Zahid Valencia

Zahid Valencia (born November 5, 1997) is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler. As a folkstyle wrestler, he was a two-time NCAA Division I National Champion and three-time Pac-12 Conference champion out of the Arizona State University, and a three-time CIF state champion as a high schooler.[1] In freestyle, he was the '19 US National Champion and a '17 Junior World Championship medalist.[2][3]

Zahid Valencia

Personal information
Full name	Zahid Valencia
Nationality	American
Born	November 5, 1997 Bellflower, California, U.S
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	184 lb (83 kg)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Wrestling
Event(s)	Freestyle and folkstyle
Club	Sunkist Kids Sun Devil Wrestling Club
Coached by	Zeke Jones
Medal record Men's freestyle wrestling Representing  United States US National Championships 2019 Fort Worth (SN) 86 kg Junior World Championships 2017 Tampere 84 kg Collegiate Wrestling Representing the Arizona State Sun Devils NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships 2017 St. Louis 174 lb 2018 Cleveland 174 lb 2019 Pittsburgh 174 lb Pac-12 Championships 2017 Stanford 174 lb 2018 Corvallis 174 lb 2019 Tempe 174 lb

Folkstyle career

High school

Zahid attended St. John Bosco High School along with his brother Anthony and Aaron Pico.[4] A three-time CIF state champion, Valencia won four Walsh Jesuit Ironman titles and placed third in the state as a sophomore, while wrestling with a broken ankle.[5] His setback at the state tournament was the only one in his high school career, compiling 158 wins with 100 pins and 12 technical falls. When he graduated, Valencia was awarded the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award and was rated one of the top-five recruits by multiple outlets.[1][6]

College

On June 2014, the Valencia brothers announced that they had committed to the Arizona State Sun Devils, competing in the NCAA Division I level.[7]

2015-16

As a redshirt athlete, Valencia compiled eight wins and two losses in two tournaments, one loss was handed by graduated Penn State legend and two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner David Taylor (TF), and the other one by returning All-American Hayden Zillmer (3-4), placing seventh at the Midland Championships.[8] He also claimed the Edinboro Open title.[9]

2016-17

Valencia had one of the most dominant freshman campaigns in the history of the school.[10] During regular season, he racked up titles from the Midlands Championships,[11] the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite,[12] the Journeyman Collegiate Classic[13] and the Daktronics Open,[14] went 14-0 in dual meets and compiled an overall undefeated record of 31-0.[4] At the Pac-12 Championships, he defeated two opponents, including the fastest pin of the tournament (16 seconds) and was named the Outstanding Wrestler.[15] Entering the NCAA's as the undefeated top-seed, Valencia got three wins (including one over Myles Amine) to make the semifinals, where he suffered his only loss of the season, handed by Mark Hall from Penn State.[16] After his title run was derailed, Valencia got two more victories to claim third-place and capture All-American honors.[17] Once the season was over, Valencia was named the Pac-12 Wrestler and Freshman of the Year (first ever to obtain both honors), and the Sun Devil Most Outstanding Wrestler.[18]

2017-18

As a sophomore, Valencia claimed titles from the Cliff Keen Invitational (named OW)[19] and the Midlands Championships,[20] and compiled a 25-0 record during regular season.[21] In the post-season, he claimed his second straight Pac-12 Conference title,[22] and entered the NCAA's as the top-seed for the second year straight.[23] At the NCAA championships, Valencia reached the semifinals with two pins and a major decision, where he defeated returning All-American Myles Amine on points to make the finals.[23] In the finale, he dominantly defeated his rival and the returning NCAA champion Mark Hall, who denied Valencia the title opportunity the previous year, on points (10-2), to become the eleventh Sun Devil to claim an NCAA title.[24] After the season, Valencia was named the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year, marking the first time a wrestler has earned back-to-back honors since Eric Larkin ('01-'03).[25]

