Jan. 25, 2008
Stanford, Calif. - The Cardinal wrestling team hit another milestone in its successful 2007-08 campaign tonight, knocking off Menlo College and Portland State to match the program's second-highest win total in program history. The Cardinal crushed the Oaks and the Vikings by scores of 30-11 and 38-3, respectively, to improve to 10-2 on the year and 3-1 in the Pac-10.
In the course of the night's action, a number of Cardinal wrestlers also reached personal milestones. Senior Tanner Gardner secured his third consecutive 30-win season, sophomore Jake Johnson secured his first career 20-win season and junior Luke Feist recorded the 50th win of his career.
Stanford started fast in the first dual, posting four major decisions in the first five bouts to establish a large lead over the Menlo Oaks.
Gardner started the Cardinal off at 125 pounds, and racked up 18 points on the Oaks' Jose Hernandez to finish with an 18-4 major decision. Gardner's win, his 29th of the season, brought him within seven victories of the Cardinal career win record.
At 133 pounds, Porfirio Madrigal avenged an early season loss to Menlo's Rudy Justo, scoring a key takedown in the final 20 seconds to earn an 11-3 major decision. The win was the first major decision and the first dual win of the true freshman's career.
Fellow freshman Max Rosefigura added more points to the Cardinal tally at 141 pounds, boosting the Stanford lead to 11-0. The Anchorage, Alaska native came from behind with a crucial takedown midway through the third period, and finished with a 6-4 decision over the Oaks' Cody Gibson.
Stanford continued to roll at 149 pounds, as redshirt freshman Lucas Espericueta built on his 20-win season with a decisive 17-6 major decision over Menlo's Sabas Cruz. Espericueta's win pushed the Stanford lead to 15-0.
At 157 pounds, senior Josh Zupancic built a 9-1 lead on Menlo's Lee Morrison in the first period and continued to dominate for Stanford's fourth major decision of the night. The Cardinal All-American finished with a 16-2 major decision over Morrison, earning his 10th dual win of the year and 27th win overall.
The Oaks finally got on the board in the sixth bout of the night, when Robert Davis, the NAIA's seventh-ranked 165-pounder, earned a 6-4 decision over Stanford's Peter Miller.
In the next bout, Stanford's Feist quickly reestablished the Cardinal dominance and clinched the team win. Feist notched 12 points in the first period, and had Menlo's Sean Weeks on his back as time expired. By the end of the second period, Feist had racked up 18 points. The junior completed a 21-4 technical fall just 17 seconds into the final period for the 50th win of his career.
In the 184-pound bout, Menlo's Mike Jeffery defeated Stanford's Alex Muller (1-11), 10-2. At 197 pounds, the Oaks' Cody Wilcox forfeited to Stanford's Jake Johnson in the first period, pushing the Stanford lead to 30-7. The win was Johnson's 20th of the year. The sophomore is the fourth wrestler on the Cardinal squad to reach the 20-win plateau this year.
In the final bout of the dual, Jesse Ruiz, the sixth-ranked wrestler in the NAIA, outlasted Stanford's Philliip Doerner, 13-4. Ruiz's win finished the bout at 30-11 in favor of the Cardinal.
In the second dual, Stanford received a 12-0 head start with default wins at 125 and 133 pounds. Gardner (30-1) was the beneficiary of the win at 125 pounds, securing his third consecutive 30-win season. Madrigal (7-8) claimed the win for Stanford at 133 pounds. Stanford then won seven of the next eight bouts to secure the 38-3 rout.
Rosefigura (10-9) took to the mat at 141 pounds to start the wrestling, but lost a 5-0 decision to the Vikings' Greg Einerson.
Espericueta (22-7) battled back for the Cardinal in the 149-pound match, however. The Stanford redshirt freshman scored eight points in the second period, and finished with an 11-1 major decision over Portland State's Steven Dailey. Entering the match as one of the nation's leaders in major decisions, Espericueta now has a team-high 11 on the year.
Zupancic (28-5) claimed his second big win of the day in the 157-pound bout, besting Portland State's Brady Garner for the second time this season. The Cardinal senior turned Garner twice in the third period, and finished with a solid 16-6 major decision.
Miller (14-9) followed with a win at 165 pounds, using five takedowns to best the Vikings' Jordan Toney, 13-4. The sophomore's win boosted the Cardinal advantage to 24-3.
Feist stepped on the mat for the 174-pound bout, positioned to clinch the Cardinal win for the second time of the night. Senior Dale Seley and the 2007 NCAA qualifier battled to the finish, but Feist's riding time made the difference in a 3-2 decision and the Cardinal junior sealed Stanford's 10th dual win of the year.
At 184 pounds, Zack Giesen (19-6) dominated Jacob Antoine for an 18-2 technical fall. The Stanford sophomore finished off Antoine with a three-point nearfall midway through the third period.
In the 197-pound bout, Johnson (21-8) won a tight battle with Portland State's Rockland Schneider. The Prior Lake, Minn. native used riding time to edge Schneider, 2-1.
Doerner (16-14) then capped the competition with the most exciting bout of the night. The senior heavyweight scored a takedown in sudden victory overtime to best Portland State's Zack Smith, 3-1.
Stanford heads to Oregon next week for two more Pac-10 duals. The Cardinal will meet the Oregon Ducks on Friday at 7 p.m. in Eugene, before battling the defending Pac-10 Champion Oregon State Beavers on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Corvallis.
Stanford 30, Menlo 11
125 - No. 6 Tanner Gardner (S) maj. dec. Jose Hernandez (M), 18-4
133 - Porfirio Madrigal (S) maj. dec. Rudy Justo (M), 11-3
141 - Max Rosefigura (S) dec. Cody Gibson (M), 6-4
149 - Lucas Espericueta (S) maj. dec. Sabas Cruz (M), 17-6
157 - No. 10 Josh Zupancic (S) maj. dec. Lee Morrison (M), 16-2
165 - Robert Davis (M) dec. Peter Miller (S), 6-4
174 - Luke Feist (S) tech. fall Sean Weeks (M), 21-4
184 - Mike Jeffery (M) maj. dec. Alex Muller (S), 10-2
197 - Jake Johnson (S) win by forfeit Cody Wilcox (M)
HWT - Jesse Ruiz (M) maj. dec. Phillip Doerner (S), 13-4
Stanford 38, Portland State 3
125 - No. 6 Tanner Gardner (S) win by default
133 - Porfirio Madrigal (S) win by default
141 - Greg Einerson (P) dec. Max Rosefigura (S), 5-0
149 - Lucas Espericueta (S) maj. dec. Steven Dailey (P), 11-1
157 - No. 10 Josh Zupancic (S) maj. dec. Brady Garner (P), 16-6
165 - Peter Miller (S) maj. dec. Jordan Toney (P), 13-4
174 - Luke Feist (S) dec. Dale Seley (P), 3-2
184 - Zack Giesen (S) tech. fall Jacob Antoine (P), 18-2
197 - Jake Johnson (S) dec. Rockland Schneider (P), 2-1
HWT - Phillip Doerner (S) dec. Zack Smith (P), 3-1 (OT)