Zahid Valencia

Last updated

Zahid Valencia
Personal information
Full nameZahid Valencia
Born (1997-05-11) May 11, 1997 (age 27)
Bellflower, California, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight184 lb (83 kg)
Sport
CountryUnited States
Sport Wrestling
Event(s) Freestyle and Folkstyle
Club Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club
Sun Devil Wrestling Club
Coached by Zeke Jones
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
World Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2023 Belgrade 92 kg
Pan American Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2022 Acapulco 86 kg
World Cup
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2022 Coralville Team
Grand Prix
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2015 Madrid 86 kg
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2021 Rome 86 kg
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2021 Warsaw 86 kg
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 Budapest 92 kg
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2021 Nice 86 kg
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2022 Krasnoyarsk 86 kg
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2023 Zagreb 86 kg
Junior World Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2017 Tampere 84 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Arizona State Sun Devils
NCAA Division I Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2018 Cleveland 174 lb
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2019 Pittsburgh 174 lb
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2017 St. Louis 174 lb
Pac-12 Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2017 Stanford174 lb
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2018 Oregon State174 lb
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg2019 Arizona State174 lb

Zahid Valencia (born May 11, 1997) is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 86 kilograms. [1] [2] As a folkstyle wrestler, he was a two-time NCAA Division I national champion and three-time Pac-12 Conference champion out of Arizona State University. [3] In freestyle, he was the 2019 US national champion and has competed at multiple international tournaments, winning gold at the Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2021 and 2021 Poland Open and bronze at the Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane 2021. [4] [1]

Contents

Folkstyle career

High school

Zahid attended St. John Bosco High School along with his brother Anthony and Aaron Pico. [5] 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. [6] 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, was named the 2015 Junior Hodge Trophy winner, [7] and was rated one of the top-five recruits by multiple outlets. [3] [8]

College

In June 2014, Zahid and his brother Anthony, announced that they had committed to the Arizona State Sun Devils, competing in the NCAA Division I level. [9]

2015–2016

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. [10] He also claimed the Edinboro Open title. [11]

2016–2017

Valencia had one of the most dominant freshman campaigns in the history of the school. [12] During regular season, he racked up titles from the Midlands Championships, [13] the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite, [14] the Journeyman Collegiate Classic [15] and the Daktronics Open, [16] went 14–0 in dual meets and compiled an overall undefeated record of 31–0. [5] At the Pac-12 Championships, he defeated two opponents, including the fastest pin of the tournament (16 seconds) and was named the Outstanding Wrestler . [17] 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. [18] After his title run was derailed, Valencia got two more victories to claim third-place and capture All-American honors. [19] 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. [20]

2017–2018

As a sophomore, Valencia claimed titles from the Cliff Keen Invitational (named OW) [21] and the Midlands Championships, [22] and compiled a 25–0 record during regular season. [23] In the post-season, he claimed his second straight Pac-12 Conference title, [24] and entered the NCAA's as the top-seed for the second year straight. [25] At the NCAA championships, Valencia reached the semifinals with two pins and a major decision, where he defeated returning All-American Myles Amine by decision to make the finals. [25] In the finale, he defeated his rival and the returning NCAA champion Mark Hall, who denied Valencia the title opportunity the previous year (8–2 decision), to become the eleventh Sun Devil to claim an NCAA title. [26] 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). [27]

2018–2019

In his junior year, Valencia claimed titles from the Bison Open, [28] the Cougar Clash [29] and also his third consecutive Midlands title. [30] 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) [31] and was then shockingly pinned by Daniel Lewis from Missouri, [32] going 13–2 in duals and 24-2 overall. [33] At the Pac-12 Championships, Valencia recorded two dominant technical falls to claim his third straight title and was named the OW. [34] At the NCAA championships, Valencia, the third seed, made his way to his second final with a pin and three major decisions, while avenging his regular-season loss to Daniel Lewis. [35] In the finale, he once again faced his nemesis Mark Hall, whom he edged by a point and denied the title for a second time, claiming his second NCAA title and avenging his other loss from the regular season. [36] After the season, Valencia was named the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year for the third time. [37]

