Stanford has a history of producing All-American wrestlers that dates back more than six decades. In 1967, sophomore teammates Len Borchers '69 and Terry Crenshaw '69 finished fourth nationally in their respective weight classes and became the school's first NCAA All-Americans. Since then, 24 more Cardinal wrestlers have accomplished that feat, and the program now boasts 26 NCAA All-Americans with 36 combined awards. Including National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) honors, the Cardinal has 27 All-Americans with 39 combined awards.
Much of Stanford's success has come in recent years, as the program has racked up 29 NCAA All-America awards since 1999. In 2004, junior Matt Gentry completed a perfect 42-0 season and became the school's first NCAA champion, claiming the 157-pound title in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2007, juniors Tanner Gardner and Josh Zupancic became the first Stanford duo to earn NCAA All-America honors in the same season since Borchers and Crenshaw, and Gardner joined Chris Horpel '75 as the school's only two-time All-Americans at the time.
In 2008, Gardner continued his run, becoming the first three-time NCAA All-American in school history with a fifth-place finish at 125 pounds. Zupancic finished sixth at 157 pounds, joining Gardner and Horpel as the only Stanford wrestlers to earn multiple NCAA All-America honors at the time. Nick Amuchastegui, then a sophomore, became the program's 14th NCAA All-American in 2010 after placing fourth at 165 pounds at the 2010 NCAA Championships in Omaha, Nebraska.
In 2011, three Cardinal wrestlers earned NCAA All-America honors for the first time in school history, also marking the fourth time in program history and the third time in three years that Stanford produced multiple NCAA All-Americans in the same season. Amuchastegui added a second-place finish at 174 pounds to become Stanford's fourth repeat NCAA All-American and just the second Cardinal to advance to the NCAA finals. Sophomore Ryan Mango (125) and senior Zack Giesen (197) finished sixth in their respective weight classes to become Stanford's 15th and 16th NCAA All-Americans.
In 2012, Amuchastegui capped off his storied career with his second consecutive runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. At the time, he became the only Cardinal wrestler to reach the NCAA finals on multiple occasions and joined Gardner as the only three-time NCAA All-Americans in school history. Mango secured a fifth-place finish at the championships to become just the fifth Cardinal wrestler to earn multiple NCAA All-America honors.
After a two-year hiatus, sophomore Jim Wilson finished eighth at 165 pounds at the 2015 NCAA Tournament in St. Louis, Missouri, to become the 17th NCAA All-American in program history. He was just the seventh underclassmen to achieve NCAA All-America status.
History was made again in 2016 as 141-pounder Joey McKenna became the first Cardinal freshman to garner NCAA All-America honors. He was also the first Stanford wrestler to place third in the national tournament, doing so in New York City's Madison Square Garden. Sophomore Connor Schram secured the program's 19th NCAA All-America accolades, finishing eighth at 125 pounds in New York City. The pair were the eighth and ninth Cardinal underclassmen to become NCAA All-Americans.
In 2017, sophomore Paul Fox entered the national tournament unseeded and knocked off four seeded opponents to become the 20th NCAA All-American at Stanford. He placed seventh in St. Louis, Missouri, marking Stanford's 10th underclassman to earn NCAA All-America honors.
Despite the cancelation of the NCAA Tournament in 2020 due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Cardinal matched a program-high with three wrestlers earning All-America status from the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). Redshirt freshmen Real Woods and Shane Griffith both earned No. 3 seeds for the national tournament and earned first team honors, while redshirt junior Nathan Traxler landed on the second team.
In 2021, with the program slated for discontinuation, sophomore Shane Griffith won the 165-pound NCAA title in St. Louis, Missouri, securing his first career NCAA All-America honor. He knocked off the No. 9, No. 1, No. 5 and No. 3 seeds en route to the championship. Additionally, Jaden Abas placed seventh to become just the second Cardinal freshman to secure NCAA All-America recognition, and the 12th underclassman.
