Nov. 8, 2007

Stanford, Calif. - The Cardinal wrestling team gets an official start to the 2007-08 season tomorrow, heading to Kansas for its first dual of the year against Fort Hays State. On Sunday, the team will travel to Missouri to compete in the Central Missouri Open. Tomorrow's match is set for 7 p.m. (CT) in Topeka, Kans.

Tomorrow will be a homecoming for senior Tanner Gardner, who will not only be back wrestling in his home state of Kansas, but will be on the mats at his alma mater, Shawnee Heights High School, where the dual between the Cardinal and the Fort Hays State Tigers will take place. Gardner, who was a two-time Kansas State Champion during his days at Shawnee Heights, has emerged as one of the nation's top collegiate wrestlers in his past four years at Stanford. Gardner, the defending Pac-10 Champion, returns to Kansas ranked fifth nationally at 125 pounds, looking become Stanford's first three-time All-American in 2008.

The Cardinal returns four NCAA qualifers from last season, including Gardner, and two 2007 All-Americans. Senior 157-pounder Josh Zupancic finished seventh at the NCAA Championships last season and enters this year ranked No. 6. Sophomore 184-pounder Zack Giesen, the 2007 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, and junior 174-pounder Luke Feist also return from successful 2007 campaigns and appearances at the NCAA Championships.

Fort Hays State, an NCAA Division II school, earned a No. 18 team ranking in the preseason NCAA Division II poll last month. The Tigers finished 14th at nationals last season, and return three national qualifiers from that squad. Highlighting the line-up are two of the nation's top DII wrestlers, 157-pound sophomore Danny Grater, who is currently ranked sixth nationally, and 197-pound sophomore Tyler Gonzales, who stands fourth nationally.

Following the dual, the Cardinal will travel to Warrensburg, Mo. to compete in the 33rd annual Central Missouri Open on Sunday. Included among the teams in the competitive field are No. 2 Oklahoma State, No. 7 Missouri and No. 19 Oklahoma. Competition will be held at the Multipurpose Arena on the UCM campus beginning at 10 a.m.

"I am looking forward to this weekend," said Head Coach Kerry McCoy. "Fort Hays has a bunch of tough guys and they will be up for the match. The CMSU open is an event that we have done well in in the past and I expect that trend to continue."