Two Win Titles

ROANOKE, Va. - Fifth-year seniors Connor Schram and Keaton Subject won titles for Stanford at the Hokie Open, Sunday, at the Berglund Center.

Stanford finished with seven placewinners and took third overall as a team with 109 points. North Carolina won the team championship with 155.5 points, while Appalachian State was second with 118.

Schram was 3-0 at 125 pounds for the Cardinal. Ranked 10th nationally, he turned in three decisions to move to 4-0 on the season. The Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania native now has 60 career wins at Stanford, the third-most on the active roster.

Subjeck, who is ranked 17th in the nation, was also undefeated on the day, claiming the 174 pound title. He posted a 19-7 major decision over Elliott Pedigo of Campbell in the Round of 16 before reeling off three straight decisions. He moves to 5-0 on the season and now boasts 68 career wins. 

The upset of the day for the Cardinal came from redshirt freshman Nathan Traxler, who knocked off No. 8 Danny Chaid of North Carolina, 6-4 in sudden victory, to reach the finals. There, he fell in a back-and-forth 11-9 decision to Chattanooga senior Scottie Boykin, a two-time NCAA qualifier. He moves to 4-2 on the season.

Redshirt senior Nathan Butler was also a runner-up for the Cardinal. The heavyweight, ranked 12th nationally, went 4-1, including a technical fall over Army's Gavin Berkley and a fall in 1:00 against Gardner-Webb's Jackson Price. The Leavenworth, Kansas native came up short in a 6-4 decision to sixth-ranked Jacob Kasper, a returning All-American, of Duke in the finals.

Returning All-American Paul Fox turned in a 3-1 record before having to medically forfeit the third-place match to take fourth overall at 157 pounds. He secured two decisions and a fall over Ohio's Salvador Ayala in 1:18 before dropping a 10-4 decision to Old Dominion's Larry Early III in the semifinals.

Sophomore Gabriel Townsell also placed fourth for the Cardinal. The returning NCAA qualifier is up a weight class this season to 133 pounds, where he went 1-2.

Redshirt freshman Requir van der Merwe made a run at 149 pounds before being forced to sit out the fifth-place match due to new NCAA legislation that only allows wrestlers to compete in six matches per day. van der Merwe won his opening bout, a 6-4 decision against Kenan Carter of Old Dominion before dropping a close 3-0 decision to No. 14 Matt Zovistoski of Appalachian State. He then won four straight on the back side of the bracket and finished fifth alongside Austin O'Connor of North Carolina.

Redshirt sophomore Austin Flores also had a solid outing for Stanford, going 3-2 at 184 pounds. He fell in his opening round match to Army's Jack Wedholm. He bounced back with a 16-1 technical fall in 4:20 against Alex Mina of North Carolina. After a 10-6 decision over Conor Fenn of Davidson, Flores earned the fall in 1:40 over Ohio's Dontae McGee. 

Stanford returns to The Farm on Saturday for its home openers against Cal Baptist (2 p.m.) and Pac-12 foe CSU Bakersfield (3:30 p.m.) in Burnham Pavilion. Admission is free.
 

#10 Connor Schram, 125 pounds | 3-0 (1st)

Brian Rossi, 125 pounds | 0-2

Gabriel Townsell, 133 pounds | 1-2 (4th)

Brandon Kier, 141 pounds | 1-2

Requir van der Merwe, 149 pounds | 5-1 (5th)

Jake Barry, 149 pounds | 0-2

#9 Paul Fox, 157 pounds | 3-1 (4th)

Brandon Dallavia, 165 pounds | 1-2

Jared Hill, 165 pounds | 1-2

#17 Keaton Subjeck, 174 pounds | 4-0 (1st)

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Austin Flores, 184 pounds | 3-2

Nathan Traxler, 197 pounds | 4-1 (2nd)

Cole DePasquale, 197 pounds | 0-2

#12 Nathan Butler, 285 pounds | 4-1 (2nd)