Jan. 4, 2011

Complete Release in PDF Format

THIS WEEK: The Stanford wrestling team travels remains in the Bay Area this weekend as it takes on Menlo College Saturday, Jan. 8 at 5 p.m. in Menlo Park, Calif. The Cardinal is 3-5 heading into this weekend's dual.

MIDLANDS RECAP: For the first time in program history, Stanford had two wrestlers place in the top-4 at the Midlands Championships in Evanston, Ill. Junior Nick Amuchastegui was 6-1 in the tournament, capturing third place at 174 pounds. Sophomore Ryan Mango finished fourth at 125 pounds with a 4-2 showing.

UP NEXT: The Cardinal will travel to Dallas for the Lone Star Duals on Saturday, Jan. 15. Stanford will face The Citadel and Brown in the morning and Nebraska and Harvard that evening.

IN THE RANKINGS: Seniors Zack Giesen and Justin Paulsen, junior Nick Amuchastegui and sophomore Ryan Mango are listed among the top-10 in this week's InterMat rankings. Amuchastegui is the highest ranked Cardinal, coming in at No. 6 in the 174 pound weight class. Mango moved up to No. 8 at 125 pounds, while Giesen sits at No. 11 at 197 pounds. Paulsen made his debut in the poll, landing at No. 19 at 133 pounds. As a team, Stanford broke into the top-25 for the first time this season (No. 25).

FOR THE RECORD: Senior Zack Giesen, currently ninth all-time in career wins at Stanford, needs just four victories to move into sixth place. He currently totals 95 career wins and will continue to climb the list in his final season on The Farm. Fellow senior Lucas Espericueta and junior Nick Amuchastegui are both just five wins away from breaking into the top-10 with 81 career victories.

NWCA All-STAR CLASSIC: For the first time in program history, two Stanford wrestlers participated in the NWCA All-Star Classic. Junior Nick Amuchastegui won his featured bout, 4-0, against Illinois' Jordan Blanton at 174 pounds. Senior Zack Giesen was declared the winner of his exhibition bout over Cal Poly's Ryan Smith at 197 pounds. Giesen built a 7-2 lead before Smith was forced to default in the final period due to injury.

TOP NOTCH RETURNERS: Stanford's 17 returners are highlighted by five NCAA qualifiers, which is the most the Cardinal has ever had entering a season. Last year, Stanford sent four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in Omaha, Neb. - Nick Amuchastegui, Zack Giesen, Ryan Mango and Justin Paulsen. Amuchastegui placed fourth at 165 pounds to pick up his first career NCAA All-America honors. It also marked the highest finish by a Stanford wrestler since 2004.

FRESH FACES: Stanford has seven newcomers on its roster this year. Highlighting the rookies are three state champions in Oregon's Luke Amuchastegui, Hawaii's Galen McCleary and Missouri's Dan Scherer. Additionally, the new faces on the Cardinal roster include Donovan Halpin (Petaluma, Calif.), Garrett Schaner (Big Rapids, Mich.), Matt Schneider (Atlanta, Ga.) and Alan Yen (Saratoga, Calif.).

HEAD COACH Jason Borrelli: Stanford is under the guidance of third-year head coach Jason Borrelli. In his first two seasons on The Farm, Borrelli has accrued a 21-26-2 record and sent a total of six wrestlers to the NCAA Championships. Borrelli, a former Central Michigan standout, first came to The Farm as an assistant coach in 2007 and quickly helped guide the Cardinal to one of its most successful seasons in school history.