Townsell Nabs Pac-12 Award

STANFORD, Calif. - True freshman Gabriel Townsell has been selected the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week, announced today by the conference. The 125-pounder placed fifth at the 2017 Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Townsell, wrestling in just the third tournament of his career, upset three top-15 opponents and went 4-2 overall. He knocked-off All-American and third-ranked Dylan Peters of Northern Iowa, 9-7, to reach the quarterfinals. He then took out No. 13 Nathan Kraisser of Campbell, 6-5, to become one of three Cardinal in the semifinals.

Townsell capped off his tournament with a 4-3 decision over 12th-ranked Nick Piccininni of Oklahoma State, helping Stanford finish 10th as a team.He is now 8-6 on the season also wrestling at the Roadrunner Open (133 pound) and the Reno Tournament of Champions (125 pounds).

Stanford is back in action on Sunday, Jan. 8 at CSU Bakersfield at 5 p.m. PT.

Also nominated: Colt Shorts, Cal Poly; Lorenzo De La Riva, CSU Bakersfield.