Zahid attended St. John Bosco High School along with his brother Anthony and Aaron Pico.[5] A three-time CIF state champion, Valencia won four Walsh Jesuit Ironman titles and placed third in the state as a sophomore while wrestling with a broken ankle.[6] His setback at the state tournament was the only one in his high school career, compiling 158 wins with 100 pins and 12 technical falls. When he graduated, Valencia was awarded the Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award, was named the 2015 Junior Hodge Trophy winner,[7] and was rated one of the top five recruits by multiple outlets.[3][8]
As a redshirt athlete, Valencia compiled eight wins and two losses in two tournaments, one loss was handed by graduated Penn State legend and two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner David Taylor (TF), and the other one by returning All-American Hayden Zillmer (3–4), placing seventh at the Midland Championships.[10] He also claimed the Edinboro Open title.[11]
2016–2017
Valencia had one of the most dominant freshman campaigns in the history of the school.[12] During regular season, he racked up titles from the Midlands Championships,[13] the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invite,[14] the Journeyman Collegiate Classic[15] and the Daktronics Open,[16] went 14–0 in dual meets and compiled an overall undefeated record of 31–0.[5] At the Pac-12 Championships, he defeated two opponents, including the fastest pin of the tournament (16 seconds) and was named the Outstanding Wrestler.[17] Entering the NCAA's as the undefeated top-seed, Valencia got three wins (including one over Myles Amine) to make the semifinals, where he suffered his only loss of the season, handed by Mark Hall from Penn State.[18] After his title run was derailed, Valencia got two more victories to claim third place and capture All-American honors.[19] Once the season was over, Valencia was named the Pac-12 Wrestler and Freshman of the Year (first ever to obtain both honors), and the Sun Devil Most Outstanding Wrestler.[20]
2017–2018
As a sophomore, Valencia claimed titles from the Cliff Keen Invitational (named OW)[21] and the Midlands Championships,[22] and compiled a 25–0 record during regular season.[23] In the postseason, he claimed his second straight Pac-12 title,[24] and entered the NCAA's as the top seed for the second year straight.[25] At the NCAA championships, Valencia reached the semifinals with two pins and a major decision, where he defeated returning All-American Myles Amine by decision to make the finals.[25] In the finale, he defeated his rival and the returning NCAA champion Mark Hall, who denied Valencia the title opportunity the previous year (8–2 decision), to become the 11th Sun Devil to claim an NCAA title.[26] After the season, Valencia was named the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year, marking the first time a wrestler has earned back-to-back honors since Eric Larkin ('01–'03).[27]
2018–2019
In his junior year, Valencia claimed titles from the Bison Open,[28] the Cougar Clash[29] and also his third consecutive Midlands title.[30] This season marked the first and second times he had been defeated during regular season, as he was first beaten by rival Mark Hall (0-4)[31] and was then shockingly pinned by Daniel Lewis from Missouri,[32] going 13–2 in duals and 24-2 overall.[33] At the Pac-12 Championships, Valencia recorded two dominant technical falls to claim his third straight title and was named the OW.[34] At the NCAA championships, Valencia, the third seed, made his way to his second final with a pin and three major decisions, while avenging his regular-season loss to Daniel Lewis.[35] In the finale, he once again faced his nemesis Mark Hall, whom he edged by a point and denied the title for a second time, claiming his second NCAA title and avenging his other loss from the regular season.[36] After the season, Valencia was named the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year for the third time.[37]
2019–2020
As a senior, Valencia moved up from 174 to 184 pounds,[38] claimed titles from the Journeyman Collegiate Classic[39] and the Cliff Keen Invitational,[40] and was racking up an undefeated 12–0 record in dual meets (20-0 overall).[41] On February, Valencia tested positive to a recreational substance from the Matteo Pellicone (freestyle), and was subsequently suspended by the ASU wrestling team, which finished his career as a folkstyle wrestler.[42]
During his collegiate years, Valencia was a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, a three-time All-American, a three-time Pac-12 champion, and a three-time Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year.[3]
Freestyle career
Age-group
As a junior, Valencia was a three-time US World Team Member and national champion, and placed 10th, seventh, and second respectively at the World Championships.[43] He also competed at the '16 Beat the Streets dual against Mojtaba Goleij, where he was beaten.[44] He was a two-time Fargo National Champion in the cadet level.[43]
Senior level
2015–2016
Valencia made his senior level debut at the Grand Prix of Spain on July 11, 2015, where he placed second after victories over international opponents.[45] He came back later at the Bill Farrell Memorial International, but was unable to place, going out with three victories and two losses.[46] To close off 2015, Valencia went 2–2 at the US Senior Nationals. In January 2016, Valencia went 0–2 at the Dave Schultz Memorial International.[47]
After one year of inactivity in freestyle, Valencia competed at the US World Team Trials Challenge in May 2019. In the first round, he earned a technical superiority over Geno Morelli, and a 5–0 victory over his collegiate rival Mark Hall in the semifinals.[50] In the best-of-three, he once again faced Alex Dieringer, but was dominantly defeated twice.[51]
In December 2019, Valencia moved up from 79 kilos to 86 kilos and claimed his first US National title at the Senior Nationals of Fort Worth, Texas. In this tournament, he claimed notable wins over Nate Jackson, Aaron Brooks, and Myles Martin.[4]
He came back a month later at the 2020 Matteo Pellicone Ranking Series of January, in Italy. He racked up wins over '18 World Championship runner-upFatih Erdin and avenged his losses to Alex Dieringer to claim the title.[52] However, it was announced on February that Valencia had been disqualified due to a failed drug test, where he tested positive to a banned, recreational substance.[53] This also caused his suspension from the ASU wrestling team.[54]
Valencia headlined FloWrestling: Burroughs vs. Valencia on November 14, 2020, against '12 Olympic Gold medalist and four-time World Champion (at 74 kg) Jordan Burroughs, at a catchweight of 185 pounds.[59] At the weigh-ins, Burroughs weighed 178.2 pounds, while Valencia marked 184.1 pounds on the scale.[60] After a perfect 4–0 first period lead, Valencia was bombed with four takedowns while only earning one step-out, which was enough for the smaller athlete to claim the victory.[61]
2021
To start off the year, Valencia competed at the Henri Deglane Grand Prix of France on January 16.[62] First, he drove the accomplished Russian Magomed Ramazanov to a back-and-forth match, which he ended up losing seven points to eight. In the consolation bracket, he claimed three straight victories to claim bronze, with a notable technical fall over '12 Olympic bronze medalist and two-time European Champion Dato Marsagishvili in the last match.[63]
