After a long, tough road for the ASU wrestling team this season, the Sun Devils finished with two accolades as senior captains Anthony Robles and Bubba Jenkins both left Philadelphia with national titles in their hands on Saturday.
In addition to the pair of national champions, ASU also took home three All-Americans by way of Robles (125-pound weight class), Jenkins (157), and heavyweight redshirt sophomore Levi Cooper, who finished eighth.
As a team, ASU saw six Sun Devils compete on their way to a sixth place team finish. Penn State grabbed the team title, with Cornell finishing second.
The high team finish was unexpected, especially in the wake of an injury-riddled 5-13 regular season, and Jenkins’ and Robles’ titles put a perfect finishing touch on the careers of two outstanding collegiate wrestlers. ASU was the only team to have multiple champions this year.
“It was huge for me, and it was an exciting weekend,” said Robles, who finished the year 36-0 and had 24 wins by technical fall. “I’ve been wrestling for nine years in the state of Arizona, and this win wasn’t just for Arizona State wrestling but for the entire state of Arizona.”
Robles’ closest contest during his road to the championship came in the semifinals, when he defeated Utah Valley’s Ben Kjar 4-2 in a dogfight that tested the three-time Pac-10 champion’s poise.
“He’s probably the strongest guy I’ve ever wrestled,” Robles said of Kjar. “We knew each other’s styles, so it was tough to find an opening to score.”
After passing the physical test presented by Kjar, only defending champion Matt McDonough of Iowa stood in the way of a title and a perfect season for Robles.
“Every match was a scrap,” Robles said. “In the finals match, the nerves were going, but luckily for me it all came together. Once I got my tilt working, that’s when I was able to score.”
Robles came out aggressively and jumped on the scoreboard early, scoring a takedown just 44 seconds into the match for a 2-0 lead. By the end of the first, it was a 7-0 Robles advantage, and the score remained the same heading into the final period.
“Going into the third period, I could really feel him going for a big move. It was really all about maintaining a lead,” Robles said. “The coaches told me to just stay composed, and we just stuck to the game plan.”
Jenkins won his finals match in slightly more dramatic fashion, pinning Penn State freshman David Taylor, who was previously undefeated on the year, in 4:41 to take home the crown.
The victory was even sweeter for Jenkins considering that he transferred to ASU from Penn State after Cael Sanderson became the Nittany Lions coach last year.
“[Cael] didn't think I was good enough or the right kid to win it at that weight class or any weight class. He got rid of me,” a smiling Jenkins said at the post-tournament press conference. “And one man's trash is a whole country's treasure.”
Jenkins, who has said on multiple occasions that he feels he is underrated, had his usual confident swagger about him all weekend long en route to the title.
“I guess since I moved out west and got a tan they forgot about me and didn't think I was going to be back,” said Jenkins, who finished the year 21-3. “I was coming back to Pennsylvania, and it wasn't just to see the sights and reminisce with old friends. I was coming to win it.”
The individual success of Robles, Jenkins, and Cooper now gives the Sun Devils something to show for all their hard work this season and is a reward for ASU wrestling fans who endured a rough season.
Robles and Jenkins claimed the title of best in the land, which now can’t be disputed.
“I beat the defending national champion, so no one can say anything to me now,” said Robles, who was also selected at the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler. “I’m the best.”
Reach the reporter at kyle.j.newman@asu.edu
