ASU wrestling finished in fourth place at the NCAA Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, the program's highest finish in the event since 1995.
Redshirt junior Brandon Courtney finished as the runner-up in the 125-pound division, losing to Iowa senior Spencer Lee. Lee won his third straight individual championship and helped lead Iowa to its first team national title since 2010.
Courtney's run included a major decision victory in the first round over Binghamton freshman Micah Roes and a tiebreaker victory over Utah Valley redshirt junior Taylor LaMont in the semifinals.
Out of the eight ASU wrestlers who qualified for the championships, Courtney advanced the furthest. Four Sun Devils advanced to the quarterfinals but only Courtney advanced to the semifinals.
Redshirt senior Anthony Valencia was ahead in his quarterfinal matchup against Ohio State redshirt junior Ethan Smith, but he sustained a leg injury, which ultimately led to Smith advancing to the semifinals.
"I'm most proud of Anthony who was wrestling on one leg, but decided that he would put his team's goals ahead of his own, so he went out there to help his team and score points," head coach Zeke Jones told Sun Devil Athletics on Saturday.
While Courtney was the only Sun Devil to finish in the top three of his division, multiple Sun Devils earned top 10 finishes in their respective weight classes.
Redshirt junior Michael McGee (133 pounds) finished sixth, redshirt sophomore Jacori Teemer (157) finished fourth and redshirt freshman Cohlton Schultz (285) also finished fourth. Valencia (165) fought through his injury and earned an eighth-place finish.
As a team, ASU scored 74 points, finishing behind Iowa (129), Penn State (113.5), and Oklahoma State (99.5). ASU secured its eighth top-five finish at the championships in program history.
During the tournament, Courtney, McGee, Teemer, Valencia and Schultz earned All-American honors, the seventh time that at least five Sun Devils earned All-American honors and the first time they have done it since 1993.
Reach the reporter at dmwilhe1@asu.edu and follow @dmwilhelm225 on Twitter.
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