ASU Wrestling: Tigers stun short-handed Sun Devils

(Photo: Reece Andrews/WCSN)

After dropping five spots to No. 8 in the latest NWCA Coaches Poll, Arizona State wrestling had a prime opportunity to recover from two straight dual defeats against a winless Princeton squad in its return to Desert Financial Arena.

Instead, the Sun Devils (2-3) — though without several starters — seemingly slept through a Sunday afternoon match that ended with the Tigers (1-5) on top in Tempe by a final score of 24-12.

No. 6 heavyweight Cohlton Schultz, No. 19 197-pound senior Kordell Norfleet and 165-pound junior Tony Negron all did not participate, but ASU head coach Zeke Jones refrained from specifically addressing their respective statuses in his post-match press conference.

“We obviously have some injuries, but despite that, we have to show up and fight and battle and we just didn’t [fight or battle] in some,” Jones said.

The Sun Devils started slow and never really found their footing.

Entering with an undefeated record on the season, No. 4 senior Quincy Monday — a three-time NCAA qualifier, two-time All-American and 2022 NCAA Finalist — performed as good as advertised, with an early pin of Negron’s replacement, 165-pound freshman Rene Fragoso, in the day’s first matchup to lend Princeton an early 6-0 lead.

The losses continued to pile up for ASU, as Princeton parlayed wins at the heavyweight, 174-pound and 197-pound division in addition to 184-pound junior Nate Dugan’s 3-2 upset of No. 18 184-pound junior Anthony Montalvo.

When the Sun Devils headed into the locker room during the intermission, they were down 18-0 without a single win.

“Our heavyweights are where the struggles are,” Jones said. “It’s about effort and the goal has got to be to get better every day.”

In what might have been the most anticipated dual of the day, Princeton prevailed.

In the 125-pound weight class, senior Brandon Courtney started over freshman Richard Figueroa before being beaten handily by All-American Patrick Glory in an 8-3 decision. It was the second time in as many years that Glory bested Courtney, dating back to the Sun Devils’ road trip to the Tigers’ Jadwin Gymnasium a season ago.

ASU’s first win came in the 133-pound division, with its senior representative, Michael McGee, completing a masterful performance that concluded with a technical-fall victory (19-3) in the second round. No. 20 141-pound sophomore Jesse Vasquez furthered McGee’s momentum, earning an 11-3 major-decision win over sophomore Danny Coles, which pulled ASU within 12 points of Princeton. In the very next match, Sun Devils No. 5 sophomore Kyle Parco earned an 11-5 decision fueled by two late takedowns at 149 pounds versus senior Marshall Keller.

Jones praised his lightweights for their ability to go late in rounds and score points even as they grew fatigued.

“You look at McGee and Parco, they love getting tired,” Jones said. “They are exhausted by the end [of the match] but still scoring points.”

Princeton sported a 21-12 advantage heading into the dual’s final match between its 157-pound freshman, Ty Whalen, and redshirt freshman Max Wilner. It was close before the final period, but Whalen ultimately secured the Tigers’ win with a 7-3 decision.

Still, Jones was focused on the positive after such a disappointing defeat.

“We want to win now, I get it,” Jones said. “But we also have to be ready when Pac-12 and [NCAA Championship] play rolls around. [When] we get healthy, it changes the game. We will be ready when the time comes.”