ASU's wrestling team traveled to the Hearnes Center Field House on the University of Missouri campus for the fourth annual Missouri Open on Sunday. The No. 20 Sun Devils saw four members place in the event, while several others gained some much-needed NCAA experience.
Although sophomore heavyweight Cain Velasquez dropped a very close 3-2 decision that kept him from placing in the top six, the junior college transfer dominated his first two collegiate matches with 5-2 and 5-3 decisions.
Redshirt freshman Christian Staylor (125 pounds) went 2-2 with a pin in his season debut, and 133-pound freshman Curtis Ray wrestled in place of senior Mike Simpson, who is recovering from off-season surgery.
Looking to solidify the 157- and 149-pound divisions, redshirt freshman Brian Stith and junior Patrick Williams both placed in the tournament. Ranked No. 16 in the 157-pound weight class, Stith compiled a 5-1 record. His lone loss came against No. 2 Alex Tirapelle from Illinois in a 1-0 decision.
Williams had a very impressive outing, going 4-2 with a fall and a major decision (12-3).
Senior Nick Frost, who won the Pac-10 championship at 165 last season, wrestled at 184 pounds over the weekend. Frost finished the tournament with a 4-1 record, highlighted by an opening round major decision (18-7) and a technical fall (22-7) in his fourth match.
Ranked No. 13 by the NCAA coaches' poll, 197-pound sophomore Ryan Bader rolled to a tournament championship. Winning by an average of 5.25 points, Bader was never really challenged, making a statement in the final when he beat Oklahoma State's 12th-ranked Rusty Blackmon 10-2.
Team signs three
Prior to its trip to Missouri, ASU inked three recruits for the 2004-05 season: Angel Cejudo (Maryvale), Alex Pavlenko (Tempe) and C.B. Dollaway (Mt. Gilead, Ohio). Cejudo is among the nation's best at 140 pounds, while Pavlenko is ranked No. 26 at 160 pounds. Dolloway is currently attending Colby Community College in Colby, Kan., and will compete at 174 pounds.
Up next
The Sun Devils' home opener is slated for Sunday at 2 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena. But this season's home opener isn't just some early-season pushover.
ASU and the No. 3 Iowa Hawkeyes have consistently met in March over the past few seasons, but Sunday will mark the first time the two wrestling powerhouses will meet in dual competition since February of 1998.
Reach the reporter at damien.tippett@asu.edu.