2019–2020

As a senior, Valencia moved up from 174 to 184 pounds, [38] claimed titles from the Journeyman Collegiate Classic [39] and the Cliff Keen Invitational, [40] and was racking up an undefeated 12–0 record in dual meets (20-0 overall). [41] On February, Valencia tested positive to a recreational substance from the Matteo Pellicone (freestyle), and was subsequently suspended by the ASU wrestling team, which finished his career as a folkstyle wrestler. [42]

During his collegiate years, Valencia was a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, a three-time All-American, a three-time Pac-12 champion, and a three-time Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year. [3]

Freestyle career

Age-group

As a junior, Valencia was a three-time US World Team Member and national champion, and placed 10th, seventh, and second respectively at the World Championships. [43] He also competed at the '16 Beat the Streets dual against Mojtaba Goleij, where he was beaten. [44] He was a two-time Fargo National Champion in the cadet level. [43]

Senior level

2015–2016

Valencia made his senior level debut at the Grand Prix of Spain on July 11, 2015, where he placed second after victories over international opponents. [45] He came back later at the Bill Farrell Memorial International, but was unable to place, going out with three victories and two losses. [46] To close off 2015, Valencia went 2–2 at the US Senior Nationals. In January 2016, Valencia went 0–2 at the Dave Schultz Memorial International. [47]

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 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. [48] At Final X, he took on the eventual '18 World Champion and four–time NCAA champion Kyle Dake, who defeated Valencia 0–4 and 3–4. [49]

After one year of inactivity in freestyle, Valencia competed at the US World Team Trials Challenge in May 2019. In the first round, he earned a technical superiority over Geno Morelli, and a 5–0 victory over his collegiate rival Mark Hall in the semifinals. [50] In the best-of-three, he once again faced Alex Dieringer, but was dominantly defeated twice. [51]

In December 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. [4]

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. [52] 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. [53] This also caused his suspension from the ASU wrestling team. [54]

Valencia was scheduled to wrestle at the '20 US Olympic Team Trials on April 4–5 at State College, Pennsylvania. [55] However, the event was postponed along with the 2020 Summer Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [56] Both competitions were later scheduled to take place in 2021. [57] [58]

Valencia headlined FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Valencia on November 14, 2020, against '12 Olympic Gold medalist and four-time World Champion (at 74 kg) Jordan Burroughs, at a catchweight of 185 pounds. [59] At the weigh-ins, Burroughs weighed 178.2 pounds, while Valencia marked 184.1 pounds on the scale. [60] 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. [61]

2021

To start off the year, Valencia competed at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France on January 16. [62] 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. [63]

Valencia then wrestled at the prestigious UWW Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series on March 7. [64] After two technical falls, one of which was over '18 World Championship runner-up Fatih Erdin, Valencia proved his improved skills against long-time rival and multiple–time age–group World Champion Mark Hall, earning a flawless technical fall to claim the gold medal. [65]

Valencia competed at the rescheduled US Olympic Team Trials on April 2–3 as the second seed, in an attempt to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics. [66] After defeating reigning NCAA champion Aaron Brooks, he was downed by 2019 U23 World Champion Bo Nickal, before coming back to beat Nate Jackson and Pat Downey. [67]

Valencia came back at the prestigious Poland Open on June 8, where he racked up notable and dominant wins over '19 World Championship silver medalist from India Deepak Punia, '20 European Championship silver medalist from San Marino Myles Amine and '21 European Championship silver medalist from Georgia Sandro Aminashvili en route to the gold medal. [68]

Freestyle record

Senior Freestyle Matches
Res.RecordOpponentScoreDateEventLocation
2022 Final X NYC Silver medal icon.svg at 86 kg
Loss41–17 Flag of the United States.svg David Taylor TF 0–10June 8, 20222022 Final X NYC Flag of the United States.svg New York City, New York
Loss41–16 Flag of the United States.svg David Taylor 2–4
2022 Pan American Championships Gold medal icon.svg at 86 kg
Win41–15 Flag of Cuba.svg Lázaro Hernández Luis4–1May 8, 2022 2022 Pan American Continental Championships Flag of Mexico.svg Acapulco, Mexico
Win40–15 Flag of Colombia.svg Carlos Izquierdo TF 14–4
Win39–15 Flag of Mexico.svg Christian AnguianoTF 11–0
Win38–15 Flag of Mexico.svg Noel TorresTF 10–0February 13, 20222022 Bout at the Ballpark