2018-19

In his junior year, Valencia claimed titles from the Bison Open,[26] the Cougar Clash[27] and also his third consecutive Midlands title.[28] This season marked the first and second times he had been defeated during regular season, as he was first beaten by rival Mark Hall (0-4)[29] and was then shockingly pinned by Daniel Lewis from Missouri,[30] going 13-2 in duals and 24-2 overall.[31] At the Pac-12 Championships, Valencia recorded two dominant technical falls to claim his third straight title and was named the OW.[32] At the NCAA championships, Valencia, the third seed, made his way to his second final with a pin and three major decisions, while also dominantly avenging his regular season loss to Daniel Lewis.[33] In the finale, he once again faced his nemesis Mark Hall, whom he was legendarily able to edge by a point and deny him the title for the second time, claiming his second NCAA title and avenging his other loss during regular season.[34] After the season, Valencia was named the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year for the third time.[35]

2019-20

As a senior, Valencia moved up from 174 to 184 pounds,[36] claimed titles from the Journeyman Collegiate Classic[37] and the Cliff Keen Invitational,[38] and was racking up an undefeated 12-0 record in dual meets (20-0 overall).[39] On February, Valencia tested positive to a recreational substance from the Matteo Pellicone (freestyle), and was subsequently suspended by the ASU wrestling team, which ended up officially finishing his career as a folkstyle wrestler.[40]

During his collegiate years, Valencia became a two-time NCAA Division I National Champion, a three-time All-American, a three-time Pac-12 Conference title holder and a three-time Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year.[1]

Freestyle career

Age-group

As a junior, Valencia was a three-time US World Team Member and National Champion, and placed tenth, seventh and second respectively at the World Championships.[41] He also competed at the '16 Beat the Streets dual against Mojtaba Goleij, where he was beaten.[42] He was a two-time Fargo National Champion in the cadet level.[41]

2015-2016

Valencia made his senior level debut at the Grand Prix of Spain on July 11, 2015, where he was able to place second after racking up numerous victories over international opponents.[43] He came back later at the Bill Farrell Memorial International, but was unable to place, going out with three victories and two losses.[44] To close off 2015, Valencia went 2-2 at the US Senior Nationals. In January of 2016, Valencia went 0-2 at the Dave Schultz Memorial International.[45]

2018-2020

Valencia came back to the freestyle scene in big fashion after his 18' NCAA championship run, at the US World Team Trials of May of 2018. In the WTT Challenge tournament, he opened up with a 10-0 technical fall over two-time ACC champion Josh Asper, and shook three-time NCAA Division I champion Alex Dieringer twice, downing him 7-0 and 5-1 respectively.[46] At Final X, he took on the eventual 18' World Champion Kyle Dake, whom he was defeated by 0-4 and 3-4.[47]

After one year of inactivity in freestyle, Valencia once again competed at the US World Team Trials Challenge in May of 2019. In the first round, he earned a tech fall over Geno Morelli, and a perfect 5-0 victory over his collegiate rival Mark Hall in the semifinals.[48] In the best-of-three, he once again faced Alex Dieringer, but was dominantly defeated twice my him.[49]

In December of 2019, Valencia moved up from 79 kilos to 86 kilos and claimed his first US National title at the Senior Nationals of Fort Worth, Texas. In this tournament, he claimed notable wins over Nate Jackson, Aaron Brooks and Myles Martin.[2]

He came back a month later at the 2020 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series of January, in Italy. He racked up wins over 18' World Championship runner-up Fatih Erdin and avenged his losses to Alex Dieringer to claim the title.[50] However, it was announced on February that Valencia had been disqualified due to a failed drug test, where he tested positive to a banned, recreational substance.[51] This also caused his suspension from the ASU wrestling team.[52]

Valencia was scheduled to wrestle at the '20 US Olympic Team Trials on April 4–5 at State College, Pennsylvania.[53] However, the event was postponed along with the 2020 Summer Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[54] Both competitions are now scheduled to take place in 2021.[55][56]

