A balanced roster of new faces and returning veterans, including a reigning national champion, will be challenged with a tough schedule as ASU wrestling enters a new chapter in the Big 12 Conference.
The 2024-25 season for the No. 19 Sun Devils features 10 matches against ranked opponents, with three being in the top 10, according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association coaches poll. Those three top-10 matchups are No. 3 Oklahoma State on Nov. 24, No. 9 Missouri on Jan. 22 and No. 6 Iowa State on Feb. 7.
"You're around the best teams and you see how hard they want to win and how hard they're trying," said head coach Zeke Jones. "I just think keeping the perspective allows them to wrestle free and have fun and they just wrestle better. That's what we're doing, trying not to get weird and have fun."
Jones describes getting weird as when his players are too focused on results instead of wrestling. Given the Sun Devils' tough schedule, it can be easy to see how the players may be results-focused.
Luckily for the Sun Devils, five NCAA qualifiers are returning to the squad to help make another push in the NCAA Championships. Reigning 125-pound national champion redshirt junior Richard Figueroa, redshirt senior Cohlton Schultz, redshirt senior Julian Chlebove, senior Jesse Vasquez and redshirt junior Cael Valencia all are back after qualifying for the NCAA championships last season.
"Honestly, really excited because it gives us more tests," Vasquez said. "And that's what I need. Like I said, my season kept getting cut short because of injuries or whatever. I need more tests with these top teams before the national tournament."
All five are ranked in their weight class by multiple outlets. FloWrestling has Figueroa ranked first in the nation in the 125-pound class and Schultz ranked fourth in the heavy-weight class. Intermat ranked Chlebove 18th in the 133-pound class, Vasquez 14th in the 149-pound class and Valencia 29th in the 174-pound class. Joining them in the rankings is sophomore Nicco Ruiz, ranked 15th in the 165-pound class by FloWrestling.
A high ranking as a sophomore is no small feat but Ruiz is paying no mind to the rankings, his eyes are on a bigger goal.
"I'm just here to compete and take that national title," Ruiz said.
Besides the veteran depth that will lead the team, the Sun Devils also have a group of freshmen and transfers Jones believes can make an impact. The freshman class consists of Pierson Manville, Joseph Manfredi, Javani Majoor, Caleb Camp and Nick Hutchins. As for transfers, the Sun Devils brought in junior Azizbek Fayzullaev, junior Austin Scott and sophomore Max Acciardi.
"I'm going to that next guy in mentality,'" Jones said. "When kids graduate or they, even now with this transfer portal deal, it's the next guy in and I feel really confident that our next guy in is just as good if not better than the guys that were there before. So I think the group of young guys are really coming along nicely."
The Sun Devils open the 2024-25 campaign on the road in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania with a doubleheader on Nov. 9 against Long Island and No. 17 Illinois. ASU will then wrap up the weekend on Nov. 10 with Journeymen WrangleMania.
The Sun Devils will head to Brookings, South Dakota for the Daktronics Open on Nov. 17 before their home opener against Embry-Riddle on Nov. 22.
Edited by Jack Barron, Sophia Braccio and Madeline Schmitke.
Reach the reporter at jmjanes1@asu.edu and follow @JackJanes_ on X.
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