Friends of Stanford Wrestling

Matt Gentry captured a bronze medal at the Pan Am Games last week in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Competing for Canada, Gentry posted a 2-1 record in 74 kg Freestyle to earn his first major international medal.

As summer rolls on and we begin to prepare for the upcoming season, Stanford wrestling continues to accomplish great things. The summer newsletter will be coming out soon, but in the mean time here are a few things happening with our program.

Gardner Earns First Team Academic All-America Honors In June, Tanner was selected as a member of the ESPN Academic All-America Men's At-Large First Team for the University Division, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America. http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/061607aaa.html

Jason Borrelli and Matt Ellis Named to Stanford Wrestling Staff Jason Borrelli (Central Michigan '06) and Matt Ellis (Oregon State '05) accepted positions and began working this week. Kevin Klemm will remain in the Bay Area pursuing private business opportunities and Ray will be returning to Chicago to attend John Marshall Law School. http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/071807aaa.html

Gentry Set for Pan Am Games Matt will be competing for Canada in Freestyle at 74 kg. starting Saturday in the Pan Am Games this week in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. I am also in Brazil coaching the US Freestyle team. http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/072407aaa.html

For full schedule and results of the Pan Am Games visit: http://www.rio2007.org.br/data/pages/8CA3C78713B9BC7F0113BA41290B1E03.htm

I have also attached a letter that will give you an update to our fund raising/budget process that will begin in the 08-09 year thanks our new Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby. I am sure you will find the new changes very exciting considering the challenges the program has had in the past with financial support from the Athletic Department. Also I hope you will continue to support our program by supporting the Buck Cardinal Club.

With the year coming to a end, I wanted to fill you in on some our our recent accomplishments and announcements. If you have not visited www.stanfordwrestling.com in a while take a look. The site has been redesigned, and looks great. We have added a video section, which will give you a chance to see highlights from this season.

Recruiting: I am very excited with our incoming class. We have 15 new wrestlers committed to the program.

Click below for the full release: http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/052207aaa.html

Zack Giesen and Lucas Espericueta placed in the FILA Junior (20 and under) World Team trials

Click below for the full release: http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/053007aaa.html

Tanner Gardner Named to ESPN Academic All-America All-District Team for the 2nd year in a row

Click below for the full release: http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/053007aab.html

Matt Gentry and Vic Moreno are continuing to work hard and getting better everyday. Matt is splitting his time between here and Canada training for the World Championships and Vic has traveled across the country to get a variety of training partners to help him get ready for the World Team trials next week in Las Vegas (http://www.usawrestlinglasvegas.com/). Having these two connected to our program is very important. If you are interested in keeping up with them, you can follow Matt's progress on his blog at www.matgentry.com/blog and for now to keep up with Vic just check www.themat.com and www.advancedtrainingclub.com

Stanford Wrestling earns 2nd highest Team GPA in the Nation, 4 Academic All Americans

Stanford wrestlers finished 2nd among Div 1 wrestling programs for the 2006-07 season. Led by Academic All Americans, Tanner Gardner, Luke Feist, Brian Perry and Josh Zupancic Stanford's team GPA was 3.368, which was less than .02 points below the top spot. It was the first time Brian Perry and Luke Feist appeared on the All Academic team and Gardner and Zupancic's 2nd.

Gardner also recorded the 5th highest GPA of all Div 1 wrestlers. Full release.

The Stanford wrestling team celebrated the 2006-07 season on April 28th at the annual team banquet, held at the Stanford Golf Course. The Cardinal finished the season with an 8-8 overall record and a 5-4 mark in conference. We finished 6th in the Pac 10 conference tournament with 5 placers including 3 finalists and 1 champion. We qualified five wrestlers for the NCAA Championships and finished with two All-Americans.

The honors began with the Tod Surmon Award, a new award started this season, given to the Stanford wrestler who had the most outstanding performance at each home dual. The winners were: Luke Feist (Columbia), Scott Loescher (Lehigh), Tanner Gardner (UC Davis and San Francisco State), Brian Perry (Menlo College), Josh Zupancic (Oregon), Cameron Teitelman (Cal Poly) and Phillip Doerner (Arizona State).

Zack Giesen, the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, Pac-10 runner up and NCAA qualifier was named the team's Outstanding Newcomer.

Gardner and Zupancic earned the Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award for the best combination of academics and athletics.

Jake Johnson earned the Coaches Award, given to the individual who made the most significant contributions to the well-being of the team in terms of attitude, improvement and special leadership.

Gardner was named the Most Valuable Wrestler, after winning the Pac-10 Championship at 125 pounds and becoming the first wrestler in Stanford history to earn a second consecutive All-America honor.

We will lose just one senior from the 2006-07 season and returns four NCAA qualifiers, including All-Americans Gardner and Zupancic.

