1997-98 Wrestling Outlook
Ten year's ago Arizona State wrestling reached the pinnacle, winning the school's first and only national championship. On the tenth anniversary of their crowning achievement, head coach Lee Roy Smith has a squad that hopes to contend for the school's second championship.
This year's squad returns four All-Americans from a team that won it's 11th Pacific-10 Championship in the past 14 years. In addition, Smith brings in a recruiting class that will make an immediate impact on the success of this year's team, as well provide a foundation for future success.
One of the key's for this year's success will come from the team's maturation through one of the most difficult schedules in the country. This year's squad will open against pre-season No.1 Oklahoma State, as well as a road duel against No. 7 Oklahoma and home duels against No. 2 Iowa and No. 9 Iowa State.
Here's a look at the 1997-98 Sun Devils by weight class:
118- Sophomore Michael Kawamura qualified for the NCAAs last year with his fourth place finish at the Pac-10s, but will be pushed for the starting job by Sophomore Matt Azevedo. Kawamura, who won two matches at the NCAAs, finished the year with a 9-14 overall record, 5-8 in duals. Azevedo registered a 7-8 overall mark last season, highlighted by his sixth place finish at the Cal Open. Over the summer Azevedo recorded a fifth place showing at the Espior Nationals.
126- Three-time Pac-10 Champion Danny Felix returns to the team for his senior season after redshirting last year. Felix, who won his three titles at the 118 class, expects to challenge for conference and national honors at his new weight. Senior Shawn Ford is also penciled in at 126. Ford, who still could use his redshirt year, finished second at the Pac-10s, second at the Midlands Invitational and placed third at both the Cal Open and Las Vegas Open. Sophomore Arturo Anaya is expected to add depth to this weight class.
134- This weight class may be the most wide open for this year's Sun Devil team. Three freshmen, Quinn Foster, David Douglas and Joaquin Contreras are the leading candidates for the starting nod here. Foster was a National High School Champion at Blair Academy in New Jersey. Douglas was a four-time Illinois state champion and finished his high school career with an outstanding 132-3 record. Douglas also was named a College Choice All-American by Amateur Wrestling News. Contreras enters the Sun Devil program after a senior season at Salpointe Catholic High School (Tucson) that saw him finish with a 34-1 record and a state championship.
142- Senior Tracy Brown looks to be the top-returnee at this weight class. Last season Brown wrestled to a fifth place finish and an NCAA wild card entry after seeing action in only ten matches during the year. Freshman Todd Keller is expected to push Brown for time. Keller comes to ASU via Shadow Mountain High School in Phoenix, where he placed three times in the top-five at the high school state championships. Freshmen Jeff Alexander and Marty West round out the 142 corps.
150- Redshirt freshman Steve Blackford will look to fill the void left by two-year starter Michael Douglas. Blackford won the Espoir Nationals this summer and placed fifth at the University Nationals. Blackford has normally wrestled at 158 and will be attempting to move down to 150. If Blackford should stumble, look for senior Adam Friedman and sophomores Jose Moreno or Frank Gutierrez to step in.
158- Senior All-American Matt Suter returns after placing eighth at the NCAAs and winning the Pac-10 crown in arguably the toughest weight class in the country. Suter, who received a fifth place pre-season ranking by Amateur Wrestling News, finished with an overall record of 26-14, improving his career mark to 78-35. Suter will be favored to win his second Pac-10 crown and should again compete for national honors. Blackford, Gutierrez or Moreno could all make the move to 158 if necessary.
167- Junior Casey Strand earned All-American honors for his sixth place finish at the NCAAs, the highest of any returning Sun Devil. In addition, Strand won the Pac-10 title and finished with a 37-6 mark. This season Stand has been ranked fourth in his weight class by the AWN pre-season rankings. Patrick Catarello will add depth at 167.
177- Senior Aaron Simpson was ranked as high as No. 2 in the country last season and won the Pac-10 title, yet did not place at the NCAAs. An early upset stopped Simpson last year at the NCAAs, but may have fueled a fire that may see Arizona State's first national champion since 1995. Simpson, who was ranked third by AWN in the pre-season, finished 16-1 in duals for the Sun Devils. Over the summer, Simpson won the University Nationals and placed second at the Pan Am Championships. Senior Michael Clark, a '96 transfer from William Rainey Harper College, could also see time.
190- This weight class is up for grabs after the loss of All-American and Pac-10 Champion Danny Faqir. Senior Jake Harman and freshman Micah Daggy will battle it out for the starting spot. Harman hopes to make the jump up from the 167 weight class. Daggy posted an overall record of 70-27, while wrestling in high school. Clark could also make the jump up to his weight if needed.
HWT- Last season this was the only weight class that Arizona State did not send a representative to the NCAAs. This year should be different with the return of senior Joe Micela and incoming freshmen David Gutierrez and Jed Jobe. Micela just missed qualifying for the nationals last year. With another year of off-season training, Micela should establish himself as a contender for conference honors and a berth in the nationals. Local product Jobe, enters the program after winning two state titles for Gilbert High School in '95 and '96. Gutierrez, a Shadow Mountain (Phoenix) graduate, won the state championship in '97.