(Photo: Travis David V Whittaker/WCSN)
Arizona State Wrestling opened up the postseason with a Pac-12 Conference Championship, the team’s third in the last four years, and their 19th overall championship. As a team, the Sun Devils posted a score of 141.5 points.
The Sun Devils picked up five individual titles with Brandon Courtney 125 pounds Jacori Teemer 157 pounds, Anthony Valencia 174 pounds, Kordell Norfleet 197 pounds and Tanner Hall HWT, won their weight class brackets.
Senior Josh Sheilds, 165-pounds fell in the championship finals to Shane Griffith by a 4-0 dec.
With Shields earning runner-up honors, he will still qualify for the NCAA tounnament in two weeks.
Courtney imporved his season record to 25-5, while becoming the first 125-pound Pac-12 champiion since Anthony Robles won three straight from 2009-11.
Teemer, who suffered a dislocated finger in his semifinal win, improved his record to 17-5 following his championship win. Teemer’s win is also the fourth straight individual title for the Sun Devils at 157 pound weight class.
Anthony Valencia improved to 22-6 on the season, and earned his third Pac-12 title after claiming two at 165 pounds in 2017 and 2018. Valencia and his brother, Zahid, have combined to give the Sun Devils four straight Pac-12 championships at the 174 pound weight class.
Norfleet improved his recored to 14-3 on the season, after recording his third fall throughout the season in the first round.
Hall, the Pac-12’s Wrestling Scholar Athlete of the Year, improved his record to 23-3 on the season and earned his second Pac-12 championship, adding on to his 2017 title.
Along with the champions, the Sun Devils had three wrestlers finish in third place, Joshua Kramer 133-lb., Cory Crooks 141 pounds and Cade Belshay 184 pounds
Belshay replaced two-time NCAA champion Zahid Valencia in the 184 pound bracket, who has been suspended indefinitely for testing positive for a drug test. in the 184 pound bracket.
The Sun Devils are sending six wrestlers the NCAA tournament. Five of the six are Pac-12 individual champions and runner-up in Shields.
The NCAA Wrestling Wrestling Championships will run from March 19-21 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
