STANFORD, Calif. – Fifth-year senior Nathan Butler has been named the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week, the conference announced today.
Butler went 6-1 on the week, including a third-place finish at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee. For his efforts, Butler moved up to No. 7 in the national rankings at 285 pounds – the highest in his career.
At the Scuffle, Butler recorded a 4-2 decision in the second sudden victory period over No. 12 Jordan Wood (Lehigh) to advance to the semifinals. His 12 second pin over No. 13 Thomas Haines (Lock Haven) earned him a spot in the third-place bout, where he knocked off No. 3 Nick Nevills (Penn State) for his highest career finish at the tournament.
Congrats @Nastynatebutler, 3rd place at 285lbs at the 2018 Southern Scuffle!
— Stanford Wrestling (@CardWrestling) January 3, 2018
Nathan went 5-1 in the tournament and defeated the #3, #10, and #11 ranked wrestlers in the country along the way!#CardinalCaliber #LetsScuffle pic.twitter.com/RVOyGRlrMT
Butler, a native of Leavenworth, Kansas, also picked up a critical 8-2 decision over Patrik Garren to help propel the Cardinal a 21-20 win over Penn on Sunday. He is now 17-5 on the year and is four wins away from becoming just the 10th Cardinal to register 100 career victories.
This marks the second career weekly honor for Butler, who took home the award on Jan. 25, 2017, and the fourth for the Cardinal since the award began in 2016.
Stanford is back on the road this week, taking on Brown in Providence and Harvard in Boston on Saturday.