Oct. 23, 2007

Stanford, Calif. - Stanford wrestlers Tanner Gardner and Josh Zupancic earned top-10 rankings when the USA Today/NWCA/InterMat Preseason Division I Wrestling Coaches Poll was released today. Gardner and Zupancic both finished seventh at the 2007 NCAA Championships, and enter this season at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.

Gardner matched Stanford's single-season win record last season (42) and claimed the school's first individual conference title since 2004. He went on to compete at his third NCAA Championship and become just the second two-time All-American in Stanford history.

Zupancic claimed second place in the Pac-10 last season, qualified for his first NCAA Championship and upended three seeded opponents on his way to his first All-America honor.

Gardner and Zupancic's success marked the first time in four decades that two Cardinal wrestlers have earned All-America honors in the same season.

Stanford opens the season with wrestle-offs this Saturday, and begins competition against Fort Hays State on Nov. 9 in Tecumseh, Kans.