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Wrestling

Pittsburgh on the Horizon

BRACKETS | RELEASE

THIS WEEK: Six wrestlers - redshirt seniors Mason Pengilly (133) and Paul Fox (157)*, junior Gabriel Townsell (125), redshirt sophomores Requir van der Merwe (149) and Nathan Traxler (197), and redshirt freshman Haydn Maley (285) - will travel to the NCAA Championships at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 21-23.
*Paul Fox is the first alternate at 157 pounds

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

Thursday, March 21 - 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. PT - First Session (ESPNU)
Thursday, March 21 - 4 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. PT - Second Session (ESPN)
Friday, March 22 - 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. PT - Quarterfinals/Third Session (ESPNU)
Friday, March 22 - 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. PT - Semifinals/Fourth Session (ESPN)
Saturday, March 23 - 8 a.m. - 11 a.m. PT - Medal Round/Fifth Session (ESPNU)
Saturday, March 23 - 4 p.m. - 7 p.m. PT - Championship Finals (ESPN)

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 2019 All-Americans.

HOW THEY GOT THERE: Four Cardinal earned automatic berths into the NCAA Tournament based on their placement at the Pac-12 Tournament, including conference champions Requir van der Merwe (149) and Nathan Traxler (197). Haydn Maley (285) was a runner-up, while Gabriel Townsell (125) was third. Mason Pengilly (133) was awarded an at-large spot, while Paul Fox has been named the first alternate at 157 pounds.
 


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. 

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS: For the first time in its 85 years as a sport at Stanford, the Cardinal took home the Pac-12 team championship. It was the closest conference race since 2010 as Stanford edged host and two-time defending champion Arizona State with 81.5 points to 79.5. Requir van der Merwe (149) and Nathan Traxler (197) became the 31st and 32nd individual Pac-12 champions in school history, respectively, and the first since 2017.
 


THREE-TIME QUALIFIERS: Junior Gabriel Townsell is making his third appearance at the national tournament. Should Paul Fox be inserted into the bracket, he would also be a three-time qualifier for the Cardinal. Townsell is coming off his highest finish at the Pac-12 Championships (3rd) and is 56-36 in his career. Fox carries the most wins on the current roster and is 96-41 in his career.

REPEAT APPEARANCES: Redshirt senior Mason Pengilly (133) and redshirt sophomore Nathan Traxler (197) are both making their second straight postseason appearances. Pengilly, who was the runner-up at the Pac-12 Championships for the second consecutive season, is 34-29 in his career. Traxler was 2-2 at the NCAA Championships in Cleveland last season and is the Cardinal's highest-seeded wrestler at No. 8. The redshirt sophomore is 28-5 overall and has racked up 47 wins in his two seasons on The Farm.

MAKING THEIR DEBUTS: Redshirt sophomore Requir van der Merwe (149) and redshirt freshman Haydn Maley (285) are both making their first appearances at nationals. van der Merwe is the No. 14 seed and is 32-9 in his career. Maley is 23-10 in his rookie campaign and defeated Arizona State's Brady Daniel in a true-second place match at the conclusion of the conference championships. Under head coach Jason Borrelli, the Cardinal has now had 26 different wrestlers qualify for the postseason.

ACADEMIC ACCOLADES: Redshirt senior Paul Fox was recently named the Pac-12 Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The science, technology and society major holds a 3.41 cumulative GPA and has earned NWCA Academic All-America honors and Pac-12 All-Academic recognition during his time on The Farm. He is the third straight Cardinal to earn the honor, joining Peter Galli (2017) and Nathan Butler (2018).
 


REGULAR SEASON RECAP: The Cardinal finished the regular season with a 9-4 overall record in duals. Stanford went 3-1 in Pac-12 duals with its only miscue coming at CSU Bakersfield. The Cardinal posted its first win in Corvallis, knocking off No. 18 Oregon State (19-16) on Feb. 15. The Cardinal started 2019 with a program-best fourth-place finish at the Southern Scuffle. Stanford finished with nine placewinners in Chattanooga - also a school record. 
 


HEAD COACH JASON BORRELLI: Stanford is under the guidance of 11th-year head coach Jason Borrelli, who recently became the program's all-time winningest coach. During his time on The Farm, Borrelli has accrued a 106-79-3 record and sent 31 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships a total of 51 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.