Sun Devil Wrestling Rallies in Dominant Fashion to Top Cal Baptist, 31-9
TEMPE - What started as a stumble turned into a statement. After dropping the opening two bouts, Arizona State Wrestling flipped the switch and never looked back, rattling off eight straight wins to cruise past Cal Baptist, 31-9, in a Big 12 matchup Friday night at Desert Financial Arena.
Down 9-0 early, the Sun Devils needed a spark - and Kaleb Larkin lit the fuse. The redshirt sophomore, ranked No. 5 nationally at 157 pounds, delivered a clinical 6-0 decision that not only put points on the board but injected life into a squad that looked flat out of the gate. From that moment on, it was all ASU.
Momentum Shift Turns Into a Tidal Wave
The real turning point came right after Larkin’s win. Arizona State unleashed a three-match barrage of technical falls, courtesy of Nicco Ruiz (165), Cael Valencia (174), and Shay Addison (184). That trio alone poured in 15 points - nearly half of ASU’s total on the night - and completely swung the momentum in the Sun Devils' favor.
Ruiz, ranked No. 14, rebounded from a rocky start in his bout to post a 22-7 tech fall in under five minutes. Valencia followed with a 21-5 performance of his own, and Addison kept the pressure on with an 18-1 dismantling of his opponent. Each of them showcased not just dominance, but the kind of sharpness and conditioning that coaches love to see with postseason wrestling just around the corner.
Kyler Larkin Returns, Picks Up Where He Left Off
The night also marked the return of freshman Kyler Larkin, who hadn’t wrestled since January 15 against Missouri. He didn’t miss a beat.
Facing No. 31 Remy Murillo at 133 pounds, Larkin controlled the tempo from start to finish en route to a 7-2 decision.
That win moved him to 15-1 on the year and 6-1 against ranked opponents - a resume that’s quietly building into something special.
Wins Across the Lineup
The Sun Devils closed out the dual with solid wins from Colton Hawks (197), David Szuba (HWT), and An’ee Vigil (125), who opened the dual with a 14-3 major decision that marked his first at the D1 level. Hawks’ 6-4 decision was the 65th win of his collegiate career, spanning time at both Missouri and ASU. Szuba added a workmanlike 5-2 victory to cap off the heavyweight slot.
A Final Chapter in the Series
This win gave ASU a 2-0 edge in the all-time series with Cal Baptist - a series that, barring a surprise, appears to be closing its final chapter. CBU announced in early January that it will discontinue its wrestling program at the end of the 2025-26 season.
What’s Next
With the win, ASU moves to 4-11 overall and 2-7 in Big 12 competition. The Sun Devils will wrap up their dual season on Saturday, February 21, against Lehigh - one final tune-up before postseason action begins.
Coach Zeke Jones on the Team’s Resilience:
“We got a win, so that was good,” Jones said. “But I wasn’t happy with how we started.
Pierson (Manville) wrestled a really good match and made one mistake - and in wrestling, one move can end it. That’s one of the beautiful and brutal things about this sport.”
After that early stumble, Jones said the message was simple: wake up.
“And I think we did. Once Kaleb (Larkin) stepped up, you could see the energy shift.
Then Nicco, then Cael, then Shay - we just kept handing off momentum. That’s what great teams do.”
Nicco Ruiz on the Turnaround:
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Ruiz said. “I didn’t start off that well, but we regrouped, got back to the game plan, and now we’re rolling. It’s perfect timing with Big 12s and NCAAs coming up.”
As for his own performance?
“Every match is like a practice match for me,” Ruiz said. “I’m trying to hit my stuff, test what’s working, and grow. That’s how I look at it - keep building.”
Match Results:
ASU 31, Cal Baptist 9
- 125: An’ee Vigil (ASU) MD 14-3 over Cooper Shore
- 133: No.
5 Kyler Larkin (ASU) Dec. 7-2 over No. 31 Remy Murillo
- 141: Jesse Vasquez (CBU) Fall (3:12) over No. 20 Pierson Manville
- 149: Paul Kelly (CBU) MD 12-0 over Daniel Miranda
- 157: No.
5 Kaleb Larkin (ASU) Dec. 6-0 over Draydon Morton
- 165: No.
14 Nicco Ruiz (ASU) TF 22-7 (4:45) over Gabe Schumm
- 174: Cael Valencia (ASU) TF 21-5 (5:58) over Tim Cowan
- 184: Shay Addison (ASU) TF 18-1 (5:19) over Adonis Bonar
- 197: Colton Hawks (ASU) Dec. 6-4 over Eli Sheeren
- HWT: David Szuba (ASU) Dec. 5-2 over Tristan Kemp
Notable Numbers:
- Kaleb Larkin picked up his team-leading 20th win of the season.
- Kyler Larkin improved to 6-1 against ranked opponents this year - his only loss coming via medical forfeit.
- Cael Valencia is now 12-1 against unranked foes, with seven tech falls - tied with Ruiz for the team lead.
- An’ee Vigil earned his first D1 major decision after transferring from Clackamas CC.
- Colton Hawks notched his 65th career win across stints at ASU and Missouri.
- ASU’s eight-bout win streak is its longest since November 2024, when it rolled past Embry-Riddle, 48-5.
Up Next:
The Sun Devils return to Desert Financial Arena one last time this season for a dual against Lehigh on February 21. With the Big 12 Championships and NCAA Tournament looming, ASU is showing signs of peaking at just the right time.