April 9, 2011
TEMPE – The Pac-10 Conference announced the recipients of its 2010-11 wrestling season awards and, for the first time in conference history, one school has swept all three honors as Arizona State University wrestlers Anthony Robles and Bubba Jenkins and head coach Shawn Charles were selected for honors in a vote by the Pac-10 coaches. Robles was named the Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year for the second time in his career while Jenkins and Charles were selected as the Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year and the Pac-10 Coach of the Year.
Robles, who also was the 2009 Pac-10 Wrestler of the Year, went 36-0 in his senior campaign and captured his third Pac-10 title at 125 pounds before winning his first NCAA Championship as the top-seed in the tournament. The 2011 Pac-10 Championships and 20111 NCAA Wrestling Championships Outstanding Wrestler honoree, Robles dominated most of his foes all season with a nation-leading 24 technical fall victories. In the end, Robles scored a 7-1 decision in the national final over second-seeded and defending champion Matt McDonough (Iowa).
Jenkins, a redshirt senior, joined Robles as a 2011 NCAA Champion as he worked from the No. 4 seed into the finals where he pinned second-seeded David Taylor (Penn State) with a pin in 4:41. The former Nittany Lion and 2008 NCAA Runner-up at 149 for PSU before transferring to ASU this past fall, Jenkins locked a cradle on his former teammate for the dramatic win and his first national crown. On the year, Jenkins went 21-3 and was the Pac-10 runner-up in his first action back from knee surgery in January.
Charles, who just completed his second season with his Alma Mater, led two individuals to national titles and, along with heavyweight Levi Cooper, had three All-Americans this year, the most in one NCAA tournament for ASU since 2006. Leading the only school to have multiple NCAA champions this season, Charles’ Sun Devils finish sixth in the national team standings after posting a 5-13 dual meet record. In the Conference, Charles worked to bring back two individuals from injury and helped lead the team to a third-place showing at Oregon State with three finalists and one champion.
Overall, ASU is now the only school in the history of the conference to win all three annual honors win the introduction of the Newcomer of the Year award in 2000. Robles’ honor is the 16th earned by a Sun Devil since ASU joined the Pac-10 in 1978-79 and makes him the 10th different Sun Devil to be so honored. He also is one of just five ASU wrestlers to earn the Athlete of the Year honor from the Pac-10 more than once with only Eric Larkin having more (three-time honoree). Along with Jenkins, Charles earned his first Pac-10 honor and the 16th Pac-10 Coach of the Year honor for the program. Charles’ first honor and the first for and ASU coach since Thom Ortiz in 2006, Charles joins his coach, Bobby Douglas (eight times), Lee Roy Smith (four times) and Ortiz (three times) as Sun Devil coaches to be honored.