A controversial call, a wrong turn and a brutal road trip all led to mixed results as the ASU wrestling team won two dual meets before being handed its first Pac-10 loss over the weekend.
The road trip, the team's longest and last of the year, started out promising as ASU easily handled Portland State Friday night, 38-9. The Sun Devils dominated the Vikings, a team winless in the Pac-10, by winning eight of 10 matches with little trouble.
But it was Sunday that the No. 16 Sun Devils knew was going to be the more daunting challenge as they faced back-to-back duals in California. ASU began the day with a 19-12 decision over Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo.
Early wins by second-ranked Ryan Bader and Clifford Starks helped the Sun Devils get out to a big lead against the No. 25 Mustangs before Cal Poly later made a strong comeback.
Ron Renzi and tenth-ranked Nick Frost, who went undefeated over the weekend, helped ASU close out the dual with victories over Cal Poly's Sam Temko, and ninth-ranked Ryan Halsey, respectively.
With the early victory under their belt on Sunday, the Sun Devils traveled two-and-a-half hours to Bakersfield, Calif., to take on No. 23 Cal State Bakersfield.
"The trip should have only been two hours, but I took a wrong turn and we went the wrong way," said Sun Devil coach Thom Ortiz.
Perhaps the wrong turn was an omen of things to come as ASU suffered a 20-17 defeat at the hands of the Roadrunners. By the time the team got to Bakersfield, fatigue had already set in.
The dual got off to an inauspicious start as Bader lost a controversial 2-1 decision to fifth-ranked Matt Monteiro in what could have been called the main event of the evening.
Bader was called for stalling on two separate occasions. The penalties proved to be costly to Bader and to the team. Bader's loss was the first in three meetings with Monteiro this year.
"We were at a disadvantage heading into Bakersfield, but we scheduled it like that on purpose," Ortiz said in defense of his team's road schedule, which included four flights and over two hours of driving in five days. "This better prepares us to go out and win the Pac-10."
ASU is home for the rest of the season as they host Fresno State in a Friday the 13th dual at Wells Fargo Arena, before ending the regular season against Northern Iowa.
The team then hosts the Pac-10 Championships beginning Feb. 29.
"We're going to take things one at a time," Ortiz said when asked if they're looking forward to hosting the Championships. "It's an old cliché, but it's true."
Reach the reporter at vic.vela@asu.edu.
