(Tempe, AZ) A seventh-place NCAA Championship finish, four All-Americans, three Pac-12 champions, and a pair of Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year honors. Sun Devil Wrestling hit multiple milestones during the 2022-23 season and the future is bright heading into Zeke Jones‘ 10th year at the helm.
Sun Devil Wrestling End of Season Stats and Records
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Zeke Jones/Ninth Season
Named Head Coach August 9, 2014
7th at NCAA Championship / 4th AT PAC-12 Championship
Sun Devil wrestling finished seventh at the NCAA Championships, marking the third consecutive top-10 finish for the Sun Devils. In Zeke Jones‘ ninth season as head coach, he added four All-American honors, three top-5 national finishers, three Pac-12 Champions, and the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year in four-time All-American Brandon Courtney. After missing the first half of the season with injury, 125 Courtney rallied back into the lineup and exceeded his No. 10 NCAA seed to take third at the NCAA Championships, a run that helped him earn the prestigious honor of Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year. Courtney became the third Sun Devil under Jones to win the award (Zahid Valencia, 2017-19, Cohlton Schultz, 2022). Not to be outdone, 133 Michael McGee earned his own third-place national finish and ended the season 25-3, with each loss going to the eventual first and second-place finishers. McGee was InterMat Wrestling’s choice for Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year after a strong season that included five tech fall victories, a Pac-12 title and a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships. McGee also made a dent in the ASU record books, moving to sixth all-time in career tech falls with 14 during his Sun Devil career. With four of five NCAA qualifiers earning All-American status, McGee and Schultz became the fourth and fifth wrestlers under Zeke Jones to be three-time All-Americans, and Courtney became the fifth ever Sun Devil to be named a four-time All-American. Kyle Parco also earned his third All-American honor and second under Zeke Jones with his fourth-place finish at 149. Parco led the team in wins with his 27-6 record and tied McGee with an 11-1 record in duals. Schultz rounded out the All-Americans with a seventh-place finish and a 9-0 dual record.
After a fourth-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships, the Sun Devils outpaced conference foes Stanford (26th), Cal Poly (27th), and Oregon State (29th) to finish seventh at the NCAA Championships. ASU qualified five wrestlers and saw four of them finish as All-Americans. The Sun Devils earned five Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week awards, with redshirt freshman Cael Valencia earning two after separate upset wins over ranked opponents.
Two young wrestlers shined during this season. 125 Richard Figueroa beat four ranked opponents and eventual national runner-up Matt Ramos en route to a perfect 14-0 season, and 141 Emilio Ysaguirre decided to forgo his redshirt after an injury to Jesse Vasquez and picked up a win vs. then No. 4 Brock Hardy before taking second at the Pac-12 Championships.
The Sun Devils’ home opener may have been the dual of the year, as No. 5 ASU hosted then No. 3 Missouri in the brand-new Mullett Arena. The victory was highlighted by upsets at 125 and 141, with Figueroa beating No. 14 Noah Surtin and Vasquez earning a win against No. 6 Allan Hart. Two more ranked wins came from Parco’s decision against No. 8 Brock Mauller and Schultz’ major decision vs. No. 7 Zach Elam. After Zeke Jones‘ contract extension last year, he will be leading the team through the 2026-27 season.
Key Moments
Zeke Jones‘ contract was extended through the 2026-27 season
Brandon Courtney earned Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year
Michael McGee earned Intermat’s Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year
Three Sun Devils claim Pac-12 titles, five qualify for NCAAs
McGee and Courtney Finished 3rd at the NCAA Championships; ASU Took 7th
True freshman Emilio Ysaguirre upset No. 4 Brock Hardy in his second ever dual
ASU defeated five ranked opponents: #21 Rutgers 25-16, #3 Missouri 19-17, #23 Stanford 25-14, #12 Lehigh 20-16, #20 Oregon State 20-16
ASU had a five-dual win streak
Brandon Courtney collected his 100th collegiate win with a 16-8 major decision
Sun Devils put 4 on the podium at Midlands
Richard Figueroa won the Las Vegas Cliff Keen Invitational
#5 Sun Devils Get 7 Titles, 4 Hammers at Journeymen Collegiate Classic
Notables
Courtney ends his ASU career tied for 10th all-time with 49 bonus-point victories, sixth all-time with 29 major decisions, and eighth all-time with 12 tech falls. His career record is 109-28.
Courtney also ties Zahid Valencia for 17th all-time with 109 overall victories
McGee ends his ASU career tied for 20th all-time with 35 bonus-point victories, 17th all-time with 18 major decisions, and sixth all-time with 14 tech falls. His ASU record is 64-11, while his overall career record is 135-27.
Colhton Schultz extends his collegiate dual record to 24-0 and collected his 25th win by fall, ranking him 14th all-time at ASU.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Will Edmonds
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