Sun Devil Wrestling Returns Eight Starters For 2014-15 Season

TEMPE, Ariz.—The Arizona State wrestling team has a host of returning Sun Devils this season, led by redshirt junior Blake Stauffer, who qualified for back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2013 and 2014.

Stauffer finished 22-10 a season ago, taking third at the Pac-12 Championships before he went 2-2 at the NCAA Championships. Undefeated in regular-season conference competition, the Neosho, Mo., native, picked up 12 bonus-point victories on the year and was 12-1 in dual matches.

“I like the prospects for the season,” head coach Zeke Jones said. “I think we’re in the beginning phase of our year, and we’re building a system, trying to develop a culture within the program, and I like where we are. Our health, technique, conditioning, tactics are all in a good spot and we will continue to develop.”

Also back in action for ASU this year are junior Ares Carpio (125), redshirt junior Josh DaSilveira (197), redshirt senior Chace Eskam (HWT), junior Matt Kraus (141), senior Preston McCalmon (149), sophomore Wes Moore (197), senior Tyree Owens (133), redshirt senior Kevin Radford (184), redshirt senior Hans Rasmusson (149), sophomore Matt Schneider (165), junior Kaylon Sencio (157), redshirt senior Joel Smith (157), sophomore Mech Spraggins (141), and junior Ray Waters.

Smith finished 19-11 overall and 4-1 in Pac-12 matches, winning four pins, including three of ASU’s top-10 times on the year. Also notching three pins in the top-10 by time was Waters, who moved from 165-pounds to 174-pounds, finishing the year with eight bonus-point victories.

“At 149 and 157, we really have a mix of youth versus experience,” Jones said. “We’re relatively close, and it really tells us that we have some good, experienced guys here who have excelled at different points in their career, and we also have some emerging guys that want to be the future of the program, and that is a very healthy thing. We’re going to see our younger guys squaring off with these returners all throughout the year, especially coming up this weekend where our guys can potentially wrestle each other again.”

Starting off the year competing at 197-pounds, Eskam moved up to compete at heavyweight for the second half of the year, and wrapped up the year winning three of his last six matches. Eskam’s first win of the season, at the 2013 Cowboy Open, was his first since returning from a cancer diagnosis that sidelined him for all of the 2012-13 season.

DaSilveira and Moore split time at 197-pounds, totaling 11 wins. At the Intersquad, the pair dueled to a 3-2 decision that was decided in overtime in DaSilveira’s favor.

“We were really splitting hairs at some of those weight classes, 184 and 197 especially,” Jones said. “From the Intersquad, you wrestle the match between Josh (DaSilviera) and Wes (Moore) 10 times, it might be like flipping a coin it was so close. Wes and Josh are developing, and they both realizing that they’re fighting for a starting spot. It’s good, healthy, and who emerges will really be the one who gets tough, gets better every day, who stays steady and consistent, and ultimately who can perform in competition.”

Also starting each dual match at their respective weight classes were Carpio at 125-pounds, Kraus at 141-pounds, and McCalmon at 149-pounds. Carpio and Kraus both finished Pac-12 competition with 3-2 records, while McCalmon picked up his first career bonus-point win early on during the Cowboy Open.

The Sun Devils open the 2014-15 season on Sunday, Nov. 2 at the Daktronics Open in Brookings, S.D. ASU’s first home dual of the year is set for Friday, Nov. 21 versus Utah Valley at 7 p.m. PT at Wells Fargo Arena. The match will be streamed live via thesundevils.com.