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Figueroa Brings Home Sun Devils’ Third Consecutive Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year Award

by thesundevils.com
Mar 28, 2024

TEMPE, Ariz. – For the third consecutive season, the best wrestler in the conference was a Sun Devil.

After a storybook run in Kansas City en route to a national championship title, 125-pounder Richard Figueroa has been named the Pac-12 Conference Wrestler of the Year, the conference announced Thursday.

Figueroa joins Brandon Courtney (2023) and Cohlton Schultz (2022) as the Sun Devil trio to take home each of the past three yearly awards.

The Sanger, California, native was electric at the NCAA Championships, rattling off five wins in three days to become the 10th individual national champion in team history. He beat No. 25 Ethan Berginc (Army), No. 9 Patrick McKee (Minnesota), No. 1 Braeden Davis (Penn State), No. 12 Anthony Noto and No. 3 Drake Ayala (Iowa).

"We're happy for Richard," 10th-year head coach Zeke Jones said. "He exemplifies what it means to be the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year. Hard work, dedication, discipline and overcoming obstacles are all part of the equation in becoming the best. Richard comes from a long line of Pac-12 Wrestlers of the Year like Zahid Valencia, Eric Larkin and Markus Mollica. He will go down in history now as one of the Pac-12 Wrestling greats. We are proud of Richard."  

He Did It! Figueroa Delivers ASU's First Individual National Championship Since 2019; Sun Devils Place Sixth | Arizona State Pac-12 Major Awards History (All Sports) | Sun Devil Individual National Champions by Year

PAC-12 WRESTLERS OF THE YEAR IN SUN DEVIL HISTORY
Richard Figueroa, 2024
Brandon Courtney, 2023
Cohlton Schultz, 2022
Zahid Valencia, 2019
Zahid Valencia, 2018
Zahid Valencia, 2017
Blake Stauffer, 2015
Anthony Robles, 2011
Anthony Robles, 2009
Cain Velasquez, 2005
Eric Larkin, 2003
Eric Larkin, 2002
Eric Larkin, 2001
Steve Blackford, 2000
Ray Miller, 1993
Ray Miller, 1992
Dan St. John, 1990
Dan St. John, 1989
Mike Davies, 1988
Mike Davies, 1987
Adam Cohen, 1986
Eddie Urbano, 1985
Gary Bohay, 1983

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Ranked the No. 8 seed heading into the NCAA Championships, Figueroa was widely considered to be one of the top 125-pounders in the country all year, even holding the No. 1 ranking in the opening acts of the 2023 season.

A late December injury held him out of the starting lineup for nearly a month, returning in the Sun Devils' dual against Little Rock on Jan. 19. He went 13-3 the rest of the way, with wins coming against top 125-pounders in Luke Stanich (Lehigh), Caleb Smith (Nebraska), Braeden Davis (Penn State), Anthony Noto (Lock Haven) and Drake Ayala (Iowa).

He went through a lull in February in which he dropped three of four dual matches, but after big upsets of Stanich and Smith at home to close out the month, Figueroa told reporters, "I've got my mojo back."

His late spark brought on his first Pac-12 Championship conference title, beating Stanford's Nico Provo in the final, and the school's 13th total national championship title.

Figueroa is the 15th Sun Devil in school history to be named the conference's Wrestler of the Year.

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