Nov. 7, 2012

THIS WEEK: The Stanford wrestling squad will welcome 12th-ranked Northwestern to The Farm this Friday, Nov. 9 for its home opener. The Cardinal (3-0) and Wildcats (0-0) will square off at 6:30 p.m. in the Ford Center.

CATCH THE CARDINAL: Friday's dual will be streamed live online at pac-12.com/live/gostanford2.aspx. Fans can also keep up with Stanford throughout the season by liking the team on Facebook (Stanford Wrestling) or following them on Twitter (@CardWrestling) for unique content.

ABOUT NORTHWESTERN: Friday's dual marks the season opener for 12th-ranked Northwestern. The Wildcats placed ninth at the 2012 NCAA Championships with 42.5 points and produced two All-Americans, marking the sixth time in the last seven years Northwestern has had at least two placers at nationals. Senior 157-pounder Jason Welch (4th in 2012) and sophomore heavyweight Mike McMullan (3rd in 2012), both returning All-Americans, represented the Wildcats in the 47th Annual NWCA All-Star Classic in Washington, D.C., last week.

ROADRUNNER OPEN: Following Friday's dual, the Cardinal will head south to compete in the 2012 Roadrunner Open on Saturday, Nov. 10 in Fresno, Calif. The tournament, hosted by CSU Bakersfield, will be held at Selland Arena and begins at Noon PT. It will be a great chance for Stanford to face some conference opponents early in the season as Arizona State, Cal Poly and host CSU Bakersfield will all be participating in the tournament.

UP NEXT: Stanford returns to The Farm on Sunday, Nov. 18 to host No. 18 Michigan. The Cardinal and Wolverines will battle in Burnham Pavilion at 2 p.m.

MENLO DUALS: The Cardinal opened the 2012-13 season with three wins at the Menlo Duals last weekend, topping Simpson, Menlo College and Cal Baptist by a combined score of 103-21. Stanford was led by senior Timmy Boone, junior Bret Baumbach and redshirt freshmen Evan Silver and Michael Sojka, who were all 3-0 on the afternoon.

SAN FRANCISCO STATE OPEN: Several Cardinal wrestlers also competed unattached in the SF State Open tournament last weekend. Stanford boasted eight placewinners, including tournament champions Jim Wilson (165 pounds), Ryan Davies (184 pounds) and Josh Marchok (heavyweight). Also placing for the Cardinal were Matt Garelli (2nd) at 133 pounds, Maxwel Hvolbek (2nd) at 141 pounds, Zach Nevills (2nd) at 174 pounds, Thomas Kimbrell (3rd) at 174 pounds and Brendan Ter Wee (2nd) at heavyweight.

TOP NOTCH RETURNERS: Stanford's 11 returning letterwinners include an All-American and Pac-12 champion in Ryan Mango as well as six additional conference placewinners. With Mango redshirting the 2012-13 campaign, the Cardinal will look to senior Timmy Boone and junior Bret Baumbach, both runners-up at the conference tournament in 2012, to lead the squad this season. Last year, Stanford sent two wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo. -senior Nick Amuchastegui and Mango. Amuchastegui was the runner-up at 174 pounds for the second straight season, earning his third career All-America honors, while Mango finished fifth to secure his second All-America accolades. Overall, Amuchastegui and Mango produced 33.0 team points to finish 16th.

FRESH FACES: Stanford has 11 newcomers on its roster this year. Highlighting the rookies are five state champions, including Peter Galli (Maryland), Matt Garelli (Illinois), Josh Marchok (Illinois), Zach Nevills (California) and Peter Russo (Oregon). Additionally, the new faces on the Cardinal roster include Ryan Davies (Clovis, Calif.), Colton Dempsey (Greenwich, Conn.), Maxwell Hvolbek (West Hills, Calif.), Thomas Kimbrell (Kettering, Ohio), Dylan Morris (San Anselmo, Calif.) and Jim Wilson (Lodi, Calif.).

PAC-12 NETWORKS: With the launch of the Pac-12 Networks in August, fans will get a chance to catch some Stanford wrestling on TV this season. The Cardinal's dual on Feb. 16 against Central Michigan will be televised, as will the Pac-12 Wrestling Championships, held March 2 in Tempe, Ariz.

NCAA TOP-10: Three-time Stanford All-American Nick Amuchastegui has been announced as one of 10 student-athletes who will be honored in January 2013 as Today's Top 10 Award winners by the NCAA. The award recognizes student-athletes, who completed their athletics eligibility during the 2011-12 academic year, for their success during competition, in the classroom and within the community. Award recipients will be recognized at the Honors Celebration on Jan. 18, 2013, during the NCAA Convention in Grapevine, Texas. A mechanical engineering major with a 3.91 cumulative GPA, Amuchastegui completed his career as the only wrestler in school history to reach the NCAA finals twice. He ranks fourth in all-time wins at Stanford with 118, was named the 2011-12 Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year and captured two Pac-12 championships during his career. He was also a three-time Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American, including a two-time Men's At-Large Academic All-American of the Year.

HEAD COACH Jason Borrelli: Stanford is under the guidance of a fifth-year head coach Jason Borrelli. During his time on The Farm, Borrelli has accrued a 36-37-3 record and sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships a total of 12 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. Since then, Stanford has finished in the Top 20 at the NCAA Championships the past two seasons, including a program-best 11th at the 2011 championships in Philadelphia, Pa.

Friday's Probable Matchups:

125: Dominick Maloe (NW) vs. Evan Silver (SU)
133: #10 Levi Mele OR Garrison White (NW) vs. Peter Russo (SU)
141: Colin Shober OR Pat Greco OR Jameson Oster (NW) vs. Josh Lauderdale (SU)
149: Dylan Marriott OR David Helmer (NW) vs. Timmy Boone (SU)
157: #3 Jason Welch (NW) vs. Garrett Schaner (SU)
165: #15 Pierce Harger (NW) vs. Bret Baumbach (SU)
174: #10 Lee Munster (NW) vs. Ryan Davies (SU)
184: Marcus Shrewsbury (NW) vs. Alan Yen (SU)
197: Alex Polizzi (NW) vs. Michael Sojka (SU)
HWT: #5 Mike McMullan (NW) vs. Dan Scherer (SU)

Rankings taken from InterMatWrestle.com