ASU wrestling takes on No. 24 West Virginia to close Regular Season

(Photo By: Sun Devil Athletics)

After a loss at #21 Lehigh, Arizona State Wrestling will travel to West Virginia for its final dual of the season.

The Sun Devils (4-10, 1-6 Big 12) will try to break their eight-match losing streak, while the Mountaineers (9-7, 3-6 Big 12) will try to honor their seniors by winning their second home dual.

Despite its No. 24 ranking, West Virginia is only 1-4 in Morgantown this year. Similarly to ASU, its top-heavy lineup combined with untimely injuries prevented the Mountaineers from consistently living up to their rankings.

WVU is coming off a disappointing 18-19 loss to the University of Wyoming, where several preventable things went wrong. Most significantly, redshirt junior Jordan Titus went to his back in the first period and gave up six team points.

Titus will be in the spotlight again this weekend as he takes on No. 32 Emilio Ysaguirre. Despite his losing record, Ysaguirre has multiple ranked wins and has shown he can compete with the top wrestlers in the country.

The Mountaineers come out of intermission to the heart of their lineup. WVU has three straight-ranked wrestlers, weighing from 165-184 pounds.

Redshirt senior Peyton Hall is a massive favorite as he defends his No. 4 ranking vs ASU backup, Austin Scott. His dominant top wrestling gives WVU a chance to earn six points with a pin. Next is No. 24 redshirt sophomore Brody Conley, who has built on his strong freshman year by finding a place in the rankings. Closing out this trio is redshirt senior Dennis Robin. On his senior night, Robin will look to put out a statement over whoever ASU decides to start at the weight.

While those three matches favor WVU, there are a few matches that Sun Devils are expected to win. The first is the opening match of the night.

At 125 pounds, redshirt junior no. 2 Richard Figueroa will take on no. 7 senior Jett Strickenberger. This match will set the tone for the dual and is must win if ASU wants to have a chance.

The high rankings make 125 the premier weight of the dual, but 149 pounds might just be the most interesting. ASU freshman Pierson Manville will take on senior Michael Dolan in the battle of backups.

Last year, Ty Watters and Kyle Parco had multiple top-5 battles at this weight. This year Parco has transferred and his replacement, senior Jesse Vasquez is out for this dual. On the Mountaineers side, Watters is also sidelined with an injury.

Since coming to ASU, Manville is just 1-2. However, that one win came on Friday over nationally relevant Malyke Hines of Lehigh. If he can duplicate that performance, his match against Dolan will be one to watch.

This dual isn’t just for pride, it’s the last chance for wrestlers to improve seeding going into the Big 12 tournament. Last year ASU finished 6th at NCAA’s while West Virginia placed 17th. Despite the struggles in Big 12 duals, both teams figure to make noise in the tournament.