The record setting season of Tanner Gardner continued this passed weekend. In March, Tanner became Stanford’s first wrestler to earn All American honors in consecutive years. He also tied the season win record and moved into the 3rd sport in career wins for Stanford. This weekend he became the first wrestler to win a University National freestyle championship, and the first wrestler to win the University Nationals since Dave Nowick won the Greco Roman title in 1992. Tanner went 4-0 including a 50 second pin in the finals over 2007 All American Obe Blanc. Blanc placed 6th at the NCAA tournament.

By winning the championship, Tanner is now qualified to compete in the US World Team trials June 7-9 in Las Vegas.

Pac 10 Freshman of the year Zack Giesen and Red shirt Freshman Matt Kim both went 4-2 in the tournament and finished one match away from All American status.

9 Stanford wrestlers are headed to Akron, Ohio this weekend to compete in the University National Championships. This will be another great weekend of wrestling and give our guys another chance to compete against the nations best. Finalists (Olympic Weights 55, 60, 66, 74, 84, 96, 120kg) qualify for the 2007 Senior World Team Trials in Las Vegas, NV; June 8-10, 2007. This event is also a qualifier for a partially subsidized international tour.

Tanner Gardner will compete at 55kg-121lbs, Cameron Teitelman and Matt Kim will compete at 63 kg-138.75lbs, Eric Minnick will compete at 66kg-145.5lbs, Tyler Parker and Lucas Espericueta will compete at 70kg-154.25lbs, Anton Scherba will compete at 79kg-174 lbs, Zack Giesen will compete at 84kg-185lbs, and Phil Doerner will compete at 120kg-264.5. To follow the action visit www.themat.com.

Matt Gentry wins Canadian Nationals, 5 Stanford Wrestlers set to Compete in the US Nationals

Matt Gentry won his 2nd consecutive National Championship two weeks ago. By winning the Nationals he earned the right to compete in the Pan Am Games held in Rio De Janeiro Brazil this July as well as the World Championships which will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan in September. He also took a big step to securing a spot on the Olympic team. By winning the Nationals this year, he earned the right to sit on top of the qualifying ladder next year. This means all the other qualifiers will compete for the right to challenge him for the Olympic spot. For more info visit: http://mattgentry.com/blog/

2x All American Tanner Gardner will begin competition in the US National Qualifying Tournament tomorrow. The qualifying tournament is designed to narrow the US Open entries to 8. The top 8 from the qualifying tournament will then enter the US National Championship where they will join the previous top 8 ranked wrestlers and compete for the National Championship. Tanner will be competing at 55kg which is approximately 121lbs.

Advanced Training Club Coach Vic Moreno will also be competing this weekend. Vic is seeded 4th at 55kg and is already in the National Championship, so he will not compete until Saturday.

Pac 10 Freshman of the Year Zack Giesen 84kg-185lbs, and red shirts freshmen Justin Paulsen 60kg-132lbs, Lucas Espericueta 70kg-154, and Anton Scherba 79kg-174lbs will be competing the the FILA Junior National Championships. FILA Junior is the age group for wrestlers born between 1987 and 1989. Top six place winners at this event qualify for the 2007 FILA Junior World Team Training Camp & World Team Trials in Colorado Springs, CO, May 20-26, 2007.

Also Stanford Alum Dave Nowick, who remains active in the wrestling world, won the Veterans National Championship in both Freestyle and Greco Roman. Dave won Division B(born between 1967-1974) championships at 63kg or 138.5lbs.

Tanner Gardner and Josh Zupancic were First Team honorees, while Jared Boyer and Tyler Parker were named to the Second Team. Brian Perry, Matt Kim and Luke Feist, were among the Honorable Mention selections.

Giesen, a true freshman at 184-pounds, planned to redshirt the season but instead of easing his way into collegiate wrestling, Giesen wound up wrestling 45 matches. His 29 wins are the third-most for a freshman in Stanford history. Giesen also strung together a 12-match win-streak from Jan. 5-Feb. 11. He is the second Cardinal to win Pac-10 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year, joining Matt Gentry who earned the award in 2002.

This seasons spring banquet will be held at the Stanford Golf Course Grill Saturday April 28th at 6pm. Formal invitations will be out by the middle of next week but I attached a copy to make sure you have the information. If you do not receive an invitation we may not have your current address. If you are interested in attending let me know. We will be naming Outstanding Wrestler, Best Scholar Athlete, Newcomer of the year and Most Improved Wrestler. Also wrestlers who won Tod Surmon awards for outstanding performance in out home duals will receive their plaques. Its been a great season so we look forward to celebrating the accomplishments.

For the first time since 1967 Stanford has 2 All-American's in the same year. Tanner became the second 2x AA in school history and the first to do it in consecutive years. Josh defeated the 8th, 9th, and 10th seeded wrestlers to claim All-American status.
They will both wrestle for 7th place tomorrow morning beginning at 10am eastern time. The matches will be shown live on ESPNU and ESPN 360 again.

