Robles, a national semifinalist and All-American at 125 pounds last year with his fourth-place finish, made his decision today based upon the Sun Devils’ weekend schedule of road duals at No. 5 Oklahoma State on Friday night and at No. 18 Oklahoma on Sunday.
“This was a very difficult decision for me to make and I apologize for it being at the last minute,” Robles said. “I approached the coaches about making the change and my coaches support me 100-percent no matter where I chose to wrestle [this weekend]. It came down to me being part of this team and I want to support them in whatever way I can and for me, that is wrestling in the Oklahoma dual.
“It is an honor to be selected to compete as an all-star and I apologize again to the NWCA for pulling out so late,” Robles continued. “I was planning on going and competing hard, but my team needs me and right now. I need to prioritize and, for me, that means staying with the team and trying to defeat Oklahoma. I hope that my decision doesn’t look disrespectful to the NWCA and the wrestling community and I don’t mean to step on anyone’s toes, but I am just trying to do what is best for the team and that is me staying with them and hopefully pulling out two wins on the road.”
Head Coach Shawn Charles, an all-star competitor himself during his days on the mats for the Sun Devils, echoed Robles’ reasoning for forgoing competing in the Classic.
“Anthony decided that he would rather travel with the team and wrestle for the team instead of for himself on November 22,” Charles said. “He came up to me and told me that he wanted to stay with the team. I told him that we didn’t expect him to be at the Oklahoma dual since he was going to the All-Star Classic and he told me that he really wants to be with the team and participate with the team and be able to contribute to the success of the team.
“As a coach, no matter where he decided to wrestle on Sunday, we were going to support him 110-percent on his decision,” Charles continued. “Ultimately, it is his decision and I really hope the wrestling community respects that. This is an individual sport with team scoring. We have an individual that is buying into the program and what we want to accomplish as a program and he is determined to contribute to its success in every way he can. At the end of the day, that is what it is all about and I respect him for making this difficult decision.”
The Sun Devils enter the weekend with a 2-0 record after defeating Pac-10 foes UC Davis (38-6) and CS Fullerton (37-4) on the road last weekend.
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