Valencia headlined FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Valencia on November 14, 2020, against '12 Olympic Gold medalist and four-time World Champion (at 74kg) Jordan Burroughs, at a catchweight of 185 pounds.[57] At the weigh-ins, Burroughs weighed 178.2 pounds, while Valencia marked 184.1 pounds on the scale.[58] After a perfect 4-0 first period lead, Valencia was bombed with four takedowns while only earning one step-out, which was enough for the smaller athlete to claim the victory.[59]

2021

To start off the year, Valencia competed at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France on January 16.[60] First, he drove the accomplished Russian Magomed Ramazanov to a back-and-forth match, which he ended up losing seven points to eight. In the consolation bracket, he claimed three straight victories to claim bronze, with a notable technical fall over '12 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time European Champion Dato Marsagishvili in the last match.[61]

Awards and honors

2019

• US Senior Nationals (86 kg)
• US World Team Trials (79 kg)
• NCAA Division I (174 lbs)
• Pac-12 Conference (174 lbs)
• Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year

2018

• Final X: State College (79 kg)
• NCAA Division I (174 lbs)
• Pac-12 Conference (174 lbs)
• Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year

2017

• Junior World Championship (84 kg)
• NCAA Division I (174 lbs)
• Pac-12 Conference (174 lbs)
• Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year
• Sun Devil Most Outstanding Wrestler

Freestyle record

Junior freestyle record

NCAA record

Stats

[62]

