TEMPE, Ariz.—The #13 Sun Devils (8-4, 2-1 Pac-12) return home on the heels of a dominating 33-11 win vs. the five-time reigning Pac-12 champions, Oregon State, last Sunday.
Thursday, Feb. 9, ASU hosts CSU Bakersfield in a Pac-12 match at 7 p.m., a dual broadcast on the Pac-12 Network Arizona, which can also be viewed online HERE. At halftime, the team will honor Ryan Nantuna, Michael Nguyen, Michael Oramas, and Kaylon Sencio for Senior Night. ASU closes the regular season at Boise State on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 5 pm MT.
Both matches this weekend are Pac-12 matches as both CSU Bakersfield and Boise State are affiliate members of the Pac-12 for wrestling.
Tickets for the final home match of the season can be purchased by calling the ASU ticket office at (480) 965-5333 or at the WFA box office starting 60 minutes prior to the match (6pm) while matside seating can be purchased through the sales hotline at (480) 965-5812.
UP NEXT
Following this week, the Devils have two weeks off from competition before traveling to the Pac-12 Championships at Stanford on Sunday, Feb. 26 (Palo Alto, Calif.).
After Pac-12's, the NCAA Championships take place Mar. 16-18 in St. Louis, Mo.
THE ROAD TO UNDEFEATED
Going into this week, redshirt freshman Zahid Valencia remains undefeated during his first competition season with the Sun Devils. Since freshmen were allowed to compete starting in 1969, according to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Cael Sanderson (Iowa State) and Isaiah Martinez (Illinois) are believed to be the only freshmen to go undefeated during a full collegiate season.
SCOUTING CSU BAKERSFIELD (5-5, 1-2 Pac-12)
The Roadrunners earned their first Pac-12 win of the season, 20-14, at Boise State on Jan. 21. Most recently, they suffered a 32-8 loss to No. 21/23 North Dakota State and a Pac-12 loss to Cal Poly, 21-18. CSU Bakersfield ended their home season on a high note last Friday, Feb. 3 with a 22-15 non-conference win vs. Northern Colorado.
Earlier this season, the 'Runners finished 13th as a team at CKLV (ASU finished 7th) in early December before finishing 14th at Midlands (ASU finished 3rd) just before the New Year.
Russell Rohlfing leads the team with 22 victories this season, winning the last six in a row as well as eight of his last 10. Coleman Hammond is the team's lone returning national qualifier, but has missed the last three duals with a knee injury, replaced in the meantime by Everett Pratt.
CSUB closes the regular season at Oregon State on Sunday after the trip to Tempe Thursday.
SCOUTING BOISE STATE (1-8, 0-3 Pac-12)
The Broncos earned their only dual win of the season on Dec. 10 vs. Utah Valley, 32-14, but have lost seven straight since then. Boise State finished 24th and 31st, respectively, at CKLV and Midlands in December.
PAC-12 RANKINGS
A set of conference rankings at each weight class is released every two weeks leading up to the Pac-12 championships and, in the most recent rankings (Feb. 6), five Sun Devils top their weight classes: Josh Maruca (149), Josh Shields (157), Anthony Valencia (165), Zahid Valencia (174), Tanner Hall (HWT). Josh Kramer (125) is ranked third, Ted Rico fourth (133), Jacen Petersen fifth (184), and Nikko Villarreal (141) and Austyn Harris (197) sixth.
MARUCA NAMED PAC-12 WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt freshman Josh Maruca received the team's fourth Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week honor in six weeks on Feb. 8, including the second time ASU has had back-to-back awardees this season. The Pac-12 weekly honor spans seven weeks during the conference wrestling season, from early January to mid-February. Anthony Valencia (Jan. 11), Zahid Valencia (Jan. 18), and Tanner Hall (Feb. 1) have also earned the weekly award this season for the Devils. #23 Maruca pulled an upset of #18 Joey Delgado of Oregon State in the 149-pound bout in Sunday's convincing 33-11 ASU win in Corvallis. After the Sun Devils trailed early, Maruca's decision was a key swing in the momentum as ASU won five straight matches, including three pins, en route to victory. Maruca has won three of his last four and six of his last eight and is tied for fourth on the team in dual points with 27 this season.