(Photo: Travis Whittaker/WCSN)
Arizona State wrestling knocked off No. 17 Iowa State in a heavily contested dual this morning. With several ranked match ups, Coach Zeke Jones’ crew earned a tough 20-15 road victory.
For a second straight dual, ASU junior Brandon Courtney started the match off strong at the 125-pound bout. He got three early takedowns in the first period, and added four more in the third against Aden Reeves. Courtney’s swiftness helped him pick up a Major Decision. Michael McGee, ASU’s 133-pounder, continued to lay the hammer on Iowa State with a 9-4 win over Zach Redding. Very early in the match, McGee got six points.
The Sun Devils struggled to keep their momentum through the 141-pound to 157-pound bouts. Senior Peter Lipari, senior Cory Crooks and freshman Hunter Balk combined for just four total points across their matches. Lipari struggled against No. 6 ranked Ian Parker and lost 8-3. Crooks was also paired up with No. 6 ranked wrestler in his weight class at 149 pounds. He was scoreless throughout the entire bout. Next on the mat was Hunter Balk who wrestled instead of sophomore standout Jacori Teemer. Balk got an early escape point but No. 3 David Carr pinned him in the first period.
Arizona State has won four of their last five matches. Star senior Anthony Valencia had an exciting comeback to beat Isaac Judge. Valencia headed into the third period down 3-1 but he won the match after an escape, takedown and four point near fall. Freshman Trey Munoz followed Valencia with another thrilling bout at 174-pounds. Munoz took down No. 17 Julien Broderson with a 7-1 decision victory.
Sun Devil senior Cade Belshay fell short against No. 6 Samuel Colbray. Going into the third the score was tied at 4, but after a takedown by Colbray he won 6-5.
The Sun Devils won the final two matches of the dual. Senior Kordell Norfleet had another electrifying match against Yonger Bastida at 197-pounds. He was a menace on the mat and won 17-7. He is now 6-0 with one final match in the regular season. Freshman phenom Cohlton Schultz faced his toughest opponent this season when he faced No. 5 Gannon Gremmel. Schultz clinched ASU’s victory over Iowa State with an escape in sudden death to win by a single point.
Arizona State remained undefeated with a huge win over Iowa State. The No. 8 ranked Sun Devils proved once again why they are one of the best college wrestling programs this season. Looking ahead, ASU has one final duel in the regular season later today against No. 15 Northern Iowa. After that, they will try to repeat as PAC-12 champions.
