Feb. 20, 2007

Stanford, Calif. -

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THIS WEEK
The Stanford wrestling team travels to Bakersfield, Calif. this week for the Pac-10 Championships at the Icardo Center on the campus of Cal State Bakersfield. Ten Stanford wrestlers will look to win a conference title and qualify for the NCAA Championships, Mar. 15-17. The tournament begins Saturday at 11 a.m. and will continue through Sunday evening with the championship bouts scheduled for 6 p.m.

FOLLOWING THE CHAMPIONSHIPS
For the first time ever, college wrestling fans across the country will have the opportunity to watch the 2007 Pac-10 Wrestling Championships live via online streaming video free of charge, available exclusively at www.pac-10.org. All four sessions, plus the Parade of Champions, will be available live as well as on-demand for six months. Tickets to the championships start at $10 for single session general admission and can be purchased by calling the CSUB Athletics ticket office at (661) 654-BLUE.

WHAT'S AT STAKE
Ten wrestlers from each school will be looking to claim a Pac-10 title and qualify to continue the 2006-07 season at nationals. The top three wrestlers in each weight class and nine wild card selections will advance to the 2007 NCAA Championships at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Mar. 15-17. The seedings for this weekend's tournament will be announced on Friday.

THE FIELD
UC Davis highlights the field with a 6-2 conference record and all ten wrestlers ranked in conference. Oregon State is close behind with nine ranked wrestlers and an 8-1 Pac-10 record. Cal State Bakersfield and Cal Poly both have eight of their ten wrestlers in the Pac-10's top-six. Arizona State is the defending conference champion, having edged Cal Poly for last year's title. The Sun Devils lead the field with three wrestlers favored to win conference titles.

REGULAR-SEASON RECAP
The Cardinal finished the 2007 season with an even 8-8 record and a 5-4 mark in the Pac-10. After dropping five of its first seven duals, the Cardinal put together a five meet winning streak which included a trio of Pac-10 wins. Juniors Tanner Gardner and Josh Zupancic placed in every tournament they competed in in 2006-07, and Gardner won two titles. Stanford had the most success at the Bison Open in mid-November, with seven wrestlers placing in the competitive field.

NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Juniors Tanner Gardner and Josh Zupancic have both been consistently ranked in the national polls this season. Gardner currently holds the highest ranking of his career at No. 3, while Zupancic stands at No. 17.

STANFORD AT THE PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Stanford has competed in NCAA wrestling since at least 1933 and has never won a conference championship. Since the conference became the Pac-10 in 1980, the Cardinal's highest finish has been third place in 1985 and 1986. The program's highest conference finish ever came during the 1964-65 season, when Stanford placed second in the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU). Last year, the Cardinal finished seventh at the Pac-10 Championships hosted by Stanford in Maples Pavilion. Stanford has had 12 Pac-10 individual champions since 1980.

BACK AGAIN
Five of Stanford's probable ten have competed at the Pac-10 Championships before. Senior Brian Perry placed fifth at the Pac-10 Championships as a freshman in 2003-04 and Luke Feist placed fifth at last year's competition. Tanner Gardner has placed twice, coming in fifth as a freshman in 2003-04 and second as a sophomore last season. Junior Josh Zupancic competed at 149 pounds at the championships as a freshman, and sophomore Jared Boyer competed last year as a heavyweight. Gardner is the only current Cardinal wrestler to have advanced to the NCAA Championships. The Berryton, Kans. native has been there twice, and earned All-America honors with an eighth place finish last season.

RECORD BOOKS
With 27 wins this year, newcomer Zack Giesen has climbed the Stanford charts this season and currently stands third all-time for wins in a freshman season. Tanner Gardner is approaching top-five marks in both career wins and single-season wins. As just a junior, Gardner has 94 career wins, and could become one of four wrestlers in program history to reach the 100-win mark later this season.

STANFORD STATS
Tanner Gardner leads the Cardinal squad with 12 pins this season and 83 team points. Gardner also leads the team with seven wins by technical fall. Freshman Zack Giesen leads the team in wins by decision and major decision, with 15 and eight on the year, respectively.

PAC-10 RANKINGS
Five Cardinal wrestlers are currently ranked in the conference and will likely receive seeds when the final bracket is announced on Friday. Tanner Gardner is top-ranked at 125 pounds, and Zack Giesen stands second at 184 pounds. Brian Perry is ranked third in the conference at 165 pounds, and Josh Zupancic and Luke Feist are fourth at 157 pounds and 174 pounds, respectively.