Flag of the United States.svg Arlington, Texas

2022 Ivan Yarygin Golden Grand Prix Bronze medal icon.svg at 86 kg
Win37–15 Flag of Russia.svg Omar ZiyaudinovTF 10–0January 27–30, 2022 Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 2022

Flag of Russia.svg Krasnoyarsk, Russia

Loss36–15 Flag of Russia.svg Amanula Rasulov2–5
Win36–14 Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Azamat Dauletbekov2–2
Win35–14 Flag of Russia.svg Babuli Tsoloev11–2
2021 Poland Open Gold medal icon.svg at 86 kg
Win34–14 Flag of Georgia.svg Sandro Aminashvili TF 10–0June 8, 2021 2021 Poland Open

Flag of Poland.svg Warsaw, Poland

Win33–14 Flag of San Marino.svg Myles Amine 7–1
Win Flag of India.svg Deepak Punia INJ
Win32–14 Flag of Poland.svg Sebastian Jezierzański6–5
2020 US Olympic Team Trials Bronze medal icon.svg at 86 kg
Win31–14 Flag of the United States.svg Pat Downey TF 11–1April 2–3, 2021 2020 US Olympic Team Trials Flag of the United States.svg Fort Worth, Texas
Win30–14 Flag of the United States.svg Nate JacksonTF 10–0
Loss29–14 Flag of the United States.svg Bo Nickal 5–12
Win29–13 Flag of the United States.svg Aaron Brooks 6–3
2021 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series Gold medal icon.svg at 86 kg
Win28–13 Flag of the United States.svg Mark Hall TF 11–0March 7, 2021 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2021

Flag of Italy.svg Rome, Italy

Win27–13 Flag of Turkey.svg Fatih Erdin TF 12–2
Win26–13 Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Yeskali DauletkazyTF 11–1
2021 Henri Deglane Grand Prix Bronze medal icon.svg at 86 kg
Win25–13 Flag of Georgia.svg Dato Marsagishvili TF 10–0January 16, 2021 Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane 2021

Flag of France.svg Nice, France

Win24–13 Flag of Spain.svg Damian IglesiasTF 10–0
Win23–13 Flag of Moldova.svg Andrian GrosulTF 13–2
Loss22–13 Flag of Russia.svg Magomed Ramazanov 7–8
Loss22–12 Flag of the United States.svg Jordan Burroughs 5–8November 14, 2020 FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Valencia

Flag of the United States.svg Austin, Texas

2020 Matteo Pellicone RS DQ at 86kg
Win22–11 Flag of the United States.svg Alex Dieringer 7–5January 15–18, 2020Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series 2020

Flag of Italy.svg Rome, Italy

Win21–11 Flag of Turkey.svg Fatih Erdin TF 10–0
Win20–11 Flag of Germany.svg William RaffiTF 11–1
2019 US Nationals Gold medal icon.svg at 86 kg
Win19–11 Flag of the United States.svg Myles Martin 7–5December 20–22, 20192019 Senior Nationals - US Olympic Trials Qualifier

Flag of the United States.svg Fort Worth, Texas

Win18–11 Flag of the United States.svg Aaron Brooks 6–0
Win17–11 Flag of the United States.svg Nate Jackson3–2
Win16–11 Flag of the United States.svg Syed Ul-HasanTF 10–0
Win15–11 Flag of the United States.svg Jeff PalmeriTF 14–3
2019 US World Team Trials Bronze medal icon.svg at 79kg
Loss14–11 Flag of the United States.svg Alex Dieringer TF 2–12May 17–19, 20192019 US World Team Trials Challenge

