Wrestling faces Nebraska, Iowa State on road

February 03, 2011

<a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/photos/schools/asu/sports/m-wrestl/auto_pd… Devil Mat Notes & Statistics</a> (pdf)<separator></separator>Through 14 duals this year, the Arizona State University wrestling team has not been the visiting team at an opponents home facility. That will change over the next two weekends as the final four duals of the 2010-11 season will take place on the road for the Sun Devils (5-9, 1-2 Pac-10), starting with a trip through the Midwest this weekend. First up, ASU will face No. 14 Nebraska (11-4, 1-1 Big 12) on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT inside the NU Coliseum in Lincoln, Neb. The weekend concludes in Ames, Iowa, on Sunday at 2 p.m. CT where the Sun Devils will face No. 15 Iowa State (7-8, 0-2 Big 12) inside the Hilton Coliseum.<separator></separator> OPENING WHISTLE • ASU will be facing its 2nd, 3rd ranked foe in a row this weekend • Both duals this weekend will be streamed on the web by the meet hosts • Robles has been moved to No. 1 in several national ranking releases • NCAA Coaches’ Rankings: Four Devils in first release of Top 33 standings • Home Cookin’ - Robles closed out his home career with another TF win • Robles has 24 wins, 17 of which are by technical fall (15+ point margin) • Robles leads the nation with 17 tech falls (second-most is 10) • ASU trails Nebraska in the series, 4-9-1 (1-3-0 in Lincoln) • ASU trails Iowa State in the series, 6-23-0 (1-11-0 in Ames) • ASU is facing its 6th, 7th ranked teams this week, including 3rd, 4th in Top 15<separator></separator> MULTIMEDIA Both duals this weekend will be streamed live online with Nebraska also offering a live statistics link. To view the duals, visit Huskers.com on Friday at 6 p.m. (Arizona) and Cyclones.com on Sunday at 1 p.m. (Arizona).<separator></separator> IN THE RANKINGS - TEAM The Sun Devils are not receiving votes in the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Top 25 poll this week. Cornell is the new top-ranked team while fellow Pac-10 team Boise State (#9), Cal Poly (#20) and Oregon State (#21) are the lone conference schools ranked.<separator></separator> STRONG SCHEDULE Looking at the NWCA/USA Today Coaches Poll, eight of Arizona State’s opponents are currently ranked in the Top 25. Overall, ASU’s schedule includes duals with No. 2 Oklahoma State (L, 40-4), No. 8 Oklahoma (L, 32-7), No. 14 Nebraska, No. 15 Iowa State, No. 17 Kent State (L, 30-7), No. 19 American (L, 27-18) No. 21 Oregon State and No. 22 Cal Poly (L, 40-11).<separator></separator> TOUGH FOES After Sunday’s loss to No. 22 Cal Poly, the Sun Devils will continue on a four-dual stretch in which the face a nationally ranked opponent. This week, the Sun Devils will take on No. 14 Nebraska and No. 15 Iowa State. No. 21 Oregon State is the first of two duals next weekend that will be capped by unranked Stanford.<separator></separator> IN THE RANKINGS - INDIVIDUAL According to Amateur Wrestling News, two Sun Devils remained ranked in the national Top 20 this week (January 25), including <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/robles_anthony00.html"… Robles</a>, who is No. 2 at 125. The other ranked Sun Devil this week is <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/jenkins_bubba00.html">… Jenkins</a>, who ranks fourth at 157 pounds. Several other Sun Devils are ranked in the Top 33 according to WrestlingReport.com, including <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/starks_eric00.html">Er… Starks</a> (No. 28 at 174) and <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/macchiaroli_luke00.htm… Macchiaroli</a> (No. 31 at 197). <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/cooper_levi00.html">Le… Cooper</a> is gaining more attention this week as InterMatWrestle.com and D1CollegeWrestling.com both have ranked No. 19 at heavyweight while Wrestling Report has him at No. 27 once again.<separator></separator> MOVED TO THE TOP For the first time all season, <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/robles_anthony00.html"… Robles</a> has been elevated to the No. 1 position in several rankings that were released this week. Both D1CollegeWrestling.com and WrestlingReport.com have Robles at No. 1 at 125 pounds as the senior remains undefeated on the season. WIN and InterMat both have Robles at No. 2 behind Iowa’s Matt McDonough, the defending champion at the weight.<separator></separator> NEW RANKINGS Last year, the NCAA introduced new rankings that were based upon coaches votes combined with RPI and winning percentages to formulate at Top 33 list used to select the number of qualifiers at each weight class for the NCAA Championships (33 in each weight class). The first rankings were released on January 18 and four Sun Devils are currently holding Top 33 rankings with the Pac-10 Conference (so far) earning 37 qualifying positions (this can change before the Pac-10 Championships). For the Sun Devils, <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/robles_anthony00.html"… Robles</a> is ranked No. 2 at 125; <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/jenkins_bubba00.html">… Jenkins</a> is No. 4 at 157; <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/cooper_levi00.html">Le… Cooper</a> is No. 27 at heavyweight and <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/starks_eric00.html">Er… Starks</a> is No. 28 at 174.