Dec. 30, 2008

Final Brackets and Team Scores (pdf)

TEMPE - Ben Ashmore, competing unattached from the team, finished fifth overall and Anthony Robles placed seventh at 125 pounds to lead the Arizona State University wrestling team to a 19th-place team finish as wrestling concluded at the 46th Midlands Championships inside Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Ill.

The Sun Devils, who scored 27 points, placed 19th overall and 17th among collegiate teams, while No. 1 Iowa edged No. 2 Iowa State, 156.5-153.5, for the team title. No. 5 Missouri (121.5), No. 10 Wisconsin (98.5) and No. 20 Northwestern (88.5), the tournament's host, rounded out the Top 5 while the remaining members of the Top 10 included No. 12 Central Michigan (83), Purdue (82.5), American (57.5), Maryland (56) and No. 8 Illinois (54).

At 125 pounds, a pair of Sun Devils placed among the Top 8 with Robles finishing seventh and Ashmore placing fifth overall. Robles opened the day with a 17-1 technical fall victory over Jason Lara of Oregon State before falling to Ashmore in the consolation quarterfinals, 3-2. Robles bounced back in the medal round with another 17-1 technical fall victory, this time downing seventh-seeded and 20th-ranked Ben Kjar of Utah Valley State.

Ashmore, in his first action of the season and competing unattached to the team after transferring in from Oklahoma State over the summer, opened his day with a medical forfeit victory over top-ranked and top-seeded Charlie Falck of Iowa before winning the showdown with teammate Robles to advance to the consolation semifinals. Facing his second ranked foe in a row, Ashmore dropped an 8-4 decision to sixth-seeded and ninth-ranked Scott Sentes of Central Michigan, which pushed him into the fifth-place bout that he won with a 2-1 decision over eighth-seeded Jay Ivanco of Clarion. Overall in the tournament, Ashmore posted a 7-2 record with three wins by fall and one by technical fall.

The only other Sun Devil to compete on the day was Chris Drouin at 141 pounds. The fifth-ranked and unseeded Sun Devil took on third-ranked and third-seeded Nick Gallick of Iowa State and fell, 4-0.

The Sun Devils return to dual action this weekend with a pair of duals in the Valley of the Sun. First up, the Sun Devils and Antelopes of Grand Canyon will meet at GCU at 5 p.m. Saturday before ASU and Pac-10 rival CS Bakersfield face one-another at 6 p.m. on Sunday inside Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe.

Arizona State at the 46th Midlands Championships
Tuesday, December 30 Results - ASU Only
##/## indicates tournament seeding/national ranking

125 - #5/#8 Anthony Robles (4-2, Seventh Place)
Conso 6th -- Robles tech fall Jason Lara (Oregon State), 17-1
Conso 1/4 -- Ben Ashmore (Arizona State) decision Robles, 3-2
7th-8th -- Robles tech fall #7/#20 Ben Kjar (Utah Valley State), 17-1

125 - Ben Ashmore - (7-2, Fifth Place) - competing unattached from ASU
Conso 6th -- Ashmore defeated #1/#1 Charlie Falck (Iowa State), medical forfeit
Conso 1/4 -- Ashmore decision #5/#8 Anthony Robles (Arizona State), 3-2
Conso 1/2 -- #6/#9 Scott Sentes (Central Michigan) decision Ashmore, 8-4
5th-6th -- Ashmore decision #8/nr Jay Ivanco (Clarion), 2-1

141 - ns/#5 Chris Drouin (2-2, DNP)
Conso 6th -- #3/#3 Nick Gallick (Iowa State) decision Drouin, 4-0

Final Team Scores
1. #1 Iowa - 156.5
2. #2 Iowa State - 153.5
3. #5 Missouri - 121.5
4. #10 Wisconsin - 98.5
5. #20 Northwestern - 88.5
6. #12 Central Michigan - 83.0
7. Purdue - 82.5
8. American - 57.5
9. Maryland - 56.0
10. #8 Illinois - 54.0
19. Arizona State - 27.0