Bears Come Up Short Against No. 13 Arizona State, 27-16

Sunday, January 18

Greeley, Colo.

2 p.m. MST

University of Northern Colorado

Arizona State

Dean Popejoy | UNC Athletics

1/18/2026 4:18:00 PM | Wrestling

By: Elian Soto, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications

GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado wrestling wrapped up its home stand Sunday afternoon inside Bank of Colorado Arena, hosting No. 13 Arizona State in a tightly contested dual. Despite several strong individual performances from the Bears, the Sun Devils pulled away late to secure a 27–16 victory.

125 pounds: Bryson Valdez vs. Damian Moreno – Win, injury default
The opening bout ended 15 seconds in, as Moreno was forced into concussion protocol following an early injury. Valdez was awarded the win by injury default, giving Northern Colorado an early 6–0 advantage in the dual.

133 pounds: No. 13 Dominick Serrano vs. Carter Dibert – Win, 11–2 major decision
Serrano controlled the match from start to finish. After a scoreless opening exchange, Serrano escaped from bottom to take a 1–0 lead, followed by a take down to extend it to 4–0. He surrendered a quick escape before scoring another take down to lead 7–1 after the first period. Dibert escaped to start the second, but Serrano answered with another take down and maintained control, adding riding time to secure the 11–2 major decision and push the team score to 10–0.

141 pounds: UNC forfeit

149 pounds: Emilio Trujillo-Deen vs. Daniel Miranda – Loss, 8–5 decision
Trujillo-Deen wrestled aggressively throughout, applying consistent pressure and firing off multiple shots. He was taken down early but escaped quickly. After another fast escape to start the second period, Miranda was hit with a stalling warning and caution. Trujillo-Deen scored a take down to take a brief lead but traded escapes before giving up a late takedown at the buzzer, falling 8–5.

157 pounds: Daishun Powe vs. Kaleb Larkin – Loss, pin
The bout featured scrambles and defensive pressure on both sides, with neither wrestler able to fully separate early. Powe was ultimately caught during one of the exchanges and pinned, swinging the momentum in favor of Arizona State.

165 pounds: Kilian Schultz vs. Nicco Ruiz – Loss, 18–3 technical fall
Schultz battled through a tough match up against Ruiz. He gave up early take downs but continued to fight through escapes. The match saw multiple takedowns and back points for Ruiz.

174 pounds: Murphy Menke vs. Leo Tukhlynovych – Win, 5–1 decision
Menke delivered a disciplined performance, scoring an early take down and allowing only a single escape. He rode out the entire second period from the top position and added a third-period escape. Riding time sealed the 5–1 decision, cutting into Arizona State's lead.

184 pounds: Mahonri Rushton vs. Shay Addison – Win, 11–7 decision
After surrendering an early take down, Rushton regained momentum. He scored a reversal and near-fall points to build a lead, then added another reversal in the second period. Despite a late escape and stalling warning, Rushton closed out the match with strong control and riding time for an 11–7 victory.

197 pounds: Tyler Perry vs. Colton Hawks – Loss, 2–0 decision
Perry pressured throughout but was unable to convert scoring opportunities. He spent much of the match on bottom and was ridden for extended stretches. Hawks scored the only points on an escape and held on for the narrow decision.

285 pounds: Enzo Cappabianca vs. Ben Szuba – Loss, 8–0 major decision
Szuba capitalizing on a take down and near-fall points. Cappabianca was unable to generate offense, and Szuba controlled the pace to earn the major decision.

Arizona State closed out the dual with the 27–16 win.

UP NEXT: The Bears head out on a road swing, opening at No. 4 Iowa State in Ames on Friday, January 23, before facing No. 16 Missouri in Columbia on Sunday, January 25.

Fans can follow the duals live on TrackWrestling and stay up to date with coverage through the official UNC Wrestling social media channels.

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