Tempe, Arizona - Zeke Jones was hoping to establish momentum for the Sun Devil wrestling program at the NCAA meet in March. Backed by a national championship from Zahid Valencia (174 pounds) and All-American finishes from Jason Tsirtsis (149) and Josh Shields (157), ASU posted its first top-10 finish since 2010-11.
The Sun Devils have a chance to raise the bar another notch this summer. ASU has three wrestlers (Valencia and freshmen Brandon Courtney and Chad Porter) who have secured or are one step away from securing spots on Junior and Senior World Teams.
"We're having a breakout summer with our Olympic program," said Jones, the Sun Devils' coach.
Leading the charge is Valencia, who will face four-time NCAA champ Kyle Dake (Cornell) at 79 kilograms (174 pounds) at Final X in State College, Pennsylvania on Saturday for a spot on the Senior World Team. It's a major step for Valencia, the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year, after a dominant redshirt sophomore season in which he went 32-0. Valencia has a chance to become just the 19th wrestler and the third Sun Devil in Team USA history to make the senior team while still holding college eligibility.
"It's rare air for him to be here, but to see Zahid in this position doesn't surprise me because it's something he's always planned for," said Jones, who accomplished the same feat in 1989 at ASU. "I think most people would say he's ahead of schedule but there's a reason why. He's done the work and he's been on the last three junior world teams so he has the experience.
"He needs this challenge. He's mastered the junior age group, but he hasn't wrestled at this level. It's the big-boy level, the world and Olympic games level. It's the highest level. Being 21 years old is a little on the young end but I think he's ready."
Valencia faces a major challenge in Dake, who was the runner-up at the United States World Team Trials in 2013, 2015, and 2017, and the runner-up at the United States Olympic Team Trials in 2016. Only four wrestlers in NCAA history have won four national titles: Oklahoma State's Pat Smith (1990-92, 1994), Iowa State's Cael Sanderson (1999-2002), Dake (2010-13) and Ohio State's Logan Stieber (2012-15).
"I believe I've done everything I could to prepare for this with my coaches and teammates -- everyone that has helped me," Valencia said. "From everything I've watched on video, I know that he's a really good defensive wrestler. As long as I keep my shots perfect and I'm able to drive through, I think I can take him. If I follow my game plan and do what I do in every other match, that's pretty much it. It's just another match I have to overcome."
Valencia believes the quicker pace of freestyle wrestling (college is folkstyle) plays to his aggressive nature, affording him an early opportunity at major international competition with the World Championships scheduled for October in Budapest, Hungary.
"It would mean a lot to me, knowing all the work that I have put in has paid off," he said. "If I could get my hand raised and represent Team USA, that's always been the ultimate goal, to represent our country in the Worlds and in the Olympics. This is just the next stage in that process."
The fact that Valencia represents just one of several ASU wrestlers with international aspirations this summer is reflection of the efforts from Sun Devil alum and program supporter Art Martori, ASU president Michael Crow and Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson. Anderson has stated numerous times that he wants to turn ASU into a training ground for Olympic athletes across multiple sports.
"We have all the pieces to build a world-class wrestling program," Jones said. "We've got two years to the Olympic Games and we could put two people on the (freestyle) world team right now. We're in a fantastic position. We've just got to convert."
Courtney (Goodyear Desert Edge High) and Porter (Phoenix Desert Vista High School), both won their respective weight classes at the Freestyle and Greco-Roman Junior World Team Trials.
Sun Devil assistant coaches Lee Pritts (2018 USA Cadet Freestyle World Team Coach) and Chris Pendleton (2018 USA Women's Freestyle Pan American Championships Coach) are also representing ASU on the global stage this year.
Here is a look at other Sun Devils wrestlers beyond Valencia who are making waves on the world stage this summer.
Courtney: The Freestyle Junior World Team Trials Champion (57kg), defeated three-time Cadet and Junior World Team member Malik Heinselman. He is slated to represent Team USA at the Junior World Championships in Trnava, Slovakia in September, but faces a wrestle off against Daton Fix that he must win to keep his spot.
Porter: The Greco-Roman Junior World Team Trials Champion (97 kg), defeated United World of Wrestling Junior National Champion Austin Harris, 5-2, 8-3. He will represent the U.S. on the Greco-Roman Junior World Team at Junior World Championships in Trnava, Slovakia in September.