TEMPE, Ariz.—The Sun Devils close 2016 at the 54th Annual Midlands Championships hosted by Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. The two-day tournament (Dec. 29-30) will be ASU's final chance to compete in 2016 before starting their dual schedule in earnest in the new year.
BUY TICKETS FOR HOME MATCHES
Season tickets can be purchased by calling the ASU ticket office at (480) 965-5333 while matside seating can be purchased through the sales hotline at (480) 965-5812.
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ASU opens 2017 at Iowa State (Jan. 6) before returning home for their Pac-12 opener vs. Cal Poly on Jan. 8.
MIDLANDS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 54th annual Midlands Championships will be held in Evanston, Ill. on the campus of Northwestern University at Welsh-Ryan Arena (2705 Ashland Ave. Evanston IL 60208), a 8,117 seat arena opened 64 years ago this month (Dec. 6, 1952).
The two-day event (Dec. 29-30) features 71 ranked wrestlers, 38 of which are in the top-10 in their respective weight classes. Five Sun Devils are listed on the "Top Contenders" list released on Dec. 19 - Christian Pagdilao (149), Josh Shields (157), Anthony Valencia (165), Zahid Valencia (174) and Tanner Hall (HWT).
Fans are encouraged to join the conversation on social media leading up to and throughout the tournament by using the hashtag #Midlands54.
The tournament features four sessions - a first session (9:30 am CT) and second session (7 pm CT) on Thursday, featuring 10 mats, and a third session (12 noon CT; 4 mats) and fourth session (7 pm CT; 3 mats) Friday. The third session includes semifinals, consolation, and seventh place matches while the fourth session features first, third, and fifth place matches.
Tickets are available at NUsports.com or by calling 888-GO-PURPLE. Single session general admission ticket prices for each of the four sessions are as follows, increasing up to the championship rounds: $10, $12, $13, $15. An all-session pass is also available for $40.
Brackets will be released at 8 pm CT Wednesday, Dec. 28 on TrackWrestling. The first three sessions will be broadcast online on BTN2Go (www.btn2go.com) while Friday's finals will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
Notably for ASU, Zahid Valencia looks to continue his undefeated season this week while Jason Tsirtsis, who will compete for the Sun Devils next season, was runner-up at last year's Midlands Championships (competing for Northwestern).
IN THE RECENT RANKINGS
As a team, TrackWrestling ranks the Sun Devils No. 14 (tied), FloWrestling No. 14, WIN Magazine ranks ASU No. 15, and The Open Mat No. 18. The NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll ranks ASU No. 19 this week. The following are individual rankings for Sun Devils from several media outlets based on each athlete's weight class:
The Open Mat - Josh Shields (No. 18/157), Anthony Valencia (No. 14/165), Zahid Valencia (No. 5/174), Tanner Hall (No. 7/HWT)
Intermat - Josh Shields (No. 20/157), Anthony Valencia (No. 12/165), Zahid Valencia (No. 4/174), Tanner Hall (No. 4/HWT)
WIN Magazine - Josh Shields (No. 15/157), Anthony Valencia (No. 13/165), Zahid Valencia (No. 4/174), Tanner Hall (No. 7/HWT)
TrackWrestling - Ali Naser (No. 25/133), Josh Maruca (No. 22/149), Josh Shields (No. 21/157), Anthony Valencia (No. 11/165), Zahid Valencia (No. 4/174), Tanner Hall (No. 8/HWT)
ANTHONY ROBLES (ASU '11) RETURNS TO PAC-12 NETWORKS
Announced Wednesday, Nov. 16, Anthony Robles returns for his third season as an analyst for the Pac-12 Networks alongside Ken Chertow and play-by-play announcers Rich Burk and Jason Knapp.
Pac-12 Networks will air eight wrestling matches, four featuring the Sun Devils, this season, culminating in the Pac-12 championship finals at Stanford on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. PT.
The Sun Devils will appear on the Pac-12 Network four times this season, including three at home, with home matches on the conference network vs. Cal Poly (Jan. 8), North Carolina (Jan. 20), and CSU Bakersfield (Feb. 9) as well as at Oregon State (Feb. 5).