<separator></separator> HOME COOKIN’ In his career, <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/robles_anthony00.html"… Robles</a> wrestled on his home mat 22 times, posting a solid 18-4 record while going an unblemished 10-0 against Pac-10 foes. A winner of his last 10 in row at home, Robles’ last loss came during his sophomore year when No. 11 Joey Fio of Oklahoma pinned him in 4:08 (January 19, 2009). In fact, all four of Robles’ losses have come to nationally ranked foes, which he holds a 6-4 record against in Tempe. In his junior and senior seasons, Robles went 9-0 with one win by major decision, five by technical fall (including last week’s 16-0 score against Cal Poly), one by fall and one by forfeit. The remaining win was a 12-10 decision over No. 5 Andrew Long of Iowa State, who led Robles, 10-3, heading to the third period before Robles chose top and eventually turned Long three times and did not let him escape to secure a 12-10 win.<separator></separator> ROBLES ROLLING So far this year, Robles has won 24 matches with 22 producing bonus points for the team, including 17 wins by technical fall. Excluding his two wins by fall, Robles has outscored his opponents 323-13 in the other 22 matches, having not been scored on in 15 of those wins, and defeating his foes by an average of 14.09 points. Looking back at the previous three seasons, Robles’ margin of victory was 5.21 as a freshman, 7.96 as a sophomore and 8.12 as a junior, more than five points less than this season. And, his 17 wins by technical fall this year are fewer than only two of his teammates’ overall wins (19, 18).<separator></separator> LEADING THE NATION Looking over the statistics on the NWCA web site, <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/robles_anthony00.html"… Robles</a> currently leads the nation (across all weight classes) with his 17 wins by technical fall. The closest to him in that category is the 10 recorded by Penn State’s David Taylor (157).<separator></separator> CLIMBING HIGHER With his title in Reno, Robles not only remained undefeated on the season, but he also collected the 100th victory of his stellar career, moving to 100-23 all-time at Arizona State. Following the dual with CS Bakersfield, Robles is now 110-23 all-time and ranks 14th in career wins while his 49-6 record in dual matches gives him the 13th-most wins in a career. If Robles wins all four of his remaining duals this year, he will finish his career with a 53-6 dual record and will enter the Pac-10 Championships with 114 career victories. If that is the case, Robles would finish his career tied for 10th in dual victories with <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/simpson_aaron00.html">… Simpson</a> (1995-98) while standing in a tie for 12th on the overall wins list with current Assistant Coach <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/stith_brian00.html">Br… Stith</a> (2003-07).<separator></separator> PERFECTLY IN FRONT In each of the two duals the Sun Devils compete in this weekend, both teams will have one wrestler that is undefeated on the year and ranked No. 1 in the nation at his respective weight class. <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/robles_anthony00.html"… Robles</a> is 24-0 on the year for the Sun Devils and is the top-ranked individual in the nation at 125 pounds (in most ranking services). Nebraska’s Jordan Burroughs (25-0) and Iowa States’s Jon Reader (28-0) are currently ranked No. 1 at 165 and 174, respectively, so far this year.<separator></separator> SCOUTING: NEBRASKA The Huskers are led by head coach Mark Manning and carry an 11-4-0 overall record (1-1 Big 12) record into the weekend. Three Huskers are currently ranked nationally, including undefeated and top-ranked Jordan Burroughs at 165 pounds (28-0). Also ranked are No. 12 Tucker Lane at heavyweight (20-5) and No. 13 Josh Ihnen at 184 (21-6).<separator></separator> THE SERIES: SUN DEVILS vs. HUSKERS Nebraska leads the all-time series, 9-4-1, and has won the last three meetings, including a 26-9 decision in Tempe on January 30, 2004. The Huskers also hold a 3-1-0 advantage when the series meeting takes place in Lincoln, including winning each of the last three meetings. The last time the two teams met at Nebraska saw the hosts pull out a 20-19 victory on November 22, 2002.<separator></separator> FAMILIAR FACE On Friday night, a familiar face will be sitting across the mat from the Sun Devils as <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/snyder_bryan00.html">B… Snyder</a>, an assistant coach with Arizona State last season, is currently a member of the Husker coaching staff. Snyder was a four-time All-American and conference champion for the Huskers as a student-athlete.<separator></separator> SCOUTING: IOWA STATE Head coach Kevin Jackson’s Cyclones are 7-8 on the year (0-2 Big 12) and enter the weekend having had dropped six in a row before rebounding with a 22-18 defeat of Binghamton on the road last weekend. Four Cylcones are currently ranked in the national Top 20 and are led by undefeated and top-ranked Jon Reader (28-0) at 174 pounds. The other ranked Cyclones include No. 14 Andrew Sorenson (13-5) at 165, No. 15 <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/drouin_chris00.html">C… Drouin</a> (12-6) at 141, and No. 17 Jerome Ward (12-5) at 197.