Arizona State University’s Colton Hawks advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on Mar. 19 after a series of unexpected victories at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Hawks, seeded No. 29 in the 197-pound bracket, defeated top-seeded opponents and became one of only two wrestlers since 2019 to reach the quarterfinals as a No. 29 seed.
Hawks’ performance is significant because he was the only wrestler among 330 competitors to defeat a top-five seed in the opening round. His initial victory came against Sonny Sasso, the Atlantic Coast Conference champion and No. 4 seed from Virginia Tech, with a score of 12-8 despite trailing early in the match. He continued his run by defeating Bennett Berge, who had previously beaten him at the Big 12 Championships earlier this month.
Other Arizona State wrestlers also advanced to Friday’s championship quarterfinals. Freshman Kyler Larkin and redshirt freshman Kaleb Larkin each won both their matches on Thursday, with Kyler securing a pin fall late in his second-round match and Kaleb earning a first-period fall over Harvard’s Jimmy Harrington. Redshirt sophomore Nicco Ruiz remained unbeaten after winning his tiebreaker match against Andrew Sparks from Minnesota.
Graduate heavyweight David Szuba lost narrowly in the round of 16 but remains active in the consolation bracket with hopes for All-American honors. Graduate Cael Valencia and redshirt freshman Pierson Manville were eliminated after losing both their matches.
As of Thursday night, Arizona State stood seventh in team scoring with 17 points behind leaders Penn State (40.5), Nebraska (27), Iowa (25.5), Oklahoma State (25), Ohio State (23), and Iowa State (21.5). The next sessions are scheduled for Friday morning and afternoon, featuring further championship and consolation matches.
The Sun Devils’ strong showing reflects both individual achievements—such as Hawks’ historic advancement—and collective team progress as they continue through the national tournament.