(Photo courtesy Sun Devil Athletics)
TEMPE — Arizona State rebounded Sunday with a colossal statement victory over No. 20 ranked Oregon State 19-17.
Desert Financial Arena was graced with a gritty performance from the Sun Devil squad, as ASU was able to secure six of the ten total matches over the Beavers to earn their eighth straight win in the series and improve to 2-1 in Pac-12 competition.
The dual was highlighted by several strong performances from veterans Julian Chlebove (8-2 decision over Gabe Whisenhunt), Kyle Parco (9-3 decision over Nash Singleton), Jacori Teemer (major decision over Isaiah Crosby 20-6) and Cohlton Schultz (decision over Boone McDermott 5-2). Oklahoma State Transfer Chance McClane also stole the match at the 165 bout over Oregon State’s Kekana Fouret 5-1.
But the real spotlight was at the 174-pound match, where freshman Nicco Ruiz secured the upset victory for the Sun Devils over 11th-ranked Matthew Olguin, 6-3. Ruiz is now 7-2 on the year.
Schultz helped close out the dual with a 5-2 win over OSU’s McDermott 5-2 to secure the Sun Devils first home victory of the new year.
Arizona State now sits at 4-5 overall with wins over ranked Oregon State and Pittsburgh. The men in maroon and gold continue to compete amongst some of the best nationally, as the Pac-12 currently has five out of the six total teams within the top 25.
ASU continues its conference schedule slate on February 9 in San Luis Obispo, California, for a ranked matchup against No. 25 Cal Poly.
