Nov. 22, 2012

THIS WEEK: The Stanford wrestling travels to Columbia, Mo., to face South Dakota State and No. 7 Missouri on Saturday, Nov. 24. The Cardinal will square off with the Jackrabbits at 10 a.m. PT and the Tigers at 1 p.m. PT in the Hearnes Center.

CATCH THE CARDINAL: Fans can keep up with Stanford throughout the season by liking the team on Facebook (Stanford Wrestling) or following them on Twitter (@CardWrestling) for updates and unique content.

ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE: The Jackrabbits are 2-3 to start the season, posting wins over Indiana (19-18) and Tiffin (32-12). This weekend's duals cap off a seven dual road trip for the team, which is under the guidance of first-year head coach Chris Bono. Senior 149-pounder Dustin Walraven leads the team with a 10-2 overall record, while senior 125-pounder Aaron Pickrel paces the squad with four falls on the season.

ABOUT MISSOURI: The Tigers, ranked seventh nationally by InterMat, are 3-0 to start the 2012-13 campaign. The squad has posted wins over Old Dominion, Purdue and Baker. Missouri boasts 10 ranked wrestlers, including five in the top-10. No. 4 Alan Waters (125 pounds), No. 5 Brent Haynes (197 pounds), No. 9 Nathan McCormick (133 pounds) and No. 9 Mike Larson (184 pounds) are all 2012 NCAA qualifiers, while second-ranked heavyweight Dom Bradley, who redshirted last season, was an All-American in 2011.

UP NEXT: Stanford will take a two-week break for finals before heading to Reno, Nev., for the Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday, Dec. 16. The Cardinal will wrap-up 2012 at the prestigious Midlands Tournament in Evanston, Ill., Dec. 29-30.

MICHIGAN RECAP: The Cardinal dropped a 26-6 dual to visiting Michigan on Nov. 18. Picking up wins for Stanford were true freshman Peter Russo and junior Dan Scherer. Russo knocked off 19th-ranked Rossi Bruno, 9-4, in overtime at 133 pounds. Scherer secured a 3-2 decision over Justin Dozier at heavyweight.

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 36-39-3 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.

Saturday's Probable Matchups:

Versus South Dakota State:
125: Aaron Pickrel (SDSU) vs. Evan Silver (SU)
133: Brance Simms (SDSU) vs. Peter Russo (SU)
141: Ben Gillette (SDSU) vs. Josh Lauderdale
149: Dustin Walraven (SDSU) vs. Timmy Boone (SU)
157: Cody Pack (SDSU) vs. Garrett Schaner OR Kyle Meyer (SU)
165: Joe Brewster (SDSU) vs. Bret Baumbach (SU)
174: Troy Morisette OR John Nething II (SDSU) vs. Thomas Kimbrell OR Ryan Davies (SU)
184: Hunter Weddington OR Shea Nolan (SDSU) vs. Alan Yen
197: Brandon Ballard (SDSU) vs. Michael Sojka (SU)
HWT: J.J. Everard (SDSU) vs. Dan Scherer (SU)

Versus Missouri:
125: #4 Alan Waters OR Boomer Boyd (UM) vs. Evan Silver (SU)
133: #9 Nathan McCormick (UM) vs. Peter Russo (SU)
141: #14 Nicholas Hucke OR Trevor Jauch (UM) vs. Josh Lauderdale
149: #16 Drake Houdashelt OR Trevor Wiest (UM) vs. Timmy Boone (SU)
157: #18 Kyle Bradley (UM) vs. Garrett Schaner OR Kyle Meyer (SU)
165: #13 Zach Toal OR Ty Prazma (UM) vs. Bret Baumbach (SU)
174: #19 Todd Porter OR Jordan Gagliano (UM) vs. Thomas Kimbrell OR Ryan Davies (SU)
184: #9 Mike Larson OR Johnny Eblen (UM) vs. Alan Yen
197: #5 Brent Haynes OR Justin Heberlie (UM) vs. Michael Sojka (SU)
HWT: #2 Dom Bradley OR Devin Mellon (UM) vs. Dan Scherer (SU)

Rankings taken from InterMatWrestle.com