coach Zeke Jones knew he had to bring some powerhouses onto the team to ramp the Sun Devils up for their second year in the Big 12.
The team has no returning All-Americans and only two returning national qualifiers. This isn’t a drawback for ASU, however, as Jones has signed arguably some of the most notable freshmen and transfers for the 2025-2026 season, including graduate student David Szuba, graduate student Colton Hawks, and freshman Kyler Larkin.
The Sun Devils got to showcase their shiny new roster at the Michigan State Open on Saturday, Nov. 8. ASU took home six first-place finishes and had nine wrestlers advance to the finals.
After ASU alum Zahid Valencia became the world champion in the 86kg weight class, all eyes have been on the Sun Devil wrestling program to see who their next star will be. Here is an extensive breakdown of the 2025-26 roster.
125lbs:
In the 125-pound weight class, there is a three-way tie for the starting position as each man on the roster is equal in terms of skills and achievements.
The two wrestlers returning from last year include redshirt senior Tristian Mascarenas and junior Damian Moreno. Mascarenas went 2-5 overall with a 1-2 record in varsity duals. Moreno went 3-3 last year in his first full season as a Sun Devil and earned a 2-1 record in duals.
Junior Anecito Vigil transfers to ASU from Clackamas Community College. Vigil, along with the other transfer from CCC, Gavin Bauder, led CCC to second place in the NJCAA championship. Along with this, Vigil is a two-time NJCAA champion.
Moreno and Vigil showcased their talents, with Moreno going 5-1 in the freshman/sophomore division and Vigil going 2-2 in the open division.
133lbs:
The biggest storyline in the 133 weight class, and possibly the entire incoming class of wrestlers, comes from the addition of Kyler Larkin out of Valiant College Preparatory. Larkin becomes the third man out of his family to go through the Sun Devil wrestling program, following his older brother Kaleb and his father Eric.
The freshman is already starting for the team, and after taking home the gold after a stunning 4-0 in his debut with ASU at the Michigan State open, his position isn’t up for debate anytime soon.
The other transfer out of Clackamas Community College, junior Gavin Bauder, also has a lot of expectations surrounding him after an impressive season with CCC. Last season, Bauder was the NJCAA national champion and was the NJCAA’s freshman of the year.
The only returning Sun Devil on the roster in the 133 weight class would be senior Carter Dibert. Dibert went 3-7 in his sophomore season, with his wins coming from the November Journeyman Classic. Dibert was unable to attain a victory during the teams’ time in Michigan on Saturday.
141lbs:
The prospective starter for the 141 weight class is redshirt freshman Pierson Manville. In his true freshman year, he became the U20 Greco-Roman national champion in the 67 kg division after an undefeated record in the tournament. For the NCAA season, Manville went 5-2 and had a 2-2 record in varsity duals.
In the current season, Manville took home the gold in the U20 Pan-American Championships in the Greco-Roman division. Manville also had a clean sweep this past weekend at the Michigan State Open and took home first place with three tech falls and one decision.
Last season, senior Emilio Ysaguirre was consistently ranked within the top 30 wrestlers nationwide according to FloWrestling and WrestleStat. He went 6-8 overall with a duals record of 5-6 as the Sun Devils’ previous starter. Unfortunately, Ysaguirre’s hopes to qualify for his first NCAA championship were dashed by a season-ending injury.
Senior Benji Alanis is a new addition to the ASU roster from the University of Northern Colorado. During his junior year, he went 9-12 with three major decisions.
Junior Daniel Miranda saw his first bout of the postseason last year as he represented ASU at the Big 12 Championships and went 4-9 during the regular season.
149lbs:
As Jones said, there’s a legacy that revolves around the Larkin family name within the halls of Desert Financial Arena. Kaleb Larkin has been continuing the prestige that comes with his family name. At the Michigan State Open, he joined his younger brother Kyler in getting a clean sweep in his weight class, securing first place.
Larkin had an outstanding debut with the Sun Devils and has continued that momentum into the current season. In his freshman year, Larkin became the youngest wrestler ever to win the Bill Farrell Memorial International. This led him to be eligible for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials.
He was unable to compete last year due to injury, but that hasn’t stopped him from competing at his highest level. He joined his younger brother Kyler in a first-place finish at the Michigan State Open.
Freshman Jamar Dixon joins ASU from Delsea Regional High School. Dixon was the state up in the 150lb division and went 38-4 his senior year.
157lbs:
Graduate student Chance McLane proved that despite being sidelined for his senior year, his talents hadn’t atrophied. McLane was one of the six wrestlers who took home a first-place finish at the Michigan State Open.
In his redshirt junior season, McLane was a force to be reckoned with. He took all of his experience with Oklahoma State and transferred it into a conference championship for ASU. In the Pac-12 championship, McLane went 3-1 against heavy-hitters such as Cal Poly’s Michael Goldfeder and Oregon State’s Kekana Fouret.
Junior Michael Kilic came back from the Michigan State open with a 2-2 record. Last season, Kilic went 4-18 and was the Sun Devils’ primary starter for the 157 weight class, going on to represent the team at the Big 12 Championships.