Tanner Gardner and Josh Zupancic reached the NCAA's today. Tanner the no. 3 seed won two matches to advance. His 2nd match was the 100th career victory for the red shirt Junior. Tomorrow he will face the 6th seed from Nebraska. Josh toped the 8th and 9th seeds to advance. He will face the 1st seed from Iowa State tomorrow. Zack Giesen is still alive in the consolation round tomorrow.

The Quarterfinals will be aired live on ESPNU at 11am eastern to Friday. Please tune in and watch our guys in action. If you do not get ESPNU you can try logging onto ESPN 360 at http://broadband.espn.go.com/espn360/

The Pac 10 Championships went well for us. We finished 6th as a team which is one place higher than last year. We placed 5 wrestlers in the top 6 (last year we placed 4). Tanner Gardner won the title at 125 and became Stanford’s first conference champ since 2004. Josh Zupancic and Zack Giesen finished 2nd while Luke Feist and Brian Perry finished 4th and 5th respectively. They are all going to the NCAA championships. Tanner, Josh and Zack were automatic qualifiers for placing in the top 3 while Luke and Brian received wild card bids.

The NCAA Championships will be held March 15-17 at The Palace of Auburn Hills outside of Detroit Michigan. We are very excited to have 5 guys competing. This ties the most athletes Stanford has ever sent to NCAA’s. They all have the potential to do well, so that makes it even more exciting.

If you are interested in NCAA tickets, we have some available. They are in the 2nd level and cost $130 for an all session ticket. Please contact me if you would like to purchase tickets.

We also plan on having a social after the tournament. Once we have a location I will let you know. Please let me know if you are interested in attending so I can plan accordingly.
NCAA Update-Tickets, Social, Schedule

Its finally time to head to the "Big Show". We leave tomorrow morning, and the guys are ready.

The dual vs. ASU was a great match. Even though we did not win the dual, each match had a lot of excitement and really showed that we are not that far from where we need to be to peak for the conference tournament.
Luke Feist scored a 2nd period technical fall and Phil Doerner won his 2nd straight conference match. For his efforts he won the Tod Surmon Award.

Pac Ten Championships
We now have a chance to show what all the hard work has been for. The Pac 10’s are this weekend (Saturday Feb. 24 and Sunday Feb. 25) on the Campus of Cal State Bakersfield. The training the last few weeks has been great. The guys who were banged up are healthy and everyone is recovered and ready to go.

For the first time ever, college wrestling fans across the country will have the opportunity to watch the entire tournament (every match) live via online streaming video free of charge, available exclusively at www.pac-10.org.

After the tournament we will have a social for all supporters. It will be held in the Yosemite room of the Four Points Sheraton. The social will begin after the finals around 8:30pm. Please let me know if you would like to join us.

Here is the hotel info:
FOUR POINTS BAKERSFIELD
5101 CALIFORNIA AVENUE
BAKERSFIELD, CA 93309
661-325-9700

1st match
1st seed Tanner Gardner vs Jaime Hernandez CSF
Cameron Teitelman vs Levi Jones BSU
Tyler Parker vs 2nd seed Brandon Doyle CSUB
Phil Doerner vs 1st seed Ty Watterson OSU
Matt Kim vs 1st seed Derek Moore UCD
2nd seed Josh Zupancic vs Paul Tice CSF
3rd seed Brian Perry vs winner Daniel Atondo CSUB/ 6th seed Brent Arand OSU
4th seed Luke Feist vs 5th seed Ron Lee OU
3rd seed Zack Giesen vs winner Bobby Musser CSF/ 6th seed Ernesto Ancona CSUB
Jared Boyer vs winner Keena Washington PS/ 2nd seed Brandon Halsey CSUB

Also they told us today that they will only be able to broadcast one match at a time, so we do not know for sure what matches will be online.
It still very exciting as we are the first conference to do this. Please log on and check it out. If it is successful, we could see a lot more wrestling in the future.

The trip to Boise, Oregon State and Portland State was pretty tough. We wrestled three teams in three different places over the weekend. Overall our guys wrestled well, but made mistakes in some individual matches that cost us a win. We lost to Boise 22-15 and Oregon State 31-13 before defeating Portland State 36-9.

The highlights of the weekend were Tanner Gardner running his season win total to 33 with a decision and 2 pins. Josh Zupancic, on the strength of a forfeit, an 8-0 major decision and a fall in just over 2 minutes, now has 31 wins on the season. Zack Giesen continued his impressive freshman season with 3 wins putting him at 27 wins on the year.

Our last dual of the season is Friday against Arizona State. This is going to be a very good dual. ASU has three guys ranked 1st in the conference and are usually the top team in the conference. This is the last time we compete before the Pac 10’s so it’s important for the guys to go out and fight hard and send a message.

We will also be recognizing our lone senior Brian Perry and our manager Stephanie Lam for their commitment to the program. The match begins at 7pm, but fans are welcome to stop by the wrestling room and visit with the coaches and watch the team warm up. After the dual, we will have a catered social and be signing posters and media guides for all interested. It should be a fun night.

