Jan. 13, 2011

Complete Release in PDF Format

THIS WEEK: The Stanford wrestling team hits the road again as it travels to Dallas, Texas for the 11th annual Lone Star Duals. The Cardinal is 4-5 heading into this weekend's action as it faces The Citadel, Brown, Nebraska and Harvard at South Grand Prairie High School beginning at 10 a.m. CT on Saturday, Jan. 15.

MENLO RECAP: The Cardinal dominated Menlo College last week, picking up a 36-11 dual victory in Atherton, Calif. Stanford won seven of 10 bouts, including falls by junior Nick Amuchastegui (4:49) and sophomores Timmy Boone (1:32) and Mike Kent (4:18). Additionally, Jordan Gray (141 pounds), Kyle Meyer (165 pounds) and Zack Giesen (197 pounds) all recorded bonus points for the Cardinal.

UP NEXT: Stanford will remain on the road as it takes on Pac-10 foe Oregon State, Sunday, Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. in Corvallis, Ore. Gill Coliseum is also schedule to be the site of the 2011 Pac-10 Championships on Feb. 27.

ABOUT THE CITADEL: The Citadel is 4-5 on the season and has won its last three duals over Davidson (29-9), Appalachian State (26-7) and Duke (31-9). The team is led by sophomore 165 pounder Turtogtokh Luvsandorj who is 25-4 on the season, including 8-1 in dual competition, and ranked 10th nationally.

ABOUT BROWN: The Bears are 0-2 on the season, dropping duals to 11th-ranked Rutgers (42-0) and No. 27 Maryland (38-15). A trio of freshmen picked up wins for the Bears over the Terrapins, including falls by Billy Watterson (125 pounds) and Brandon Vorrius (174 pounds).

ABOUT NEBRASKA: Nebraska enters the weekend ranked 17th in the nation with a 6-2 record. The Huskers are coming off an impressive showing at the Midlands Championships. Nebraska was led by senior Jordan Burroughs and sophomore Josh Ihnen, who both earned a spot in finals of their respective weight classes. Burroughs was able to capture the 165-pound title by upsetting No. 1 Andrew Howe (Wisconsin) by a 10-7 decision, taking over the top spot in the Intermat rankings. Ihnen (184 pounds) and Tucker Lane (285 pounds) are both ranked No. 11 in this week's top-20.

ABOUT HARVARD: Harvard enters the weekend with a 0-5 overall record, coming off of losses to No. 11 Rutgers and No. 27 Maryland on Jan. 7. The Crimson boasts two wrestlers ranked in the top-20 in the Intermat polls - junior 149 pounder Corey Jantzen (No. 17) and sophomore 157 pounder Walter Peppelman (No. 11).

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 and Mango are the highest ranked Cardinal wrestlers, coming in at No. 6 at 174 pounds and 125 pounds, respectively. Giesen moved up to No. 10 at 197 pounds, Paulsen also climbed up to No. 18 at 133 pounds. As a team, Stanford is ranked in the top-25 for the second consecutive season, landing at No. 23.

FOR THE RECORD: Senior Zack Giesen, currently ninth all-time in career wins at Stanford, needs just three victories to move into sixth place. He currently totals 96 career wins and will continue to climb the list in his final season on The Farm. Junior Nick Amuchastegui is just four wins away from breaking into the top-10 with 82 career wins, while senior Lucas Espericueta needs five wins to move into the top-10.

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 22-26-2 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.