Season in ReviewSeason in Review
Wrestling

Season in Review

STANFORD, Calif. - The Stanford wrestling team celebrated the 2017-18 season at its annual awards banquet on Saturday night. The Cardinal recognized numerous wrestlers with team awards and bid farewell to its four seniors, Nathan Butler, Isaiah Locsin, Connor Schram and Keaton Subjeck, who gave memorable speeches during the event.

Stanford finished the 2017-18 campaign 7-5 overall and 3-1 in Pac-12 duals. For just the second time in program history, the Cardinal defeated Oregon State in a dual – 21-15 on February 10 at Maples Pavilion.

Under the direction of 10th-year head coach Jason Borrelli, Stanford sent six wrestlers (tied for second-most in school history) to the NCAA Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. All six – Gabriel Townsell (125), Mason Pengilly (133), Paul Fox (157), Subjeck (174), Nathan Traxler (197) and Butler (285) – earned automatic berths at the conference tournament, where the Cardinal took fourth as a team.

Butler, a native of Leavenworth, Kansas, captured the Vern Jones Most Outstanding Wrestler and Outstanding Scholar-Athlete awards. Only the ninth four-time NCAA qualifier in program history, Butler finished his career with a 105-38 overall record, ranking ninth overall in wins at Stanford. He reached the Round of 12 at the NCAA Championships as a fifth-year senior and was ranked as high as No. 5 nationally during the season. The Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, he is a computer science major with a 3.54 GPA.


Subjeck and Fox were the recipients of the BAGUBA Award, given to the individual that best exemplifies what the coaches look for in a Stanford wrestler. Subjeck led the team this season with 27 wins, including an 11-1 mark in duals. He posted an 89-39 career record while on The Farm, and his 21 career pins are tied for the seventh-most in school history. Fox, a 2017 All-American, advanced the Round of 12 at the NCAA Championships. He was 23-9 overall in his third season with the Cardinal.
 


Traxler, a redshirt freshman, took home Newcomer of the Year honors. The St. Charles, Illinois native was 19-12 overall at 197 pounds. An NCAA qualifier, he defeated four ranked wrestlers during the season. He placed third at his first Pac-12 Championships, and was the runner-up at the Hokie Open (Nov. 5) and Roadrunner Open (Nov. 19).
 


Pengilly, a redshirt junior from Porterville, California, earned this year's Most Improved award. After redshirting last season, Pengilly did not return to the mat until Feb. 3. He won his first four matches of the season, including one-point win over Devan Turner to help seal the Cardinal's dual win over Oregon State and a sudden victory decision against No. 19 Jason Renteria of Nebraska. He was the runner-up at the Pac-12 Championships and qualified for his first NCAA Tournament.
 


The Chris Horpel Coaches Award, given to the individual(s) that made significant contributions to the well-being of the team in terms of attitude, improvement or special leadership, was presented to redshirt sophomore Austin Flores, redshirt freshman Jared Hill and true freshman Anthony Le. All three played significant roles in the lineup throughout the season.  
 


Six wrestlers were recognized with the Tod Surmon Award for their outstanding performance at a home dual this season. The winners were as follows: Brandon Kier (Cal Baptist), Butler (CSU Bakersfield), Requir van der Merwe (Maryland), Townsell (Penn), Locsin (Oregon State) and Pengilly (Nebraska).
 


Stanford wrestlers continued to excel in the classroom this year. Stanford again led the conference with 12 wrestlers earning Pac-12 All-Academic honors, including Butler being named the scholar-athlete of the year for wrestling. Additionally, the Cardinal was fifth nationally with a 3.43 team GPA and produced five NWCA Academic All-Americans (Butler, Fox, Pengilly, Townsell and Traxler).