Jan. 21, 2007
Bakersfield, Calif. - The Stanford wrestling team won a hard-fought battle with Cal State Bakersfield today, edging the Roadrunners in a tight contest at the Icardo Center in Bakersfield, 22-21. The Cardinal (4-5, 2-1 Pac-10) won five matches, including two by fall, to slip past the Roadrunners and pick up the squad's second Pac-10 dual win of the season. The Roadrunners fall to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the Pac-10 with the loss.
Action started at 149 pounds and the Roadrunners jumped out to an early lead when Jeremy Doyle earned a major decision over the Cardinal's Tyler Parker.
At 157 pounds, junior Josh Zupancic quickly answered, earning the first points for the Cardinal with a 10-3 decision over Daniel Alejandro.
Senior co-captain Brian Perry continued the rally and vaulted the Cardinal into the lead with an upset of Daniel Atondo, the second-ranked wrestler in the Pac-10 at 165 pounds. Perry scored a decisive reversal early in the third period to seal the 5-3 decision and give the Cardinal an advantage it would never relinquish.
At 174 pounds, Luke Feist continued the Cardinal run, taking a dominating 8-0 lead over Garth Wara in the first period. Feist finished with an 11-1 major decision, increasing the Cardinal lead to 10-4.
Freshman Zack Giesen continued his winning ways at 184 pounds, and extended his winning streak to six matches with a win by fall over Ernesto Ancona. After jumping out to an 8-2 lead in the first period, Giesen posted his first collegiate pin 30 seconds into the third period. The notable win gave the Cardinal a 16-4 lead, Stanford's largest of the day.
The Roadrunners battled back into contention with wins at 197 pounds and heavyweight. Sophomore Jared Boyer fell in a 6-1 decision to the Pac-10's second-ranked Brandon Halsey, before Bakersfield's Colton Nichols won by fall over Phillip Doerner.
The Cardinal wasn't ready to give up, however. At 125 pounds, Cardinal standout Tanner Gardner stopped the Roadrunner momentum and energized the team, pinning Brandon Zoetewey in the first period and giving the Cardinal a much-needed cushion going into the final pair of matches. The junior, ranked No. 4 in the nation and No. 1 in the Pac-10, pinned his ninth opponent of the season and improved his season record to 27-3.
The Roadrunners earned points back at 133 pounds, as Thomas Kimbrell scored a major decision over Cardinal freshman Cameron Teitelman, 14-2, and set up a tough 141-pound showdown between Stanford's Matt Kim and Bakersfield's Matt Schumm.
With the Cardinal holding a five-point lead, Kim needed to contain the fourth-ranked wrestler in the Pac-10 and Bakersfield's only current wrestler to make an appearance in the top-20. Wrestling his first match at 141 pounds, Kim held off Schumm, giving up a 14-6 major decision, and sealing the team victory. The win marked the first time in history that the Cardinal has defeated the Roadrunners in their home arena.
"Obviously, I'm excited that we won the dual," said Head Coach Kerry McCoy. "We had some good individual performances that really sparked the team. Matt Kim showed a lot of heart out there in the last match and pins by Tanner (Gardner) and Zack (Giesen) were huge. We still need to get better in some places. We still lost five matches and gave up bonus points in four of them. We're happy with the win, but not satisfied with the performance. We need to continue to get better and, when we come back here next month for Pac-10s, we'll be at our best."
The Cardinal continues action next weekend with a non-conference dual against Menlo College. Action begins Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Ford Center.
Stanford 22, CS Bakersfield 21
125- No. 4 Tanner Gardner (S) pinned Brandon Zoetewey (B), 2:13
133- Thomas Kimbrell (B) maj. dec. Cameron Teitelman (S), 14-2
141- Matt Schumm (B) maj. dec. Matt Kim (S), 14-6
149- Jeremy Doyle (B) maj. dec. Tyler Parker (S), 12-3
157- No. 17 Josh Zupancic (S) dec. Daniel Alejandro (B), 10-3
165- Brian Perry (S) dec. Daniel Atondo (B), 5-3
174- Luke Feist (S) maj dec. Garth Wara (B), 11-1
184- Zack Giesen (S) pinned Ernesto Ancona (B), 5:29
197- Brandon Halsey (B) dec. Jared Boyer (S), 6-1
HWT- Colton Nichols (B) pinned Phillip Doerner (S), 1:26