References

1. "Zahid Valencia - Wrestling". Arizona State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
2. "Schultz Claims Title, Zahid Valencia Advances to Championship Match at Senior Nationals". Arizona State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
3. "Zahid Valencia Earns Silver, USA Junior Freestyle Team Wins Title". Arizona State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
4. "ASU's only undefeated wrestler Zahid Valencia talks childhood, family and aspirations". The Arizona State Press. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
5. "The Iron Men of St. John Bosco". Orange County Register. 2013-12-20. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
6. "Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award: Zahid Valencia". Team USA. June 4, 2015.
7. "St. John Bosco wrestling's Zahid and Anthony Valencia commit to Arizona State". Press Telegram. 2014-06-09. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
8. truewrestling. "2015 Midlands Results & Thoughts – True Wrestling". Retrieved 2020-12-27.
9. "ASU wrestling gets five first-place finishes in Pennsylvania". The Arizona State Press. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
10. "Eight things to know about Arizona State at the NCAA wrestling championships". Arizona State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
11. Al, Coach (2016-12-30). "Valencia Brothers Reach Midlands Semi-Finals along with De La Riva and IMAR". The California Wrestler. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
12. "Six returning champs, 4 freshmen reach finals in Las Vegas". InterMat. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
13. "Z. Valencia Finishes First, Sun Devils Earn Eight Top Three Finishes". Arizona State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
14. "See the results for the 2016 Warren Williamson/Daktronics Open wrestling event on FloWrestling.org". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
15. "Arizona State captures 2017 Pac-12 Wrestling Championship | Pac-12". pac-12.com. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
16. "Top seeds hold firm, Penn State separates as semifinals set at NCAA Division I Championships". Team USA. March 17, 2017.
17. "ASU wrestling finishes strong at 2017 NCAA Championships". The Arizona State Press. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
18. "Arizona State's Zahid Valencia named Pac-12 Freshman and Wrestler of the Year | Pac-12". pac-12.com. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
19. "Wrestling: Ohio State wins 3 individual brackets, team title in Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational tournament". The Lantern. 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
20. Goodwin, Cody. "Midlands Takeaways: Sorensen wins third consecutive crown, Iowa wins fifth straight team title". Hawk Central. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
21. "Pac-12 announces Wrestler of the Week | Pac-12". pac-12.com. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
22. "No. 9 ASU wrestling wins back-to-back Pac-12 championships". The Arizona State Press. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
23. "Zahid Valencia Advances to NCAA Finals, Has 3 All-Americans". Arizona State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
24. Kaye, Jordan (2018-03-18). "ASU Wrestling: Zahid Valencia becomes national champion after revenge victory over Mark Hall". House of Sparky. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
25. "Arizona State sweeps Pac-12 Wrestling honors | Pac-12". pac-12.com. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
26. "16 From No. 6 Place, Seven Win Championships at 48th Bison Open". Arizona State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
27. "ASU wins SIUE Cougar Clash". InterMat. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
28. "No. 8 Arizona State's Zahid Valencia Threepeats Midlands Title". ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact. 2018-12-30. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
29. PennLive, Jim Carlson | Special to (2018-12-15). "No. 2 Mark Hall knocks off No. 1, and No. 1 Penn State wrestlers roll past Arizona State, 41-3". pennlive. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
30. Riddell, Will (2019-02-09). "ASU Wrestling: #10 Arizona State drops fourth straight with a loss to #5 Missouri". House of Sparky. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
31. Metcalfe, Jeff. "ASU wrestling hosts Pac-12 Championships, seeking third consecutive title". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
32. "Stanford Captures First Pac-12 Wrestling Title | Pac-12". pac-12.com. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
33. "Valencia Advances to Second Straight National Title Match". Arizona State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
34. "Zahid Valencia Taunts Mark Hall With His Own Celebrations At NCAA Championships". Onward State. 2019-03-24. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
35. "Wrestling's Zahid Valencia Named Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year". Arizona State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
36. "ASUDevils - ASU wrestling ready to take on 'Goliath' no. 1 Penn State". arizonastate.rivals.com. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
37. "10 From Place, Three Win Championships at Journeymen Collegiate Classic". Arizona State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
38. "Zahid Valencia Wins Third CKLV Title, Finishes Third". Arizona State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
39. "2019-20 Sun Devil Wrestling Roster/Schedule" (PDF).
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41. "Biography - Zahid Valencia, AZ". www.usawmembership.com. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
42. Staff, A. W. P. (2016-05-19). "Beat The Streets Results". Associated Wrestling Press. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
43. "Zahid Valencia, Teshya Alo named 2015 ASICS High School Wrestlers of the Year". Team USA. July 23, 2015.
44. "2015 Bill Farrell International Open". Trackwrestling. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
45. "2016 Dave Schultz Memorial International". Trackwrestling. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
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47. Smith, Earl (2018-06-17). "Final X State College Results". The Open Mat. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
48. "Penn State Wrestling's Nickal, Retherford Advance To Final X With Chance To Qualify For World Team". Onward State. 2019-05-19. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
49. Cain, Brandon M. (2019-05-19). "Oklahoma State's Alex Dieringer will wrestle Kyle Dake at Final X: Rutgers". Cowboys Ride For Free. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
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52. "Zahid Valencia suspended by ASU after failed drug test". InterMat. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
53. "Olympic Team Trials Will Be At Penn State April 4-5, 2020". www.flowrestling.org. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
54. Kratch, James (2020-03-31). "USA Wrestling moves Olympic Trials to 2021 due to coronavirus pandemic | What it means". nj. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
55. CooperBergen, Darren. "With Olympics postponed, wrestler Suriano now focusing on his next move". recordonline.com. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
56. Church, Ben. "Virus expert 'pessimistic' over Tokyo Olympics". CNN. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
57. "Alumni Zahid Valencia Set to Wrestle Olympian Jordan Burroughs". Arizona State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
58. Guenther, Dylan (2020-11-14). "King Burroughs Reigns Supreme". Corn Nation. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
59. "Burroughs rallies past Valencia in FloWrestling show". InterMat. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
60. Eric. "Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France Preliminary Entries". United World Wrestling. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
61. "Snyder, Dake, Diakomihalis and Suriano win gold, four others earn medals at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix". Team USA. January 16, 2021.
62. LLC, ACS. "Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) Profile". www.wrestlestat.com. Retrieved 2020-11-11.

External links

• Zahid Valencia at United World Wrestling