FAYZULLAEV HEADS TO ARIZONA STATE
Northwest College’s two-time national champion wrestler will have a new home this upcoming fall, as the dominant Aziz Fayzullaev will take his talents south to Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona after signing in June.
BY SETH ROMSA TRIBUNE SPORTS WRITER
Courtesy of the Powell Tribune
Northwest College's two-time national champion wrestler will have a new home this upcoming fall, as the dominant Aziz Fayzullaev will take his talents south to Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona after signing in June.
Throughout his two years in Powell, Fayzullaev claimed two national championships at different weights, winning at 174 pounds in the 2022-23 season and at 184 pounds this past season.
Over those two years he put on dominant displays during his matches, only losing one match in his Northwest career.
He will continue his long journey from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where he was the U23 Asian Champion prior to attending Northwest the last two years.
Arizona State boasts one of the top programs in the country, with the Sun Devils claiming four of the past five Pac-12 Conference championships and 24 total conference titles in school history.
Individually, the Sun Devils have crowned 13 individual national champions, including Richard Figueroa last season at 125 pounds.
Arizona State also is the only program west of the Rockies to have claimed a national title, winning an NCAA team championship in 1988.
Last season the Sun Devils were in the mix for the top, finishing with 64.5 points to take sixth, just eight points behind second place Cornell as Penn State ran away with the team title once again with 172.5 points.
Arizona State was unable to place any wrestlers in the top eight at either 174 or 184 pounds last season at the national championships, as Fayzullaev joins the Sun Devils with a chance to continue his dominant career.