ASU athletes record all-star weekend
As many Sun Devils spent their spring breaks lying in the sun and catching up on sleep, Arizona State University student athletes had an outstanding week away from class. With two national champions in wrestling, a second-place NCAA diver, a Pac-10 academic gymnast, and winning baseball, softball, tennis and golf teams, the Sun Devils had some stellar performances.
ASU finished sixth overall at the 2011 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia, Pa. Seniors Anthony Robles and Bubba Jenkins brought the crowd of 17,687 to its feet as they were crowned national champions. The sixth-place finish was the best for the Devils since they took sixth in 2006. For the first time since 1993, ASU had two finalists and two champions in the same year.
The Sun Devils had three All-Americans, Robles, Jenkins and Levi Cooper, the most since 2006. Cooper, who was unseeded in the Top 12 of the weight class, finished eighth as he upset No. 4 in the first round. Robles, the top-seed at 125 pounds, was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler, an honor he has earned four other times this season. He finished 36-0 on the year. Jenkins, the fourth-seeded competitor at 157, is only the fourth wrestler in NCAA history to reach the final of a weight class for two different schools. In 2008, he placed second at 149 pounds for Penn State. The two seniors earned the 9th and 10th titles won in program history.
On Saturday night in Austin, Texas, Sun Devil All-American diver Elina Eggers finished in second-place on the women’s platform at the 2011 NCAA Championships. Eggers scored 345.60 and finished less than 10 points behind the first-place finisher. The diver earned her second-consecutive All-American honors. The 200 Medley Relay team set a new school record as it finished eighth with a time of 1:37.56. The Sun Devils finished 18th in the nation at the championships.
On March 16, a sell out crowd of 4,371 at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark saw the Sun Devil baseball team sweep a two-game midweek series with the top five Oklahoma Sooners. The Sun Devils defeated the Sooners 6-2 on Tuesday night and 6-4 on Wednesday night as they improved to 13-3 on the year. Starter Jake Barrett had a career high 11 strikeouts as he allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits.
The No. 5 Sun Devil softball team went 4-1 as they wrapped up the 2011 Judi Garmen Classic with an extraordinary game against the Boise State Broncos. The Devils, now 30-2 overall, beat the Broncos 9-3. Hillary Bach pitched three perfect innings while Katelyn Boyd had two runs scored and three RBIs.
After the women’s tennis team upset the seventh-ranked California Golden Bears 4-3, the 21st-ranked Sun Devils traveled to Los Angeles to defeat the No. 9 USC Trojans. At 10-3, ASU earned its second-straight win over a Top-10 team. With a 0-3 deficit, senior Micaela Hein scored the first points for the Sun Devils as she defeated Trojan Kaitlin Christian, 6-3, 6-4. In singles play, ASU won the second, third, fourth and fifth spots to take the entire match. Sixteenth-ranked freshman Jacqueline Cako extended her singles winning streak to 16.
As the Gym Devils finished seventh at the Pac-10 Championships, senior gymnast Mary Atkinson was named the Pac-10 scholar athlete of the year. ASU is second only to Stanford in the total number of Pac-10 scholar athletes. As a member of the Barrett Honors College, Atkinson holds a 3.72 GPA in bioscience. In 2010, Atkinson earned All-American honors in vault as she placed ninth nationally. She led the team in almost every event before she was sidelined with an injury in February. Atkinson plans to attend dental school in the fall, and she has already participated in a joint initiative between the honors college and the world-renowned Mayo Clinic.
The women’s golf team claimed its first team title of the season shooting a 23-over 887 on March 19th in Hawai’i at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational. ASU defeated second-place Arizona by 15 shots. As the individual champion, junior Carlota Ciganda won the fifth tournament of her career as a Sun Devil and earned her second individual title of the season. She shot a 1-under 215 (68-74-73).
As winter sports wrap up, spring sports are off with a flourish. For results, schedules and recaps, visit www.thesundevils.com.
Written by Taylor Renfro, senior broadcast major, Sun Devil Media Relations