The ASU wrestling team earned its first Pac-10 win of the season on Saturday night, defeating Cal State Fullerton 25-19 at Wells Fargo Arena.
The No. 20 Sun Devils (3-1, 1-0 Pac-10) won six out of 10 matches against the Titans (0-3, 0-3).
“I think the score seemed a lot closer than it actually was,” ASU junior Jake Meredith said. “Overall, everyone was pretty happy with their performance.”
Redshirt senior Bubba Jenkins got ASU rolling in the first match of the night with his 15-2 major decision at 157 pounds. Jenkins, ranked No. 2 in the nation, garnered his first Pac-10 victory and gave the Sun Devils an early 4-0 lead that they never relinquished.
“It’s very important to come out and win the first few matches like that,” ASU redshirt freshman Kalin Goodsite said. “It sets the tempo, pumps up the crowd, and just creates a good atmosphere to wrestle in.”
Following the opening win by Jenkins, junior Te Edwards pinned his opponent at 165 pounds for a 10-0 ASU lead.
Then junior Eric Starks, fresh off his victory at the Fullerton Open last weekend, used nine takedowns and one reverse to make his way to a 22-7 technical fall victory at 174 pounds before Meredith scored a 5-0 decision at 184 pounds to make it a 17-point ASU advantage.
“I felt like the Titans were definitely a decent team, but we went in there planning to win,” Goodsite said.
After ASU was forced to forfeit its match at 197 due to an injury to redshirt freshman Luke Macchiaroli, redshirt sophomore Michael Hawkins lost a hard fought match 2-1 to the Titans’ No. 16 ranked Kurt Klimek to make the score 17-9.
“When you’re under the lights, it’s a lot different,” Meredith said. “But I think everyone is getting used to it now. The coaches are pushing us harder in practice and make it feel like we’re under the lights all the time.”
With the momentum on CSFU’s side, the dual continued with the 125 weight class as No. 3 redshirt senior Anthony Robles continued his march to a national championship with yet another dominating victory, scoring a 15-0 technical fall after just two minutes and 54 seconds.
Robles’ quick triumph gave ASU a 22-9 lead over the Titans before CSFU won the 133 match via a pin to make the score 22-15.
“Robles and Jenkins lead by example,” Goodsite said. “Whatever it is they have to do to win, they do it. It’s really all about heart out there.”
Needing a win in the last two matches to lock down the team win, Goodsite took to the mat for the 141 weight class and showed his heart, securing a 6-1 decision that gave the Sun Devils a 25-15 lead and the guaranteed victory.
“I knew it was going to be a tough match,” Goodsite said, “I figured if I wrestled smart and kept good positioning, I knew I could beat the kid.”
ASU was glad to open conference play with a victory and get its first win at Wells Fargo this season, but felt like there is still room for improvement.
“As a team, we need to work on riding on top a little bit,” Goodsite said, “Really it’s all about always trying to get better. I think if we step it up a little bit, we’ll be one of the top teams in the nation.”
Reach the reporter at kyle.newman@asu.edu
