Seeking its second consecutive title at the Virginia Duals, the ASU wrestling team finished fourth at the event over the weekend.
Redshirt juniors Josh Shields and Zahid Valencia led the charge, as both wrestlers were a perfect 4-0 in their individual matchups. Valencia scored a tournament-best 21 points, on his way to winning his third straight Most Outstanding Wrestler award at the tournament.
After a victory over Oklahoma on Friday, ASU once again faced the Sooners in the third-place match on Saturday, where they fell 21-20.
In the first matchup on Friday, the Sun Devils quickly jumped out to an early lead, thanks to victories from Brandon Courtney and Josiah Kline in the 125- and 133-pound weight classes, respectively. From then on, the team was able to keep Oklahoma at bay, earning a 25-12 victory.
On Saturday, ASU faced host Virginia in the semifinals. Unable to carry over Friday's momentum, the Sun Devils quickly fell into an 11-0 hole over the course of the first three bouts. It was too much to overcome as Virginia then cruised to a 23-16 win.
Following a 22-16 consolation victory over Chattanooga, the Sun Devils' second meeting with Oklahoma turned into a match of runs.
The Sun Devils gained an early lead thanks to a technical fall victory from Courtney to open the match, but it did not last long as OU then won three straight bouts. The Sun Devils responded with three in a row of their own. However, the Sooners closed out the match with another trio of wins to squeak out a one-point victory over ASU.
The Sun Devils will be back on the road next week as they will take on Oregon State on Jan. 20 at 7:00 PM MST.
Reach the reporter at kmgianco@asu.edu and follow @Kaleb_Mart on Twitter.
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