(Photo: Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)
East Lansing, Mich. – 412 wrestlers packed Jenison Field House on Saturday, making the Michigan State Open the first real test for many. After a long offseason of competing against one another, Arizona State’s wrestlers finally got the opportunity to show themselves to an opposing team.
On Saturday, the Sun Devils took home five individual titles, helping to set the stage for a season that they hope will be a return to their history of national dominance.
Wrestlers like fourth-year Nicco Ruiz, third-year Pierson Manville, second-year Kyler Larkin and his brother, third-year Kaleb Larkin, all displayed their star power, going a combined 17-2, with both Manville’s and Ruiz’s losses coming in the championship round. Apart from those two rounds, the four wrestlers were dominant throughout the entirety of the open.
Kaleb Larkin served as a symbol of this, as he scored a combined 80 points across all five matches, only allowing 17 points to be scored against him. His brother Kyler followed this by scoring 49 points and only allowing 9 points en route to winning the championship round on a medical forfeit.
All of these results are a very welcoming sign for the Sun Devils, as they will look to rely on these four wrestlers throughout the season–hoping that their veteran presence will guide the team while the younger wrestlers keep up.
Even so, the rest of the team seemed to be able to carry their own weight, as 14 of the 26 ASU wrestlers placed third or higher in each of their respective weight classes. This may prove to be the largest beneficiary of the day, as the five Sun Devils won their competition and showed the ASU coaching staff that this lineup is full of potential winners.
Second-year heavyweight Ben Szuba encapsulated the winner’s mindset, stating how much he disliked losing and his excitement to come and wrestle against formidable talent at the Michigan State Open. In the end, Szuba won his bracket and did it with ease as he scored 45 points while only allowing 4 points against during his five-match run.
Joining him is another bracket winner, Christian Castillo. The 125-pound Iowa State transfer dominated the Freshman/Sophomore division and looks to be a starter for the Sun Devils. This depth will give the Sun Devils a much-needed boost throughout the entire season, allowing the team to stay competitive and continue to battle against opponents no matter the circumstances.
Moreover, this depth helps push the wrestlers, as second-year Gabriel Delgado seems to be creating a massive push for the starting lineup before ASU’s first team Vs. team event. His counterpart for this starting job is second-year Jabari Hinson. Per WrestleStat, Hinson is ranked and projected to start over Delgado.
However, Delgado has been making noise as he defeated Hinson 4-2 in last week’s Maroon and Gold scrimmage. This week, Delgado won his bracket going 5-0 while beating Jake Millar, the Iowa State wrestler who knocked off Hinson in his second match. Hinson hasn’t had the best of starts to the season as he followed up the scrimmage defeat with a 2-2 record at the Open.
This season is a long, winding road, and the outcome of the season is still unknown. However, Saturday’s meet is a solid building block that head coach Zeke Jones’ squad will hope to take into the regular season.