Flag of the United States.svg Raleigh, North Dakota

Loss14–10 Flag of the United States.svg Alex Dieringer TF 1–12
Win14–9 Flag of the United States.svg Mark Hall 5–0
Win13–9 Flag of the United States.svg Geno MorelliTF 10–0
2018 US World Team Trials Silver medal icon.svg at 79kg
Loss12–9 Flag of the United States.svg Kyle Dake 3–4July 15–16, 20182018 Final X: State College

Flag of the United States.svg State College, Pennsylvania

Loss12–8 Flag of the United States.svg Kyle Dake 0–4
Win12–7 Flag of the United States.svg Alex Dieringer 5–1May 18–20, 20182018 US World Team Trials Challenge

Flag of the United States.svg Rochester, Minnesota

Win11–7 Flag of the United States.svg Alex Dieringer 7–0
Win10–7 Flag of the United States.svg Joshua AsperTF 10–0
2016 Dave Schultz M. International DNP at 86 kg
Loss9–7 Flag of the United States.svg Victor TerrellTF 0–11January 28–30, 20162016 Dave Schultz Memorial International

Flag of the United States.svg Colorado Springs, Colorado

Loss9–6 Flag of the United States.svg Deron Winn TF 0–10
2015 US Nationals DNP at 86 kg
Loss9–5 Flag of the United States.svg Clayton Foster2–8December 17–19, 20152015 Senior Nationals - US Olympic Trials Qualifier

Flag of the United States.svg Las Vegas, Nevada

Win9–4 Flag of the United States.svg Joshua Asper4–4
Win8–4 Flag of the United States.svg Frank Richmond4–4
Loss7–4 Flag of the United States.svg Keith GavinTF 2–13
2015 Bill Farrell International Open DNP at 86 kg
Loss7–3 Flag of the United States.svg Tyler Caldwell1–5November 5–7, 20152015 Bill Farrell International Open

Flag of the United States.svg New York City, New York

Win7–2 Flag of the United States.svg Timmy McCall2–1
Win6–2 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Matthew MillerFall
Loss5–2 Flag of the United States.svg Robert Hamlin3–7
Win5–1 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Grayson St-LaurentTF 10–0
2015 Spain Grand Prix Silver medal icon.svg at 86 kg
Loss4–1 Flag of Spain.svg Taimuraz Friev 2–7July 11, 20152015 Grand Prix of Spain

Flag of Spain.svg Madrid, Spain

Win4–0 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Jasmit PhulkaTF 10–0
Win3–0 Flag of Iran.svg Vahid Shahmohammadiizad4–4
Win2–0 Flag of Italy.svg Simone IannattoniTF 11–0
Win1–0 Flag of Japan.svg Shirai Shota8–4

NCAA record

NCAA Championships Matches
Res.RecordOpponentScoreDateEvent
2019 NCAA Championships Gold medal icon.svg at 174 lbs
Win15-1 Mark Hall 4-3March 21–23, 2019 2019 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win14–1Daniel LewisMD 11-3
Win13–1Ben HarveyFall
Win12–1Kimball BastianMD 16-5
Win11–1Dean SherryMD 11–2
2018 NCAA Championships Gold medal icon.svg at 174 lbs
Win10–1 Mark Hall 8-2March 15–17, 2018 2018 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win9–1 Myles Amine 7-5
Win8–1Jadaen BernsteinFall
Win7–1Christian BruckiMD 18-5
Win6–1Matt FinesilverMD 14-4
2017 NCAA Championships Bronze medal icon.svg at 174 lbs
Win5–1 Myles Amine MD 15-5March 16–18, 2017 2017 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Win4-1Zac BrunsonFall
Loss3-1 Mark Hall 3-4
Win3-0 Myles Amine 14-8
Win2–0Christian BruckiMD 12-3
Win1–0Christopher PfarrMD 19-5

Stats

SeasonYearSchoolRankWeigh ClassRecordWinBonus
2020Senior Arizona State University #1 (DNQ)18420-0100.00%85.00%
2019Junior#2 (1st)17431-293.94%78.79%
2018Sophomore#1 (1st)32-0100.00%78.13%
2017Freshman#1 (3rd)38-197.44%71.79%
Career121-397.85%78.43%

[69]

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