NCAAs in ClevelandNCAAs in Cleveland
Wrestling

NCAAs in Cleveland

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THIS WEEK: Stanford has qualified six wrestlers - redshirt seniors Keaton Subjeck (174) and Nathan Butler (285), redshirt juniors Mason Pengilly (133) and Paul Fox (157), sophomore Gabriel Townsell (125) and redshirt freshman Nathan Traxler (197) - to the NCAA Championships at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, March 15-17.

CATCH THE CARDINAL: ESPN is providing coverage of every match in every session via ESPN, ESPN2, 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.
 

Broadcast Schedule

DateTime (PT)SessionNetwork
Thurs., March 159 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.First SessionESPNU
Thurs., March 154 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.Second SessionESPN
Fri., March 168 a.m. - 11 a.m.QuarterfinalsESPNU
Fri., March 165 p.m. - 8 p.m.SemifinalsESPN
Sat., March 178 a.m. - 11 a.m.Medal RoundESPNU
Sat., March 175 p.m. - 8 p.m.Championship FinalsESPN2


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 2018 All-Americans.

HOW THEY GOT THERE: All six Cardinal earned automatic berths into the NCAA Tournament based on their placement at the Pac-12 Tournament, including runner-up finishes by Mason Pengilly (133), Keaton Subjeck (174) and Nathan Butler (285). Coming in third for Stanford were Paul Fox (157) and Nathan Traxler (197), while Gabriel Townsell (125) was fourth.
 


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. 

RETURNING ALL-AMERICAN: Redshirt junior Paul Fox went from unseeded to earning All-America honors with a seventh-place finish at 157 pounds last year in St. Louis. He defeated four seeded wrestlers and was just one of three unseeded All-Americans in the 2017 brackets. A native of Gilroy, California, Fox became the 20th wrestler in program history to become an All-American and just the 10th underclassman.

FOUR-TIME QUALIFIER: Fifth-year senior Nathan Butler is just the ninth four-time NCAA qualifier in school history. Seeded seventh, Butler has been ranked as high as No. 5 in the InterMat polls this season - the highest of his career. On Jan. 26, Butler became just the 10th wrestler in school history to register 100 career wins with his major decision over Cal Poly's Spencer Empey. He is 103-36 in four seasons with the Cardinal.
 


THREE STRAIGHT: Redshirt senior Keaton Subjeck is making his third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The 174-pounder leads the team this season with a 26-7 record and is 88-37 in his career. His 21 career pins is tied for the seventh-most in school history.
 


REPEAT APPEARANCE: Sophomore Gabriel Townsell is in the field for the second consecutive season. The 125-pounder started the year up at 133 pounds, but a season-ending injury to All-American Connor Schram allowed for Townsell to fill the spot at 125. The Oak Park, Illinois native is 19-13 overall and second on the squad with four falls.

MAKING THEIR DEBUTS: Redshirt junior Mason Pengilly (133) and redshirt freshman Nathan Traxler (197) are both making their NCAA Tournament debuts this season. Pengilly, who missed the majority of the regular season with an injury, wrestled for the first time in almost two seasons on Feb. 3. He knocked-off No. 19 Jason Renteria of Nebraska with a 7-1 sudden victory in the Cardinal's home finale on Feb. 16. Traxler, who also missed six weeks late in the season, was ranked early in the year after placing second at the Hokie Open, defeating then-No. 8 Danny Chaid (UNC) to reach the finals. Under head coach Jason Borrelli, the Cardinal has now had 24 different wrestlers qualify for the postseason.

ACADEMIC ACCOLADES: Redshirt senior Nathan Butler was recently named the Pac-12 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The computer science major holds a 3.54 cumulative GPA and has earned NWCA Academic All-America honors and Pac-12 All-Academic recognition during his time on The Farm. Butler will finish this school year with a master's in computer science and begin working at Facebook in the fall.
 


REGULAR SEASON RECAP: The Cardinal finished the regular season with a 7-5 overall record in duals. Stanford went 3-1 in Pac-12 duals with its only miscue coming at then-No. 9 Arizona State. Stanford finished third at the Hokie Open, came in ninth as a team at the Southern Scuffle and finished 10th at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Redshirt senior Keaton Subjeck leads the team with 26 wins, while redshirt junior Isaiah Locsin has a team-best six pins. 
 


HEAD COACH JASON BORRELLI: Stanford is under the guidance of 10th-year head coach Jason Borrelli. During his time on The Farm, Borrelli has accrued a 98-74-3 record and sent 24 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships a total of 47 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.