THIS WEEK: A program-record six Stanford wrestlers - redshirt junior Jim Wilson (165), redshirt sophomores Nathan Butler (285), Garet Krohn (184), Connor Schram (125) and Keaton Subjeck (174), and freshman Joey McKenna (141) - will cap off the season at the 2016 NCAA Championships at Madison Square Garden in New York City, March 17-19.
CATCH THE CARDINAL: ESPN is providing coverage of every match in every session via ESPN, ESPNU and ESPN3. Stanford’s Facebook (Stanford Wrestling) and Twitter (@CardWrestling) will also provide updates on Cardinal wrestlers throughout the event. Below is the broadcast schedule with ESPN3 (WatchESPN) carrying individual mat feeds throughout the entire tournament.
Thursday, March 17 - 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. PT - First Session (ESPNU) | Mat Feeds
Thursday, March 17 - 4 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. PT - Second Session (ESPNU) | Mat Feeds
Friday, March 18 - 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. PT - Quarterfinals/Third Session (ESPNU) | Mat Feeds
Friday, March 18 - 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. PT - Semifinals/Fourth Session (ESPN) | Mat Feeds
Saturday, March 19 - 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. PT - Medal Round/Fifth Session (ESPNU) | Mat Feeds
Saturday, March 19 - 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. PT - Championship Finals (ESPN) | Mat Feeds
WHAT’S AT STAKE: Each Cardinal wrestler will be competing in a 33-man bracket for the individual national title in their respective weight classes. The top-eight finishers in each weight class will be named 2016 All-Americans.
HOW THEY GOT THERE: Stanford has crowned at least one individual conference champion in each of the past seven years (2010-pres.). Jim Wilson (165) made history by becoming the first Cardinal wrestler to win three conference titles this season. Connor Schram (125) secured his first title, becoming the 20th Stanford wrestler to win a Pac-12 crown, while Joey McKenna (141) is just the fifth Stanford freshman to do so. Nathan Butler placed second at the Pac-12 Tournament to earn an automatic berth to New York City. Redshirt sophomore Keaton Subjeck finished third, but defeated Austin Dewey (Boise State) with a fall in 2:23 in a true second-place match to snag the automatic qualifying spot. Garet Krohn (184 pounds) received an at-large bid from the NCAA.
STANFORD AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Stanford’s highest team finish at the NCAA Championships came in 2011 when the Cardinal placed 11th. Matt Gentry is the lone Cardinal to win an individual title, capturing the 157-pound crown in 2004. In 2011, Nick Amuchastegui (‘12) joined Gentry as the only NCAA finalists in program history. Amuchastegui went on to become just the second three-time All-American at Stanford and reached the finals for a second time in 2012.
THIRD APPEARANCE: Redshirt junior Jim Wilson is making his third appearnce at the NCAA Championships. The lone returning All-American on the Cardinal roster, Wilson is 93-21 for his career and just four wins shy of breaking into the school’s top-10 for career victories.
FRESHMAN PHENOM: Stanford 141-pounder Joey McKenna enters the NCAA Championships as the Cardinal’s highest ranked wrestler, coming in at No. 2 nationally and the No. 2 seed in the tournament. The Towaco, New Jersey native is 22-2 on the year and 11-1 in duals with both of his losses coming in overtime to top-ranked Dein Heil of Oklahoma State. He is the first Cardinal wrestler to be a No. 2 seed in the national tournament since Matt Gentry, who won the 2004 NCAA title at 157 pounds.
REPEAT APPEARANCE: Redshirt sophomore Connor Schram (125) is 20-5 overall this season, including two top-10 wins over then-No. 6 (Feb. 4) and then-No. 7 (Feb. 27) Ronnie Bresser of Oregon State. Of his five losses, four have come at the hands of ranked opponents. Schram, a native of Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania, is making his second consecutive appearance at the national tournament.
THE BUTLER FILE: Redshirt sophomore Nathan Butler (285) is making his second straight appearance in the NCAA Championships. He went 1-2 in his debut last year in St. Louis. He leads the Cardinal this season with 25 wins and is tied for the team-lead with eight pins. He holds two wins over Arizona State’s Tanner Hall, ranked 10th (Jan. 23) and 12th (Feb. 27), while six of his seven losses have come at the hands of ranked opponents.
MAKING THEIR DEBUTS: Redshirt sophomores Keaton Subjeck (174) and Garet Krohn (184) are making their NCAA Tournament debuts this season. They are the 15th and 16th Cardinal wrestlers to qualify for the postseason under head coach Jason Borrelli. Subjeck is tied for the team-lead with eight falls on the year.
REGULAR SEASON RECAP: The Cardinal finished the regular season with an 11-4 overall record in duals. Stanford went 3-2 in Pac-12 duals, including wins at Cal Poly, at Arizona State and versus Boise State. Stanford finished second at the Hokie Open in early November, took third at the Reno Tournament of Champions and came in ninth as a team at the Southern Scuffle. The Cardinal finished fourth (100.0 pts) as a team at the Pac-12 Championships, one point shy of third-place CSU Bakersfield.
HEAD COACH JASON BORRELLI: Stanford is under the guidance of eighth-year head coach Jason Borrelli. During his time on The Farm, Borrelli has accrued a 81-66-3 record and sent 16 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships a total of 30 times. Borrelli, a former Central Michigan standout, first came to Stanford as an assistant coach in 2007 and has quickly turned the Cardinal into a national contender. Under Borrelli, the Cardinal has finished in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships twice, including a program-best 11th at the 2011 tournament in Philadelphia, Pa.