Feb. 9, 2007
Boise, Idaho - The Stanford wrestling team fell to Boise State in a Pac-10 dual tonight at Taco Bell Arena in Boise, 22-15. Stanford won four matches, including one by default, but fell short of its sixth-straight win. The Cardinal drops to 6-6 overall with the loss, and 4-2 in the Pac-10.
Junior Tanner Gardner gave Stanford an early lead, with a 5-2 decision over Cory Fish at 125 pounds. The win was the 30th this season for Gardner, who now boasts a 30-3 record.
The Cardinal fell behind with a forfeit at 133 pounds and a pair of losses by decision at 141 pounds and 149 pounds. At 157 pounds, Josh Zupancic picked up a win by default.
Senior Brian Perry pulled the Cardinal back, tying the team score, 12-12, with a 7-3 decision over Johnny Nunez at 165 pounds. The Broncos won three of the final four bouts, however, to seal the 22-15 victory. Zack Giesen picked up the only remaining win for the Cardinal, topping Mike Casperson, 6-4, at 184 pounds for his ninth-straight win. Giesen is now tied for third on the all-time freshman win chart, with 24 so far in 2006-07.
"I am very disappointed in how we performed," said Head Coach Kerry McCoy. "We got beat because they were just plain tougher than us tonight. They set the tone and the pace in the dual. Our guys were pushed to the edge and instead for fighting back, we fell off. It's disappointing because we actually wrestled better in a lot of matches, but could not close the deal."
Stanford returns to action on Sunday, taking on No. 18 Oregon State and Portland State on the road. The Cardinal will meet the Beavers at noon in Corvallis and the Vikings at 5 p.m. in Portland.
Boise State 22, Stanford 15
125 - No. 3 Tanner Gardner (S) dec. Cory Fish (B), 5-2
133 - Levi Jones (B) by forfeit
141 - Jeff Newby (B) dec. Matt Kim (S), 6-1
149 - Cam Jones (B) dec. Tyler Parker (S), 12-10
157 - No. 15 Josh Zupancic (S) by forfeit
165 - Brian Perry (S) dec. Johnny Nunez (B), 7-3
174 - Nate Lee (B) dec. Luke Feist (S), 13-8
184 - Zack Giesen (S) dec. Mike Casperson (B), 6-4
197 - Matt Casperson (B) maj. dec. Jared Boyer (S), 10-1
HWT - No. 7 Andy Patrick (B) dec. Phillip Doerner (S), 2-1