Oregon and Cal Poly posed some interesting challenges for us. They both
have had a lot of variation in their line-ups, so we really did not know
who would be competing. Oregon came in to the weekend with only one
conference win and Cal Poly had only one conference loss. The funny
thing was Oregon was the team that beat Cal Poly. The other “fun” thing
about the weekend was weighing in. There were five teams competing in
three different places Friday: Oregon at UC Davis at noon, Cal Poly at
San Francisco State at 2pm, Oregon at Stanford at 5pm, Oregon State at
UC Davis, and Cal Poly at Stanford at 7pm. So we all weighed in at 11 am.

The guys did a great job with the different preparation, weighing in at
11 and not wrestling until 5 (we usually weigh in an hour before the
start of a dual) and we wrestled well. These were two very important
duals that showcased a few individual match-ups that had a big impact on
the conference seeding. We beat Oregon 26-12 and Cal Poly 25-13. The Tod
Surmon award went to Josh Zupancic for the Oregon dual and Cameron
Teitelman for the Cal Poly dual. Tod’s parents Dave and Linda were in
attendance so that added to the evening.

On Saturday, a few guys competed in the California Collegiate wrestling
open. The event was held at San Francisco State University. Freshman
Justin Paulsen was our top placer, finishing 3rd at 133 lbs.

Next up we travel to Boise State, Oregon State, and Portland State. We
will wrestle Boise at 7pm on Friday the 9th. We finish the weekend on
Sunday in Oregon, where we will face Oregon State at noon in Corvallis,
and then Portland State at 5 pm in Portland.

Last weekend I experienced something that has never happened in my career as a coach or competitor. The official did not show up for our dual. We were shocked to say the least. I made a few calls to try to find out what was going on and find a replacement but on a Saturday at 2pm, most of the officials were busy with other competitions. After the match we found out that he thought the dual was at Menlo College, which is about 15 minutes away from us, and for some reason he did not try to contact either coach, or just come down the road.

Fortunately for us Ray Kahler, a high school referee from PA, was in the crowd. He volunteered to officiate the match. Since he was not a certified NCAA official we called the match and exhibition. He did a great job.

After all the confusion we got the match started. We won the dual 29-14. We were led by Tanner Gardner and Zack Giesen who both recorded wins by fall, while Tyler Parker and Luke Feist scored technical falls. The Tod Surmon Award went to Brian Perry who won a 9-1 major decision over one of Menlo’s best wrestlers.

Click below for the official release:
http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/012707aaa.html

We return to action Friday night against Oregon (5pm) and Cal Poly (7pm) in Burnham Pavilion. These are two big matches that will have influence on the conference rankings and seeding for the Pac 10 Championships.

Click below for the preview:
http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/013107aaa.html

On Jan 12th we wrestled San Francisco State University. Although SFSU has not had a great season, they had a bunch of good individuals that concerned me. The dual was one of the best team efforts I have seen to date. Our guys wrestled with extreme confidence and intensity. Led by falls from Tanner Gardner and Luke Fiest we won 9 out of 10 matches. Tanners fall in just over 2 minutes earned his 2nd Tod Surmon Award.
Click below for full release:
http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/011307aaa.html

After the strong performance against the Gators, we had a great week of training leading up to the Bakersfield dual. Bakersfield had been wrestling well all year, placing ahead of us in every tournament. Stanford has never won a dual in Bakersfield against the roadrunners.
The dual was very intense. We each won 5 matches, but we came out on top 22-21 on the strength of 2 pins, one from Tanner, who notched his 9th of the season, and the other from freshman Zack Giesen who recorded the first of his career. Overall it was a total team effort that made the difference. The guys were on the bench yelling and cheering each other on. It was a great win, although I definitely have a more than a few gray hairs now.

Click below for the full release:
http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/012107aaa.html

Next up we will face Menlo College Saturday Jan. 27th at home followed by 2 Pac 10 duals against Oregon (5pm) and Cal Poly (7pm) the following week on Friday Feb. 2nd. The next day, Feb. 3rd, a few of our guys will compete in the California Collegiate Wrestling Open held on the campus of San Francisco State University. This is an open tournament so wrestlers that are red shirting will have the opportunity to compete as well.
Remaining Schedule
Saturday Jan 27th Menlo College 2pm HOME
Friday Feb. 2nd Oregon 5pm, Cal Poly 7pm HOME
Saturday Feb. 3rd California Collegiate Open All Day San Francisco, CA
Friday Feb. 9th @Boise State, 7pm Boise ID
Sunday Feb. 11th Oregon State, 12pm Corvallis, OR
Sunday Feb. 11th Portland State, 5pm Portland OR
Friday Feb. 16th ASU, 7pm HOME
Sat- Sun Feb. 24-25 Pac 10 Championships, All Day Bakersfield CA
Th-Sat Mar. 15-17 NCAA Championships, All Day Detroit MI

The Southern Scuffle was one of the best run events since the 2006 Pac 10 Championships ;) . The arena was great for wrestling with ten mats that you could see from any seat, a very energetic announcer, a great hospitality room, and of course some of the best teams in the nation.

