ASU Wrestling: Schultz returns, Sun Devils end four-meet slide at Stanford

Fresh off signing a five-year contract extension, Arizona State head coach Zeke Jones boasted the nation’s No. 3 wrestling program that appeared to be on an upward trajectory with championship aspirations in his eighth year.

Then, key absences over the past several weeks factored into unforeseen results.

Despite acknowledging the value of a difficult regular-season schedule in preparing for the postseason, Jones had watched ASU fall to No. 4 Iowa State and No. 6 Cornell as part of its first four-meet losing streak since 2018-19: a stretch that seemed to prompt more questions than it answered for the program’s future.

Desperate for clarity, the Sun Devils apparently found it on The Farm — where their marquee heavyweight, sophomore Cohlton Schultz, closed a much-needed conclusion.

In ASU’s (3-4, 1-1) first win since Nov. 17, 2022, Schultz pinned junior Peter Ming in 56 seconds to secure a 25-14 final over Stanford (3-4, 0-1). Though the Cardinal sat in striking distance ahead of Schultz’s first match since Jan. 8, the All-American stepped in as if he’d never left in a show of dominance that served the kind of momentum the Sun Devils hope to build on ahead of the Pac-12 Championships in March.

Far before Schultz’s climactic display, ASU was especially formidable in the dual’s first four matches: 125-pound sophomore Richard Figueroa, No. 4 133-pound senior Michael McGee, No. 15 sophomore Jesse Vasquez and No. 5 149-pound sophomore Kyle Parco all won, giving way to an early 16-0 advantage.

Not to mention, Figueroa, McGee and Parco each added bonus points for the Sun Devils.

Figueroa quickly showcased his skills against freshman Nico Provo, converting two takedowns and a four-point near fall to set the tone for a 13-5 major decision that extended his 14-match win streak to open the season. McGee commanded the mat versus senior Jackson DiSario, using two takedowns and three near falls in a 16-1 technical-fall victory — the 25th of his career — in the second period. And Parco completed four takedowns as part of a 10-2 major decision he controlled from the start.

With an 11-0 combined record in ASU’s last four duals, the trio has reliably set the tone for other teammates to follow — though such wasn’t the case until Sunday.

Although the Sun Devils dropped back-to-back matches in the 157- and 165-pound classes, redshirt freshman 174-pounder Cael Valencia managed an impressive 6-3 upset of Cardinal No. 23 senior Tyler Eischens. Fighting off early aggressiveness from Eischens, Valencia took to a takedown late in the first period before adding three more second-period points and fending off Eischens’ last-ditch efforts.

Though competitive, ASU junior Tony Negron was bested by No. 4 senior Shane Griffith — a two-time All-American and the 2021 NCAA Champion at 165 pounds — in a 4-2 decision.