The second day of the NCAA Wrestling Championships is officially in the books, and so is ASU’s season.
Five Sun Devils qualified to wrestle on Friday, but only two were able to make the most of it, as the other three were one-and-done.
Senior all-American Blake Stauffer was looking to make the all-American list for the second straight year with a win against junior Nolan Boyd of Oklahoma State and freshman Tanner Hall was trying to become an all-American with a win as well, but he had to go up against Pac-12 rival sophomore Amarveer Dhesi of Oregon State.
Before Stauffer could get a crack at becoming an all-American again, he had to go through senior Jeff Koepeke of Illinois.
This match was a nail-biter from the start, with the two locked in at two after one, and tied at three at the end of regulation. During the Pac-12 Championships, Stauffer said that conditioning wasn’t an issue, and it wasn’t an issue for him in this match either.
Stauffer was noticeably the one with the most energy, and he got the takedown in overtime to get the 5-3 win.
He then went on to face Boyd in the final round, but the going was tough for him. He trailed Boyd 3-0 after two periods. Stauffer showed some life though, getting within one point, but he got called for two penalties for grabbing at Boyd’s headgear, and it turned out to be too much at the end, as Stauffer fell 6-4.
With that loss, it ends Stauffer’s prestigious ASU career, as he gathered 106 career wins and was the lone all-American on this year’s squad.
Hall took on freshman William Miller of Edinboro in his first bout. Hall scored a reversal out of the blocks in the second period to take a 2-0 lead. He also racked up a takedown, and won his match 5-3.
In the next stage of matches, Hall went up against Dhesi. This was a matchup that head coach Zeke Jones was excited to see at the Pac-12 Championships, but it never happened. The last time these two met was on Jan. 29, where Dhesi got a 12-4 win. It wasn’t without its Broadway theatrics though, as Dhesi was making gestures towards the Sun Devil coaching staff and scolding Hall as Hall was attempting to get up after the match.
Hall seemed to take it to the favored Dhesi, as he took a 1-0 lead in the second. The lead didn’t last long though, as Dhesi got an escape point in the third to tie it, and with Hall receiving a stalling warning, it pressured him to take a bad shot, and Dhesi, who was defensive all night, took advantage.
Dhesi easily sprawled Hall to the mat and got behind him for a takedown, and that led Dhesi to a 3-2 victory and made him an all-American.
These two fierce competitors are underclassmen, and there are two more years of watching these talented wrestlers go at each other, which is a big treat for the Pac-12 and the rest of the NCAA.
Junior Dalton Brady started the action at Madison Square Garden against junior Ryan Taylor of Wisconsin. He was in a tight contest, but he fell 4-3.
Senior Matt Kraus took on freshman Davion Jeffries of Oklahoma. Jeffries came out with a lot of energy, and took it to Kraus, ending his podium bid and his career as a Sun Devil wrestler, by a score of 11-2.
Senior Josh DaSilveira faced junior Shawn Scott of Northern Illinois. DaSilveira was in a dog fight with Scott, but he fell in the third, losing 3-2, ending his collegiate career.
This marks the end of the season, and the end of an era with the graduation of Stauffer, Kraus and DaSilveira. The trio led the team all season long, and helped shape what is poised to be a very successful ASU wrestling squad for the future.
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