There were plenty of breaks during the days so we had time to go back to the hotel and get some rest, also we were done early enough both nights that we had time to get something to eat and a good nights sleep. We also got to catch up with Steve Buddie and Jeff and Laura Grant who now live in North Carolina.

After training at their homes for a few days, we knew the guys would not be as sharp as they could be going in to the tournament. Keeping that in mind, our guys fought really hard and wrestled very tough. Tanner Gardner cruised through the tournament with four straight wins before losing in the finals to 2006 NCAA runner up Troy Nickerson of Cornell. Josh Zupancic also won four straight to get to the semi finals. In the quarter finals, he defeated Tyler Sherfy of Boise State, who he lost to in the finals of Reno. Josh ended finishing in sixth place. Brian Perry and Zack Giesen both made it to the 2nd day but fell one match short of placing.

The Scuffle was a valuable experience for the guys which will help a lot as we get into the dual meet season. For full results go to http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/123006aab.html

On Friday, January 5th, Columbia (10am), Lehigh (12pm) and UC Davis (2pm) will come to Burnham Pavilion to take on the Cardinal. Lehigh and Columbia will also compete against UC Davis. Doors will open at 9am. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children. Come out and see a great day of wrestling and support Stanford in their first home matches of the season.

Click here for duals preview http://gostanford.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/010307aaa.html

Also at the Duals we will be introducing the Tod Surmon Award for outstanding performance in the dual. The award is named after Tod Surmon, who was an All American and Midlands Champion for Stanford, who passed away the day after winning his Midlands Title. Tod was a fierce competitor who always gave 100 % when he competed. This award will be given after each home dual to the Stanford Wrestler who has the best performance. The award will be a plaque with an engraved picture of Tod. The award will be announced after the dual and the plaque will be handed out at the year end banquet.

If you are planning on attending the duals or if you are in town for any reason, please stop the wrestling room to see the improvements we have made to the wrestling room and the locker room. We have taken our wall of fame to the next level, with pictures of our NCAA Champion and All Americans. We also have the names of our conference champions, Academic All-Americans and Freestyle/Greco Roman national and international successes.

As for the locker room, we have new lockers which are bigger and better. We also have carpeting on the floor and new seating which makes the room seem much larger. There are still a few things that need to be finished, but it great to have the steps taken to get our facilities close to par with some of our competitor’s facilities, which is huge for our current wrestlers and really important for recruiting.

A huge thanks to Bill Walsh and Bob Bowlsby for helping us make this a reality, and to all of our donors who have and will help fund these projects.

Finally, I would like to ask you to keep my brother Charles Cisco and his wife Veronica, who are in the US Army, in your thoughts. Their unit has received orders to go to Iraq. His wife left yesterday and he will leave later this week. Thank you.

First off, I hope you are enjoying the holiday season. 2007 will be a great year for the Cardinal Wrestling program. There are a lot of great things happening with the program and I am very excited with the direction we are heading. The Reno Tournament of Champions was a great day of wrestling. Once again we had each of our 12 wrestlers all win at least 1 match. The tournament was highlighted by Tanner Gardner winning the title over his long time rival Chad Mendes of Cal Poly. Before this match Mendes recorded at least 5 wins over Tanner. Three of which happened last season including the Pac 10 finals. Josh Zupancic cruised to the finals before dropping a 1-0 decision to Boise State's Tyler Sherfy. Scott Loescher earned two pins and 2 major decisions en route to a 3rd place finish. Luke Feist and Brian Perry both finished in the top 8. Jared Boyer avenged a loss from The Cliff Keen invite. Phil Doerner and Jake Johnson returned to action after injuries in Fargo to record some wins. Freshman Zack Giesen and Cameron Teitelman continued to improve and Tyler Parker and Steven Frehn both posted wins.

We did not wrestle our best, but we definitely showed improvement from our last competition. This is billed as the toughest tournament in the US, so to have 3 guys place and to have a champion is very encouraging for us.

Next up we will travel to Greensboro North Carolina to compete in the Southern Scuffle. This tournament is in its 4th or 5th year and is quickly becoming the premiere holiday wrestling tournament in the nation. A title that is currently held by the Midlands Invitational, held on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston Illinois. The biggest reason we decided to compete in the Scuffle this season is we are allowed to send a full line up to the event. We will have 12 wrestlers. The Midlands is an Invite and they limit the number of entries each team. This year we were given 8 spots. So its better for us to get a few more guys competition. The tournament will be very exciting and among the 32 teams participating in the tournament, eight are currently ranked in the Top 25. The field includes top-ranked Missouri as well as No. 2 Minnesota, the two-time defending Scuffle Champion. Other ranked teams are No. 12 Edinboro, No. 13 Cornell, No. 18 Chattanooga, No. 19 Ohio State, No. 23 Lehigh and No. 24 Pittsburgh.

