Wrestling Opens 2011-12 Season with Annual Wrestle-Offs Friday

The Cardinal will hold an intrasquad meet at Burnham Pavilion at 6:30 p.m.

	Junior Ryan Mango is one of two returning All-Americans for the Cardinal this season.

Oct. 26, 2011

THIS WEEK: The Stanford wrestling squad will get a head start on the 2011-12 season this Friday as it hosts its annual wrestle-offs. The event will give fans an early preview of the Stanford season, which officially gets underway Nov. 5.

ABOUT WRESTLE-OFFS: Wrestle-offs, which will be held at Burnham Pavilion at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28 feature showdowns between the top two wrestlers in most weight classes. The results of each bout will give the coaching staff a much clearer indication on what starting line-up to use to begin the season. Fans are encouraged to come catch an early glimpse of the team, as wrestle-offs are free and open to the public.

UP NEXT: No. 14 Stanford officially begins the season on Saturday, Nov. 5 on the road against Northwestern, which enters the season ranked tied for 19th by InterMat. The Cardinal will also face North Central College and Northern Illinois during the opening weekend.

TOP NOTCH RETURNERS: Stanford's 15 returners are highlighted by senior All-American and 2011 NCAA finalist Nick Amuchastegui and junior All-American Ryan Mango. Last year, Stanford sent four wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, Pa. -seniors Zack Giesen and Justin Paulsen, Amuchastegui and Mango. Amuchastegui was the runner-up at 174 pounds, earning his second career All-America honors, while Giesen (197 pounds) and Mango (125 pounds) both finished sixth in their respective weight classes to secure their first All-America accolades. It marked the first time in program history the Cardinal produced three All-Americans in the same season.

FRESH FACES: Stanford has 10 newcomers on its roster this year. Highlighting the rookies are five state champions who combined to win 10 titles - Washington's Josh Lauderdale, Tennessee's Alex Manley, Florida's Alex Paraschuk, Maryland's Evan Silver and Illinois' Michael Sojka. Additionally, the new faces on the Cardinal roster include Joey Beck (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), Dahlton Brown (Jackson, Calif.), Jordan Bryan (Los Angeles, Calif.), Mark Phillips (St. Louis, Mo.) and Brendan Ter Wee (Larchwood, Iowa).

IN THE RANKINGS: Senior Nick Amuchastegui and junior Ryan Mango are listed among the top-20 in the InterMat preseason rankings to begin the 2011-12 season. Amuchastegui is the top-ranked wrestler in the nation at 174 pounds. Mango, who is moving up a weight class this season, is listed at No. 7 at 133 pounds. As a team, Stanford is ranked 14th.

HEAD COACH Jason Borrelli: Stanford is under the guidance of a fourth-year head coach Jason Borrelli. In his first three seasons on The Farm, Borrelli has accrued an 28-29-3 record and sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships a total of 10 times. 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.