TEMPE, Ariz.—After the No. 14 Sun Devils' first-ever win vs. North Carolina in Tempe on Friday night followed by a hard-fought Pac-12 battle at Stanford Sunday, ASU returns home to host another top-15 team in No. 13 Illinois.
Fans in attendance are also encouraged to wear black as the match has been designated a "Blackout".
UP NEXT
Next Sunday, Feb. 5, the Sun Devils head north to Corvallis, Ore. for a Pac-12 matchup vs. Oregon State at 2pm PT/3pm MT, a match which will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.
BUY TICKETS FOR HOME MATCHES
Single game tickets can be purchased by calling the ASU ticket office at (480) 965-5333 or at the WFA box office starting 60 minutes prior to each match while matside seating can be purchased through the sales hotline at (480) 965-5812.
FIVE FUN FACTS: #14 ASU vs. #13 ILLINOIS
1. Two-time NCAA Champion in the House
There have only been four four-time NCAA champions in the history of NCAA Division I collegiate wrestling – Pat Smith (Oklahoma State), Cael Sanderson (Iowa State), Kyle Dake (Cornell), and Logan Stieber (Ohio State).
Illinois' #1 Isaiah Martinez (165 lbs.) moved up a weight class this year after winning back-to-back NCAA National Championships at 157 lbs., defeating Jason Nolf (Penn State) in 2016 and Brian Realbuto (Cornell) in 2015.
Martinez is on track to become the fifth four-time champion in NCAA DI wrestling history.
2. Hodge Trophy candidates
Each season, the Hodge Trophy is given to the nation's best collegiate wrester, and #1 Isaiah Martinez and #1 Zahid Valencia are certainly in the conversation surrounding this year's version of the award. It was named after Danny Hodge, a three-time NCAA champion who went undefeated in collegiate competition at Oklahoma (1955-57).
The trophy criteria is based on seven factors as follows: record, number of pins, dominance, past credentials, quality of competition, sportsmanship/citizenship, and heart.
Valencia won the Junior Hodge trophy, the high school and AAU version of the award, in 2015. Eric Larkin was the last Sun Devil to win the award in 2003 (149 lbs.).
3. Isaiah Martinez vs. Anthony Valencia
The summer after Isaiah Martinez won his first NCAA championship, Anthony Valencia, at the time a high school senior, beat Martinez to make the USA Junior World Team trials.
The two have grown up wrestling each other throughout the years as Valencia's hometown of Bellflower, Calif. and Martinez's hometown of Lemoore, Calif. are just over four hours away from each other.
See below for video of Valencia/Martinez at the 2014 FILA Junior World Team Trials in Madison, Wisc.
4. Three Top-20 Matches
Three top-20 matchups are set to take place Sunday including at 165 lbs., 174 lbs., and heavyweight.
165 – #8 Anthony Valencia vs. #1 Isaiah Martinez – Valencia is 3-2 vs. their common opponents, defeating #27 Alex Marinelli at Midlands (Fall 2:41), and #30 Cody Burcher at CKLV (Dec 5-3) and in a home dual (Dec 4-3).
174 – #1 Zahid Valencia vs. #9 Zac Brunson – Zahid Valencia is 8-0 vs. their common opponents, and won the pair's matchup earlier this season, an 8-3 decision at Midlands on Dec. 29.
HWT – #5 Tanner Hall vs. #15 Brooks Black – Tanner Hall is 11-10 vs. common opponents while Brooks Black is 10-16. The two met once in their careers on Nov. 15, 2015, a 4-3 decision for Black.
5. High School History
Sun Devil assistant wrestling coach and two-time NCAA champion at Oklahoma State ('04, '05) Chris Pendleton attended the same high school as Illinois' Martinez, Lemoore, Calif.'s Lemoore High School.
Pendleton won the California state championship at 145 lbs. as a senior at Lemoore while Martinez was a three-time CIF state champion at 140 (2011), 152 (2012), and 160 (2013) lbs.