After the Scuffle, we will return to Palo Alto and get ready for the dual meet season. Our first event Friday Jan. 5th when we will wrestle Columbia at 10am, Lehigh at noon, and Pac 10 rival US Davis at 2pm.

Finally, I wanted to point out that if you are interested in making a gift/donation to Stanford wrestling and have it count for 2006, its not too late. All donations post marked before Dec. 31st will count for 2006, so you can send donations to "Stanford Wrestling" and mail them to Wrestling Office 641 East Campus Dr. Stanford, CA 94305. You can also make donations online by clicking here.

or go to www.stanfordwrestling.com and click on "Join" then click "Give Online". If you have any questions do not hesitate to call or email me. Again, Thank you for your support and see you in 2007. Happy New Year.

The Cliff Keen invitational was held in Primm, NV this year. We did not have our best performance, but improved our results from last year. We finished 16th and had two placers. Tanner Gardner finished 4th and Josh Zupancic was 7th. Rafael Chavez fell one match short of placing.

Even though we did not have the results we wanted, it was a very important weekend for the team. We continued to face opponents that we don’t usually see and more importantly we were able to rebound from some tough situations and come together as a team. The renewed focus will definitely help us as we continue to work towards our goals in the second half of the season.

The weekend results also helped put Josh Zupancic in the top 20 of the national rankings. He is currently ranked 17th in the latest ranking. Although we stress to our guys not to worry about rankings, its nice to see them get recognized for their work.

The guys are taking finals now, so the training has been less structured. They have done a great job of keeping the workouts intense, even with the stress of finals. After finals end this week, we will have a couple of days to fine tune and get ready for the Reno tournament of Champions.

Reno will be another great competition. Some of the nations top teams will be there including 3 top ten ranked teams, Oklahoma State (4th), Northwestern (9th), and Central Michigan (10th) as well as Pac 10 teams, Cal State Bakersfield, UC Davis, Oregon, Cal State Fullerton, Arizona State, Oregon State, Boise State, and Cal Poly who are ranked 20th in the nation.

We started the weekend with a 29-16 win over Cal State Fullerton. The dual was highlighted with pins by Tanner Gardner, Rafael Chavez, and Brian Perry and major decisions by Josh Zupancic and Luke Feist. Also Freshman Zack Giesen continued to impress with a win over one of the top ranked wrestlers in the conference.

Fullerton Open The Fullerton open, which usually includes many of the Pac ten teams, was a bit more competitive this year with the addition of Iowa State. Josh Zupancic was our only placer, winning the title at 157 lbs. We also had a few guys lose in the consolation semis which would have placed them in the 5th place match, but the tournament was running long and they decided to only place top 4. We won 31 matches with 5 major decisions, 5 technical falls and 4 pins. We wrestled better, but were a little flat and missed some opportunities throughout the day.

Josh Zupancic of the was selected as the Stanford/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week for Nov. 13-19

All Star Match We drove back to Stanford right after the tournament. The next day Tanner and I were off to the “BIG D” for the All Star match. This event is a great showcase for our sport. We were both very excited to be a part of it. Tanner wrestled a tough match but was admittedly hesitant and fell short, losing 4-1 to the top ranked wrestler in the nation. He made 2 mistakes in the match, but he learned that with a few small adjustments he can beat anyone. So even though he did not win it was a valuable experience.

Next up we will travel to Primm, NV for the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. This event will feature 8 of the 10 Pac ten teams as well as top ten teams Missouri, Michigan and Cornell.

The Bison open was a great test and our guys really wrestled well. Of course there were some matches that we could/should have won but overall is was a pretty good weekend. We won 34 matches (15 wins by pin, 4 technical falls and 4 major decisions) against 15 losses. We had 7 placers, Tanner Gardner won the title, Josh Zupancic and Scott Loescher were 2nd, Brian Perry, Luke Feist and Zack Giesen finished 3rd and Phil Doerner finished 5th.

Rafael Chavez also competed last weekend, but he wrestled in the Cowboy open in Laramie, WY. He finished 3rd with 4 pins. Since Rafael is from Wyoming, we decided to let him go so he could get a chance to compete in front of his family.

It was a very good weekend for the program. We are getting better each week, and we look to continue building this weekend when we open our conference schedule at Cal State Fullerton on Friday. After the dual, we will compete in the Fullerton Open. This will give us another chance to test ourselves against some really tough competition. Pac 10 teams Cal Poly, UC Davis, Cal State Bakersfield, and Arizona State are scheduled to be there. Also Iowa State is scheduled to be there also.

