Fullerton’s Asgari Loses in NCAA Wrestling Semifinal

Ardeshir Asgari became the first wrestler in Cal State Fullerton history to reach the semifinals of the NCAA championships on Friday, but he will not become the first Titan to reach a final.

Asgari, wrestling at 158 pounds, was defeated by Jude Skove of Ohio State, 11-0, at the University of Iowa.

Earlier in the day, Asgari defeated Jeff Cluetter of Northern Iowa, 15-5, in a quarterfinal match. Asgari wrestled Skove to a scoreless tie after the first three-minute period, but fell behind, 3-0, in the second period when Skove, ranked No. 4 in the nation, scored two near-falls. Skove was never challenged after that.

Dan Lewis, Titan coach, was disappointed with Asgari’s performance in the semifinal.

“I’m pleased Ardeshir went as far as he did, but I think he could have wrestled a better match,” Lewis said. “Skove took away all of his strong points.”

Even though he lost, Asgari is assured of All-American honors. The top six finishers in each weight class will be named All-Americans, and Asgari can finish no lower than fifth no matter what he does today in a consolation match against Oklahoma’s Johnnie Johnson.

Frank Trujillo and Dondi Teran, Fullerton’s other wrestlers competing in the championships, were eliminated in consolation competition Friday.

Trujillo, wrestling at 118 pounds, lost to Mark Clayton of Wisconsin, 6-5. Teran, at 134, was defeated by Edinboro’s David Ray, 10-3.