THIS WEEK: A program-record nine Stanford wrestlers - redshirt seniors Peter Galli (174), Josh Marchok (197) and Zach Nevills (184), redshirt juniors Nathan Butler (285), Connor Schram (133) and Keaton Subjeck (165), redshirt sophomore Paul Fox (157), sophomore Joey McKenna (141) and freshman Gabriel Townsell (125) - will cap off the season at the 2017 NCAA Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri, March 16-18.
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.
| Date | Time (PT) | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| March 16 | 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | ESPNU |
| March 16 | 4 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| March 17 | 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. | ESPNU |
| March 17 | 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| March 18 | 8 a.m. 11 a.m. | ESPNU |
| March 18 | 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. | ESPN |
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 2017 All-Americans.
HOW THEY GOT THERE: Stanford has crowned at least one individual conference champion in each of the past eight years (2010-present). Joey McKenna (141) became just the seventh two-time conference champion in program history, while fifth-year senior Zach Nevills (184), who was unseeded at the Pac-12 Tournament, claimed his first title. Josh Marchok (197) and Nathan Butler (285) placed second and third, respectively, at the conference Tournament to earn automatic berths to St. Louis. Gabriel Townsell (125), Connor Schram (133), Paul Fox (157), Keaton Subjeck (165) and Peter Galli (174) all received at-large bids from the NCAA.
Program-record nine @ncaawrestling qualifiers this season » https://t.co/g1iPjmEr8Q
— Stanford Wrestling (@CardWrestling) March 8, 2017
STANFORD AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Stanford's highest team finish at the NCAA Championships came in 2011 when the Cardinal placed 11th. Stanford has turned in top-20 team performances six times, including three under head coach Jason Borrelli. 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 APPEARANCES: Redshirt juniors Nathan Butler and Connor Schram are making their third appearances at the NCAA Championships. Schram was an All-American at 125 pounds in 2016, placing eighth. Butler, who is second on the team with 78 career wins and the No. 10 seed at 285 pounds, is 3-4 overall in NCAA Tournament matches.
RETURNING ALL-AMERICAN: Sophomore Joey McKenna became the program's first freshman to garner All-America honors last season and is looking to become just the sixth Cardinal wrestler to be a mutiple-time All-American. The Towaco, New Jersey native is 28-1 on the year with his lone miscue coming at the Southern Scuffle to then-No. 8 Joey Ward of North Carolina. He boasts a team-best 10 falls on the year, tying for the 10th-most in a single season at Stanford, and holds a 55-4 career record.
REPEAT APPEARANCE: Redshirt junior Keaton Subjeck is making his second straight NCAA Championships appearance. He is 22-7 overall at 165 pounds and went 7-2 in duals. He will face third-seeded Vincenzo Joseph, who he defeated 18-12 at Penn State on Nov. 13, in the opening round. For his career, Subjeck is 63-28 overall ranking third among active Cardinal in wins.
MAKING THEIR DEBUTS: Five Cardinal are making their NCAA Tournament debuts this season - Gabriel Townsell (125), Paul Fox (157), Peter Galli (174), Zach Nevills (184) and Josh Marchok (197). Under head coach Jason Borrelli, the Cardinal has now had 21 different wrestlers qualify for the postseason.
ACADEMIC ACCOLADES: Redshirt senior Peter Galli was recently named the Pac-12 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The science, technology and society major holds a 3.33 cumulative GPA and has earned NWCA Academic All-America honors and Pac-12 All-Academic recognition during his time on The Farm. He is second on the squad this season with a 26-6 overall record, and in January, Galli garnered his first career national rankings (No. 18 - InterMat).
All grace. All gratitude.@italian_gallion is the #Pac12Wrestle Scholar-Athlete of the Year and has nothing but gratitude. pic.twitter.com/7vDNOSwd3E
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) February 27, 2017
REGULAR SEASON RECAP: The Cardinal finished the regular season with a 10-3 overall record in duals. Stanford went 4-1 in Pac-12 duals with its only miscue coming in an 18-15 loss at Oregon State. Stanford took sixth at the Reno Tournament of Champions, came in 10th as a team at the Southern Scuffle and finished 11th at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Sophomore Joey McKenna (141) leads the team this season with a 28-1 overall record, including a team-best 10 falls.
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 91-69-3 record and sent 16 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships a total of 31 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 three times, including a program-best 11th at the 2011 tournament in Philadelphia, Pa.