Today was an exciting day for Tanner. After being featured in the Stanford Daily, (Click here for the article: http://daily.stanford.edu/article/2006/11/15/gardnerMustCarryABigLoad) I got a call from the NWCA asking if Tanner would be willing and able to compete in the competition that puts 2 of the nations best wrestlers against each other. Tanner will face Oklahoma’s Sam Hazewinkel, who is currently ranked #1 in the nation and has placed 3rd in the last 3 NCAA Championships. Tanner is only the 2nd Stanford wrester to compete in the event and 1st since NCAA Champion Matt Gentry competed in the 2003 Classic. For more info visit: http://www.nwcaonline.com/2004allstarclassic.cfm

Matt Gentry and Vic Moreno will be heading back east for the NYAC Holiday tournament. Vic a 2x NCAA All-American for Cal Poly, started working for the Advanced Training Wrestling Club (www.advancedtrainingclub.com) this fall. Vic recently won the Sunkist open and the Real Pro Wrestling Western Regional. As well as support from our club, Vic is a house painter, so he stays pretty busy when he is not training. Matt continues his role as volunteer coach and also coaches the club. He will be competing for Canadian National team again this year. He finished 2nd in the Clansman International in Vancouver BC. The NYAC Tournament will be a good test for them and help them move forward in their pursuit of the 2008 Olympic team.

Another former wrestler/coach that will be helping with our club is my former HS and College teammate John Lange. John was a 3x NYS HS champion before becoming an All-American for Penn State. He is also a former assistant wrestling coach for Eastern Michigan and also helped at University of North Carolina and Hofstra. He and his wife Rachael recently moved to the Bay area. He has started an employee benefits and insurance business. In his spare time he will be helping with the club.

Recruit Update We have received letters of intent from 4 wrestlers in the early signing period. . Nick Amuchastegui (Talent, Ore.), Kyle Barrett (Las Vegas, Nev.), Matt Winterbourne (Cornelius, Ore.) and Christine Cunningham (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) will join the Cardinal in 2007-08.

They truly represent some of the best and brightest student-athletes in the nation. They all will bring something special to our program

Amuchastegui is a standout from Phoenix High School in Phoenix Ore., who won the State Championship last year as a junior. Amuchastegui also placed at State Championships as a freshman and sophomore, taking third both seasons.

Barrett is another defending State Champion from Palo-Verde High School in Las Vegas. He placed seventh in the state as a sophomore and has also placed in numerous national level tournaments.

Winterbourne is finishing a successful prep career at Forest Grove High School in Forest Grove, Ore. He placed sixth at 189 lbs. at the State Championships last year, and is poised to take the title this season as one of the top ranked wrestlers in the state.

Cunningham, hailing from Torrey Pines High School in Encinitas, Calif., is one of the best female high school wrestlers in the country. She has placed in every major tournament she has competed in and is in line to make the 2012 Olympic team.

This weekend was a big challenge for our guys. We traveled all day on Friday, leaving Stanford at 7am and not arriving in PA until almost 7pm. Once we got our bags and rental cars, we drove 2.5 hours to Erie. About 30 minutes away from Erie, it began to snow. We got to the hotel, checked in and a few guys worked out. The matches were held in the main ballroom of the hotel, which was a different setting. The next day, guys had to get up early if they wanted to get on the mats because there was a clinic going on. Most guys went to a local YMCA to get their workout. It was definitely a tough weekend filled with adversity. We started off slow, but as the day went on our guys got better. We lost the 1st two duals, Maryland (27-12), Edinboro (30-7). In our final dual, it was "gut check" time. The guys responded great as we defeated Mercyhurst (28-19). After the competition our guys realized that they are capable of competing with anyone. This is very important considering we start almost a month later than most schools, and its still early enough or us to make up the lost time. I am confident that in time we will be where we need to be.

Although we were not satisfied with our team results there were some very strong individual performances on the day. Returning All-American Junior co-captain Tanner Gardner (125) led the way for the Cardinal with 2 pins and a 14-2 major decision to finish the day with an undefeated 3-0 record. Junior Josh Zupancic (157) picked up 2 wins of his own, including a pin in the dual against Mercyhurst. Another bright spot for our squad was the performance of our two true freshmen, Cameron Teitelman (133) and Zack Giesen (184). Zack won matches against both Maryland and Mercyhurst and went toe-to-toe with Edinboro's Alex Clemsen, the #6-ranked wrestler in the nation at 184. Cameron battled hard all day and picked up his first collegiate victory with a gutsy come-from-behind win in the Mercyhurst dual. The highlight of the day occurred when fifth-year senior co-captain Brian Perry (165) defeated returning All-American Deonte Penn of Edinboro. Brian took the lead over the #4-ranked Penn in the first period and never looked back, keeping the pressure on with a relentless attack to pull out an 11-8 victory. With the win Brian proved that he is definitely in contention to be an All-American by season's end.

Next up for we will compete in the Bison Open this Saturday (Nov. 11) in Fargo, ND. We will see some good competition, including preseason #1-ranked Minnesota. The Gophers boast 3 number 1 ranked wrestlers including 2 returning NCAA Champions and an NCAA Runner up. We expect to perform better every time out so we'll look to place many wrestlers and bring home a few titles. Go Cardinal.

The Wrestle offs were great. The guys wrestled hard and really put on a good show for our fans. The match started with two exhibitions. In the first of the afternoon's two exhibitions, 2006 All-American Tanner Gardner came out on top of freshman Cameron Teitelman, 16-2.