At the 2022 national tournament in Detroit, Griffith became the second two-time NCAA finalist in program history. The Westwood, New Jersey, native was the runner-up at 165 pounds, earning his second career NCAA All-America honors – just the sixth multiple-time All-American in program history. Classmate Real Woods placed sixth at 141 pounds, earning his first career NCAA All-America award. He and Griffith became the first Cardinal duo to advance to the NCAA semifinals in the same season.
In 2023, Griffith closed out his Cardinal career with a fifth-place finish at 165 pounds in Tulsa, Oklahoma, becoming just the third three-time NCAA All-American in program history.
In 2024, Daniel Cardenas and Hunter Garvin finished fourth and sixth, respectively, at the NCAA Championships in Kansas City, securing their first NCAA All-America honors. The Cardinal placed two on the podium for the first time since 2022, with Garvin becoming just the third freshman NCAA All-American in program history.
In 2025, Garvin again placed sixth at 165 pounds, while Tyler Knox took eighth at 133 pounds. It was the fifth time in six years the Cardinal produced multiple All-Americans in the same season and 11th time overall. Knox became the fourth Cardinal freshman to earn NCAA All-America status.
Stanford All-Americans
Len Borchers
1967 (SO) - 4th place, 152 lbs.
Terry Crenshaw
1967 (SO) - 4th place, 191 lbs.
Chris Horpel
1973 (JR) - 5th place, 150 lbs.
1975 (SR) - 7th place, 150 lbs.
Doug Perkins
1983 (SR) - 7th place, 190 lbs.
Jeff Wilson
1984 (SR) - 7th place, 177 lbs.
Scott Wiggen
1985 (JR) - 8th place, 142 lbs.
Dave Lee
1986 (SO) - 5th place, 167 lbs.
Steve Buddie
1990 (JR) - 4th place, 167 lbs.
Tod Surmon
1996 (SR) - 7th place, 142 lbs.
Beau Weiner
1999 (SR) - 7th place, 157 lbs.
Matt Gentry
2004 (JR) - NCAA Champion, 157 lbs.
Tanner Gardner
2006 (SO) - 8th place, 125 lbs.
2007 (JR) - 7th place, 125 lbs.
2008 (SR) - 5th place, 125 lbs.
Josh Zupancic
2007 (JR) - 7th place, 157 lbs.
2008 (SR) - 6th place, 157 lbs.
Nick Amuchastegui
2010 (SO) - 4th place, 165 lbs.
2011 (JR) - 2nd place, 174 lbs.
2012 (SR) - 2nd place, 174 lbs.
Zack Giesen
2011 (SR) - 6th place, 197 lbs.
Ryan Mango
2011 (SO) - 6th place, 125 lbs.
2012 (JR) - 5th place, 125 lbs.
Jim Wilson
2015 (SO) - 8th place, 165 lbs.
Joey McKenna
2016 (FR) - 3rd place, 141 lbs.
Connor Schram
2016 (SO) - 8th place, 125 lbs.
Paul Fox
2017 (SO) - 7th place, 157 lbs.
Real Woods
2020 (FR) - NWCA First Team, 141 lbs.
2022 (JR) - 6th place, 141 lbs.
Shane Griffith
2020 (FR) - NWCA First Team, 165 lbs.
2021 (SO) - NCAA Champion, 165 lbs.
2022 (JR) - 2nd place, 165 lbs.
2023 (SR) - 5th place, 165 lbs.
Nathan Traxler
2020 (FR) - NWCA Second Team, 197 lbs.
Jaden Abas
2021 (FR) - 7th place, 149 lbs.
Daniel Cardenas
2024 (SO) - 4th place, 157 lbs.
Hunter Garvin
2024 (FR) - 6th place, 165 lbs.
2025 (SO) - 6th place, 165 lbs.
Tyler Knox
2025 (FR) - 8th place, 133 lbs.