(Photo: Travis David V Whittaker/WCSN)
The Arizona State University Sun Devil wrestling team hosted the Pac-12 Championships on March 9. There was a total of five teams at the event including; Arizona State, Oregon State, Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, and Stanford.
Stanford took home the Pac-12 title for the first time in school history, with a final team score of 81.5 points. Arizona State finished second with a 79.5 team score. Following ASU was Oregon State with 77.5, CSU Bakersfield with 49.5, and Cal Poly with 15.
The Devils had three wrestlers win championships in their weight class, Christian Pagdilao 157 lbs., Josh Shields 165 lbs. and Zahid Valencia at 174 lbs.
The three champions won their final matches back-to-back-to-back.
First was Pagdilao, who wrestled Hunter Willits of Oregon State in the 157 lbs. weight class. This was a close match but Pagdilao won by decision with a final score of 6-2.
Following the match, Pagdilao was asked about his mindset going into Pac-12 championships. “Just to put points on the board, also just prove it to myself that I am the wrestler that I believe I am,” said Pagdilao. “I really just wanted to come out here with a lot of confidence and I think I did that for the most part. I really wanted some momentum going into the NCAA tournament.”
The next win for the Devils came from the 165 lbs. weight class from Shields. The final score of this match was 9-4 with Shields on top. The redshirt junior is now a three-time Pac-12 Champion.
Valencia also won his third Pac-12 Champion title in the 174 lbs. weight class. Valencia helped Arizona State’s team score in winning by major decision in both of his matches.
“That’s the best he’s looked,” said head coach Zeke Jones. “How he was moving, changing attacks, and his conditioning and strength.”
Valencia was also named the Pac-12 Championship “Most Outstanding Wrestler.”
Pagdilao, Shields, and Valencia automatically qualified for the NCAA tournament by winning their respective weight classes. Other NCAA Qualifiers for ASU were Ryan Millhof and Josh Maruca, all receiving at large bids.
Millhof won his first match by fall in an exciting overtime battle over Stanford’s Gabe Townsell in the semi-finals. Millhof lost to longtime rival, Oregon State’s Ronnie Bresser, after a close match in the finals.
Josh Maruca also earned second place in the tournament after a loss to Stanford’s Requir Van Der Merwe in the finals. This was the second time that Maruca had loss to Van Der Merwe this season.
Maruca and Millhof will join Pagdilao, Shields, and Valencia at the NCAA tournament on March 21 in Pittsburgh, PA. Each of these wrestlers will be returning to the NCAA tournament where the national elite will square off with hopes of a national championship. Valencia will be in Pittsburgh to defend his 2018 season NCAA championship.
With only about two weeks before the final tournament Valencia said, “I think this post season just staying healthy, just focusing in on the little things we have to work on, technique and just keep pushing, we got a few weeks left.”