In the next exhibition sophomores Rafael Chavez claimed a 10-2 decision over Steven Frehn

In the first official match Sophomore Tyler Parker topped freshman Lucas Espericueta 6-2. At 157 pounds, junior Josh Zupancic scored a 10-1 major decision over red shirt freshman Peter Miller. In the most anticipated match of the afternoon, the squad's lone senior, Brian Perry decisioned junior Scott Loescher 6-1. Sophomore Luke Feist defended his starting spot at 174 pounds with a fall in 2:30 over freshman Alex Muller. In a battle of two true freshmen Zack Giesen posted a 6-2 decision over Jake Johnson at 184 pounds.

There were no matches at 125 pounds, 133 pounds, 141 pounds, 197 pounds or heavyweight, as Gardner, Chavez, Jared Boyer and Phillip Doerner did not need to compete for starting spots at 125, 141, 197 and heavyweight respectively. The starter at 133 pounds will be decided later.

Shortly after wrestle offs, we celebrated the beginning of the season with our 1^st annual Season Kick off dinner and Auction. The event was a huge success. Not only did we raise money for the program, but we had a great time. The evening began with a social hour where the guys on the team were able to mingle with our supporters, alums, and each others families. A few of the attendees were former Head wrestling coach, Chris Horpel, World champion and Olympic Medalist Chris Campbell, and long time supporter and alum Vern Jones.

We were very fortunate to have 3 great speakers share words with us. Our first speaker was newly hired Director of Athletics, Bob Bowlsy. He shared some great stories about his experiences and his commitment to wrestling. After Bob spoke, we were treated to words by Associate Athletic Director Earl Koberlein. Even though he is “a basketball guy” he is one of the biggest sources of support in the athletic department. He shared a few stories, one in particular about how one of the best weekend in his career as an administrator was when he watched Matt Gentry win his NCAA title and minutes later, saw former Stanford Swimmer break a world record. Our last speaker was the infamous Matt Gentry, who really focused his message on inspiring the current team and telling our supporters how important they are to the success of the past, present and future of the program.

After the speeches, we were graced by the auctioneer skills of Junior Phil Doerner. He really did a great job and had everyone laughing like crazy. We had such a good time and it was a great way to kick off the season. We really have to thank Bill Ross who secured the location and really handled the bulk of the planning for the night.

Next up, we head to Erie, PA for the Avalon Duals. We will face Maryland, Edinboro and Mercyherst on Saturday, Nov. 4^th. In the first dual of the day, we will meet Maryland, a team that finished fourth in the ACC last season and compiled an 8-10 dual meet record. It’s also a reunion for me, as Coach Santoro and I have a long history. He coached me my freshman year at Penn State and then we coached together during 4 of my 5 years at Lehigh.

In the second dual, we will face host Edinboro who placed eighth at the NCAA Championships last year and finished the regular-season undefeated in duals. Edinboro returns 2 All-Americans, Deonte Penn-165 and Gregor Gillespie-149.

In the final dual, we will square off with Mercyhurst College a Division II program, enters this season ranked No. 11. Four wrestlers rank in the top eight in their weight classes including 141-pound All-American J.J. Zanetta who is ranked third and Senior Zack Schafer, the NCAA Division II runner-up at 165 in 2005-06, is the preseason No. 4 at 174 pounds.

The few guys that will not travel to PA will compete unattached in the Menlo Open hosted by Menlo College in Menlo Park, CA.

If last year we were “On the Rise”, then it’s safe to say that this year we are ready to “Make it Happen”. As hard as it is to believe, we are less than a week away from wrestle offs and less than two weeks from our first competition. Practices have been going well, the guys have been working hard and having fun. This years captains are Tanner Gardner, Brian Perry and Jared Boyer. Click here for the 2006-07 season outlook.

We will kick off the season this weekend with our annual wrestle offs. Wrestle offs will be held on October 28th at 2 pm in Burnham Pavilion. Come and watch a great showcase of our team’s talent and see who will be our likely starters for our first competition.

After wrestle offs we will continue the season Kick Off with a dinner and auction fundraiser at Foothill Swim and Tennis Club. The evening will begin at 5:30 with a social hour, during which time we will have several items available to be bid on during a silent auction. Around 6:30, dinner will begin and will be followed by our guest speakers. At the end of the evening we will have a few special items available to be bid on during a live auction. This dinner will be a great time to show your support for the team and the program. If you are interested in attending or making a donation to sponsor a wrestler, please send me an email or give me a call 650-723-9486. Tickets are $60 per person.

After the busy wrestle off weekend, we will focus our attention on the upcoming season. We will be traveling to Edinboro, PA, Fargo, ND, Fullerton, CA, Reno NV and Greensboro, NC all before January! There we will see some of the best teams in the nation, including Edinboro, Minnesota, Cornell, Lehigh, Oklahoma State, Cal Poly, Michigan, and Missouri.