<separator></separator> THE SERIES: SUN DEVILS vs. CYCLONES Iowa State leads the all-time series, 23-6-0, and has won the last six in a row, including the last meeting, a 30-10 decision in Tempe last year (February 7, 2010). When the two teams meet in Ames, the Cyclones are 11-1-0 with wins in the last seven meetings. The last time ASU won in Ames came on February 10, 1989, in a 19-15 decision. The last time ASU has defeated ISU in the series came on January 4, 2004, when the Sun Devils upset the No. 2 Cyclones, 22-20, in Tempe.<separator></separator> FAMILIAR FACE Similar to the Nebraska dual, a former Sun Devil will be across the mat in ASU’s dual with Iowa State as <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/drouin_chris00.html">C… Drouin</a>, who competed for the Sun Devils for three seasons, is currently competing for the Cyclones.<separator></separator> QUICK RECAP: CAL POLY DUAL The Sun Devils won two weight classes and dropped a 40-11 decision to No. 22 Cal Poly last Sunday on Senior Day, the final home competition for <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/robles_anthony00.html"… Robles</a> and <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/jenkins_bubba00.html">… Jenkins</a>. In front of the largest home crowd (1,413) in nearly four years, <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/meredith_jake00.html">… Meredith</a> put ASU on the board for the first time in the dual with his win by fall in 2:13 of the 184 match. In the last match of the day, Robles went out on top with his 17th win by technical fall this year as he won, 16-0, over Britain Longmire, to cap an 18-4 all-time home record.<separator></separator> FAMILIAR FACE DEFEATED The final match of the dual pitted a pair of former teammates and training partners together as <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/cooper_levi00.html">Le… Cooper</a> defeated David Morgan, 3-1. Cooper, who began his career three years at Portland State, transferred to CSUB last year where he redshirted after PSU’s program was cut. This past summer, Cooper left the Roadrunners and came to ASU, where he has built a 19-6 overall record this year and ranks among the Top 30 nationally.<separator></separator> MACCHIAROLI’S TOUGH ROAD After a close loss last weekend to the No. 30-ranked wrestler in the nation, Luke Macchiaroli’s remaining four duals will continue to see him face some of the best in the nation. The redshirt freshman, who is not yet in the national Top 33, could find his way into those rankings if he can defeat some of his upcoming opponents, which include No. 22 Andy Johnson (Nebraska), No. 14 Jerome Ward (Iowa State), No. 16 Chad Hanke (Oregon State) and No. 10 Zach Geisen (Stanford). Following all those duals, Macchiaroli could very well see several of those opponents again in the Pac-10 Championships.<separator></separator> TALE OF TWO TOURNAMENTS The last multiple-dual weekends have been quite the opposites for <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/meredith_jake00.html">… Meredith</a> as the junior has gone 4-3 at 184 pounds. After going 0-3 at the Virginia Duals, including two close decision losses, Meredith turned it around at the Lone Star Duals as he blasted all four of his foes for a 4-0 record. The closest match Meredith had was a 10-3 decision. He also posted two falls (4:05 and 1:03) while also scoring a 16-5 major decision as well.<separator></separator> NOT YOUR AVERAGE HEAVYWEIGHT Since the start of the Reno Tournament of Champions, which he won, heavyweight <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/cooper_levi00.html">Le… Cooper</a> has won 12-of-14 matches with his two losses coming to nationally-ranked foes. In those 11 wins, Cooper has been an uncharacteristic heavyweight as only two of those matches were the low-scoring, one-point decisions the big men usually produce. Taking out his 3-2 decision win, Cooper has won by an average of 7.14 points (in seven matches) while adding two pins (2:49 and 6:57) and one win by forfeit. Cooper’s last win was more of the stereotypical scoring, winning, 3-1, over David Morgan of CS Bakersfield.<separator></separator> ALL-STAR WINS Although the results won’t count toward their season and career records, both <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/robles_anthony00.html"… Robles</a> and <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/mtt/jenkins_bubba00.html">… Jenkins</a> dominated at the 45th NWCA All-Star Classic in Fresno, Calif., as the Sun Devil posted the only two wins by something other than a decision. First up was No. 3 Robles, who scored a 20-2 technical fall over No. 4 Zach Sanders (Minnesota) at 125 pounds. Then, Jenkins took to the mat at 157 pounds as the No. 6 Sun Devil upset No. 1 Adam Hall (Boise State) with a 12-4 major decision. Only three other matches contested saw a wrestler win by four or more points at the annual exhibition event.<separator></separator> NEXT TIME OUT The final two duals of the season await the Sun Devils next weekend as they hit the road for a pair of Pac-10 duals. First up, Arizona State will face No. 21 Oregon State at 7 p.m. PT in Corvallis, Ore., before the Sun Devils close out the year at Stanford in a 2 p.m. dual on Sunday in Palo Alto, Calif.

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