1996-97 Sun Devil Wrestling Season Highlights
Wrestling (Lee Roy Smith/4th Year): Won its 10th Pac-10 team title before a raucous crowd at the Activity Center...placed 20th at NCAAs with four All-Americans - senior Joey Heckel (134), junior Matt Suter (158), sophomore Casey Strand (167) and senior Danny Faqir (190)...four others won conference crowns - Suter, Strand, junior Aaron Simpson (177) and Faqir...posted a dual record of 13-5...went 8-5 against ranked teams...Strand led the team with 37 wins and was ranked as high as fourth at 167 in the regular season...Simpson (32-6) was ranked as high as second and was the third seed at 177 at nationals...both Strand and Simpson won titles at the Midlands and California Open...Simpson was 16-1 in dual matches...Suter won the 158 title at the Cal Open and was runner-up at Las Vegas...junior Shawn Ford was a Pac-10 runner-up at 126 and posted 29 wins...senior Michael Douglas was the Pac-10 runner-up at 150...Faqir led the team with five wins by fall...ASU tied a school record by qualifying nine wrestlers for nationals...Lee Roy Smith was Pac-10 Co-Coach of the Year, sharing the honor with Cal State Bakersfield's T.J. Kerr.