8 Things to Know About Sun Devil Wrestling Before 2019 NCAA’s

PITTSBURGH – Alongside the best collegiate wrestlers in the nation, four Sun Devils prepare to compete for All-America status and national championships this weekend (March 21-23) in Pittsburgh at the 2019 NCAA Wrestling Championships.
 
Schedule (All times ET)
Session 1 (First Round) • Thursday, March 21 • Noon • ESPNU
Session 2 (Second Round) • Thursday, March 21 • 7 pm • ESPN
Session 3 (Quarterfinals) • Friday, March 22 • 11 am • ESPNU
Session 4 (Semifinals) • Friday, March 22 • 8 pm • ESPN
Session 5 (Medal Round) • Saturday, March 23 • 11 am • ESPNU
Session 6 (Championship) • Saturday, March 23 • 7 pm • ESPN
 
Live scoring throughout the championship will also be available at http://on.ncaa.com/2019WR.
 
Here are 8 things to know before competition starts Thursday:

1. Zahid Valencia looks to become the first-ever Sun Devil to win back-to-back national championships at the same weight class. ASU's only back-to-back national champion Dan St. John (1989, 1990) moved up from 158 to 167 lbs. between national championships.
2. All-Americans Zahid Valencia and Josh Shields could earn their 100th career wins this weekend as redshirt juniors each with one year of eligibility remaining. Shields is five wins away (95) while Valencia is four away (96).
3. Arizona State alum and 2011 national champion Anthony Robles returns to the ESPN broadcast team this season. The entire event will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks, with the Second Round, Semifinals, and Finals broadcast on ESPN. The First Round, Quarterfinals, and Medal Round will be on ESPNU and all matches on all mats will be on ESPN3.
4. The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships are the third-highest grossing NCAA championships, only behind NCAA basketball and football. Last season in Cleveland, new single-session attendance (session 6/19,776) and total attendance (113,743) records for the championships were set.
5. Valencia could become the 10th three-time All-American in Sun Devil Wrestling history (last: Anthony Robles from 2009-11). He's on track to become just the fifth four-time All-American (last: Eric Larkin, 1999-2003).
6. Christian Pagdilao and Josh Maruca make their second career NCAA appearances. For Maruca, he last appeared in 2017 after winning a Pac-12 championship and for Pagdilao, he bookends his career with Pac-12 titles and NCAA appearances after one as a redshirt freshman in 2015.
7. NFL Hall of Famer and Sun Devil NCAA Wrestling Champion Curley Culp will be part of the NCAA Wrestling Fan Fest at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh. The fan fest will take place mostly during the breaks between sessions – Thursday from 3-7 pm, Friday from 2-7:30 pm, and Saturday from 1-6:30 pm.
8. Josh Shields and Josh Maruca return to their home state, joining 53 total wrestlers in the 330-man field, the most from any one state. Shields and Maruca grew up in nearby Murrysville, PA just 20 miles away from PPG Paints Arena.

FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS:

• 149 – No. 23 Josh Maruca vs. No. 10 Pat Lugo (Iowa)
• 157 – No. 9 Christian Pagdilao vs. No. 24 Joshua McClure (UNC)
• 165 – No. 3 Josh Shields vs. No. 30 Colston DiBlasi (George Mason)
• 174 – No. 3 Zahid Valencia vs. Dean Sherry (Rider)