Card Hosts Cal Baptist

STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford wrestling team returns to action this week, playing host to Cal Baptist on Friday at 7 p.m. in Burnham Pavilion before hitting the road for its first Pac-12 dual at CSU Bakersfield on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Stanford, which is 5-0 to start the season, is coming off a pair of dual wins over No. 22 Utah Valley (20-19) and Harvard (26-12) at home on January 12.

The Cardinal started 2019 with a program-best fourth-place finish at the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga. The Cardinal finished with nine placewinners - also a school record. Redshirt sophomore Nathan Traxler was named the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week after going 4-1 in the tournament and finishing as the runner-up at 197 pounds.

A runner-up finish at the Southern Scuffle helping the team to its best tournament finish in Chattanooga has earned @nathantraxler4 @pac12 Wrestler of the Week honors!

??? » https://t.co/9436kuZ9mw#GoStanford #CardinalCaliber pic.twitter.com/CNf8jMz8hn

— Stanford Wrestling (@CardWrestling) January 9, 2019

Stanford has three wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in the InterMat individual polls. Redshirt sophomore Nathan Traxler, a 2018 NCAA qualifier, is the highest-ranked Cardinal at No. 9 at 197 pounds. Redshirt sophomore Requir van der Merwe is No. 15 at 149 pounds, while sophomore Dominick Mandarino comes in at No. 17 at 157 pounds.

Cal Baptist is 1-2 in duals this season, picking up a win over Cal Poly in November. The Lancers  finished 11th as a team at the Reno Tournament of Champions, led by 141-pounder Zander Silva who placed fifth. The redshirt freshman is 12-3 on the season to lead the team.

CSU Bakersfield is 4-5 overall, including wins over Kent State and Cal Poly. The Roadrunners will take on Utah Valley and West Virginia for a pair of duals on Friday in Orem, Utah. Redshirt senior Sean Nickell is ranked No. 20 at 133 pounds in the InterMat top 20. He leads the team with a 15-7 overall record and placed fourth at the Southern Scuffle.

Head coach Jason Borrelli, now in his 11th season at the helm of the program, registered his 100th career win against No. 11 Northwestern in December and is now at 102 career victories. Chris Horpel is Stanford's all-time winningest coach with 105 dual victories.

Stanford has signed eight promising high school seniors to join the team in the fall. The incoming class consists of Jaden Abas (San Diego, Calif.), Nick Addison (Fair Haven, N.J.), Luciano Arroyo (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), Logan Ashton (Buford, Ga.), Jackson DiSario (McDonough, Ga.), Seamus O'Malley (Lakewood, Ohio), Fabian Santillan (Eaglewood, Colo.) and Dawson Sihavong (Clovis, Calif.).
 

Stanford vs. Cal Baptist • Friday, Jan. 25 (Burnham Pavilion)

Stanford at CSU Bakersfield • Sunday, Jan. 27 (Icardo Center)