Freshman Jabari Hinson had his ASU debut in Michigan and came back with a 3-2 record. He joins the roster from Ames High School. During his time there, Hinson racked up 168 wins and became a two-time state finalist. Hinson comes from a family of wrestlers, with his father, Dwight Hinson, being a four-time NCAA All-American and a three-time conference champion during his time at Iowa State.
Freshman Gabriel Delgado begins his NCAA wrestling career at ASU after becoming a notable name in the wrestling world in his home state of Nevada. He brings three state championships, two-time Fargo All-American honors, and a U.S. Open All-American award to this historical team.
Sophomore Jude Randall joined fellow teammates Kyler Larkin and Pierson Manville at the U20 Pan-Am Championships and also took home the gold, this time in the 72 kg weight class. Before becoming a Sun Devil, Randall was wrestling for the University of Oklahoma, taking home 9 wins in his debut season.
165lbs:
Redshirt Sophomore Nicco Ruiz and Freshman Israel Ibarra squared off at the Michigan State Open, with Ruiz taking the victory over his teammate and earning first place in the freshman/sophomore division
As a redshirt freshman, Ruiz had a standout season. He qualified for the NCAA National Championships and beat Wisconsin’s Cody Goebel for his first national win. Not only was he 6th in his weight class in the Big 12, but he was also ranked as a top 15 wrestler nationwide. Ruiz is expected to be a starter for ASU in the 165 weight class.
Ibarra went undefeated in his senior year at Santa Cruz High School. He won the AIA State Championship and helped propel his team to win Division IV.
Redshirt freshman Joseph Manfredi has not had much time on the mat as a Sun Devil. Within his five appearances on the mat, however, he clinched his first win at the Journeyman Collegiate Classic.
174lbs:
Graduate student Cael Valencia and junior Leo Tukhlynovych were the second pair of Sun Devils to face off against each other on Saturday. Tukhlynovych took home the win with a decision over Valencia.
Valencia has earned extensive honors during his time as a Sun Devil. He is a two-time NWCA All-American and has qualified for the NCAA National Championships during his redshirt freshman and redshirt sophomore years. During ASU’s time in the Pac-12, Valencia helped the team reach the championship for two years and earned third place during his redshirt freshman year. Valencia is another man on the team who comes from a wrestling family, with his older brothers Zahid– the 2025 world champion in the 86kg weight class– and Anthony going through the ASU program as well.
Tukhlynovych transfers from Rochester Community. Before moving to the valley, he was a third-team All-American as a freshman and sophomore and finished third both years.
184lbs:
Senior Shay Addison earned a star season last year, with a six-match winning streak and a 10-10 record overall.
Senior Azizbek Fayzullaev wrestled in only two matches last season with ASU. Before becoming a Sun Devil, he was a two-time national champion for Northwest College. In 2022, Fayullaev was the 86kg champion at the U-23 Asian Championships.
197lbs:
The Sun Devils had four wrestlers compete in the 197 weight class, with freshman Aidan Ysaguirre representing the underclassmen while junior Max Acciardi, senior Jacob Meissner, and senior Damion Schunke competed in the open division. However, none of the men were able to bring home a 197-lb gold medal.
Hawks moves to Tempe after an impressive 5 years at Mizzou. For the past three years, he has qualified for the NCAA Championship. During those years he qualified, Hawks finished no lower than eighth in the Big 12 Championship. Last year, Hawks peaked at No. 9 in the country for his weight class.
Before starting his Division I career, Acciardi made waves in his home state by winning the state championship with his high school, Paramus Catholic, weighing in at 285. During his freshman year at California Baptist, Acciardi won four out of five matches at the Wilkes Open. Acciardi took this experience down to Tempe and became a starter for the upperweights at 197.
Ysaguirre joins the ASU roster after two undefeated seasons with Santa Cruz Valley High School. He was ranked No. 99 recruit in the class of 2025 according to FloWrestling. Ysaguirre is another man on the team who was a dual-athlete in high school, joining Ben Szuba as a football player and a wrestler.
Meissner has appeared in both the Big-12 Championships and the Pac-12 Championships. Last year, he went 2-9 and appeared in six duals.
Before joining ASU, Junior Luke Issak was a state champion in the 190lb weight class while wrestling for Shadow Mountain High School.
Schunke barely saw the mat last year, only competing in 8 matches. He earned a 3-5 record overall with a 1-1 in duals.
285lbs:
The Szuba brothers both made their career debuts for the maroon and gold in the 285lb division. Freshman Ben Szuba earned a 2-2 record in his ASU debut, with a tech fall and a decision. His older brother, David, took home a 4-2 record with three falls and one no contest.
Ben went 39-9 during his senior year at Brick National High School, earning himself a sixth-place spot at the state championship. He was a dual-athlete in high school, joining teammate Aidan Ysaguirre as a football player and a wrestler.
David led an outstanding three years at Rider University. In his final year as a Bronc, David qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time and took home a win in the opening round. He is expected to be the 285lb starter for ASU.
Freshman Melvin Whitehead comes out of Nevada with four state championships and three-time Fargo All-American honors. He was ranked No. 9 in the 215 weight class and was a two-time NHSCA All-American.