UPDATED WRESTLER PROFILES

125 pounds- Tanner Gardner (34-3): Enters the Pac-10 Championships with a 34-3 overall record ... Undefeated in dual matches this season, with a perfect 16-0 record ... Leads the team with 12 pins and seven wins by technical fall ... Posted a team-best 83 dual points ... Placed in every tournament he competed in, winning titles at the Bison Open and the Reno Tournament of Champions ... Placed fourth at the Las Vegas Invitational and second at the Southern Scuffle ... Has faced six ranked opponents and gone 5-1 against them ... Ranked first in the Pac-10 and third nationally ... Enters the postseason on a 12-match win streak, dating back to Jan. 5.

133 pounds- Cameron Teitelman (11-16): Has won 11 matches during his true freshman season ... Took over the starting role at 133 pounds in mid-January ... Placed in first collegiate tournament on Jan. 7, taking second at the Menlo Invitational ... Earned first collegiate win by fall at the Reno Tournament of Champions, pinning Spencer Jasper of Duke in 16 seconds.

141 pounds- Matt Kim (7-16): Has picked up seven wins in his first season of collegiate competition ... Pinned opponents in first two matches of the year, with a pair of wins by fall over Scott Thompson (Jamestown) and Matt Olson (Concordia) at the Bison Open ... Moved up to 141 pounds on Jan. 21, after competing as the Stanford starter at 133 pounds earlier in the season.

149 pounds- Tyler Parker (10-14): Has notched ten wins at 149 pounds this season ... Faced three ranked wrestlers in his first nine matches of the year ... Won two bouts by technical fall and one by major decision ... Earned 21 dual points for the Cardinal ... Jumped into the conference rankings at No. 6 on Feb. 6.

157 pounds- Josh Zupancic (31-9): Boasts a 31-9 record in this season ... Has gone 9-3 in dual matches and dropped just two conference duals ... Placed in every tournament he competed in, and won the Fullerton Open title with a 5-0 record ... Placed second at the Bison Open and the Reno Tournament of Champions ... Finished sixth at the Southern Scuffle and seventh at the Las Vegas Invitational ... Won nine-straight matches in late November, early December ... Has faced ten ranked opponents and beaten two of them ... Has pinned five opponents, won four matches by technical fall and seven by major decision ... Fastest fall came against Mike Sorman of North Dakota State at the Bison Open, with a win in 26 seconds ... Leads the team with 40 total matches this season ... Ranked fourth in the Pac-10 and 17th nationally.

165 pounds- Brian Perry (25-12): Boasts 25 wins at 165 pounds this season, including 10 in duals ... Has won five of six Pac-10 bouts ... Won 11 of first 13 matches to start the season, including an 11-8 upset of No. 4 Deonte Penn of Edinboro ... Has pinned four opponents, won one bout by technical fall and picked up six major decisions ... Placed third at the Bison Open in November with a 5-1 record ... Recorded fastest fall at the Bison Open, pinning Tony Hewitt of Concordia in 46 seconds ... Enters the postseason on a season-high six-match win streak ... Ranked third in the Pac-10.

174 pounds- Luke Feist (23-15): Has 23 wins at 174 pounds, including nine dual wins ... Has a 6-3 record in the Pac-10 ... Pinned seven opponents, won four bouts by technical fall and four by major decision ... Pinned five opponents in seven matches in mid-November ... Went on a season-best seven match win streak in mid-November ... Placed third at the Bison Open with a 4-1 record ... Faced eight ranked opponents ... Upset No. 11 Matt Palmer of Columbia with a 6-5 decision at the Stanford Duals ... Third on the team with 41 dual points ... Currently ranked fourth in the Pac-10.

184 pounds- Zack Giesen (27-13): Ranks third on the all-time Cardinal freshman win chart with 27 wins this season ... Holds an 8-1 record in the Pac-10 ... Has pinned two opponents and won two matches by technical fall ... Leads the team with eight wins by major decision and 15 wins by decision ... Second on the team with 45 dual points ... Won nine of hisfirst 11 matches in a Cardinal singlet ... Placed in first collegiate tournament at the Bison Open, taking third with a 4-1 record ... Won first collegiate title at the Menlo Invitational on Jan. 7 ... Recorded first collegiate pin on Jan. 21, with a win by fall over Ernesto Ancona of Cal State Bakersfield ... Has won 12 of his last 13 going into the postseason ... Currently ranked second in the Pac-10.

197 pounds- Jared Boyer (10-18): Has won 10 matches at 197 pounds, including five dual wins ... Pinned opponents at the Avalon Duals (Rich Froats, Maryland) and the Southern Scuffle (Rob Yoder, Campbell) ... Has three wins by major decision ... Earned 22 dual points for the Cardinal ... Enters the postseason having won three of his last five.

HWT- Phillip Doerner (7-20): Has seven wins this season at heavyweight, including three in duals ... Faced five top-15 wrestlers and only gave up bonus points to one ... Registered nine dual points for the Cardinal ... Won two matches at the Bison Open in November to take fifth place ... Enters the postseason having won his last two conference bouts.