TEMPE, Ariz. – Rising redshirt sophomore All-American Zahid Valencia will represent Arizona State as well as the United States in his third consecutive Junior World Freestyle Championships, taking place this year in Tampere, Finland (Aug. 1-2).
Valencia (84 kg/185 lbs.) qualified for the team with a pair of dominating victories vs. NC State's Nick Reenan (11-0 and 12-1) in the World Team Trials in June.
Making his third straight start for USA Wrestling at Junior World Championships, Valencia also competed in Macon, France in 2016 and Salvador de Bahia, Brazil in 2015.
Valencia improved upon his 2015 finish (10th) with a seventh-place finish in 2016 and looks to continue improvement with his sights set on a championship.