STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford wrestling head coach Jason Borrelli has been named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year, the conference announced today.
Borrelli, who just completed his 11th season at the helm of the program, secures the honor for the first time in his career. He is now the second Cardinal leader to nab the conference's coach of the year award, joining Steve Buddie (2004).
In the closest team race since 2010, Stanford captured the program's first Pac-12 Conference title in 2019, edging two-time defending champion Arizona State by just two points in Tempe. The Cardinal produced two individual champions in Requir van der Merwe (149 pounds) and Nathan Traxler (197 pounds), bringing Borrelli's conference champion count up to 13 wrestlers with 18 total titles. For reference, Stanford has won just 32 individual conference championships in school history.
On Dec. 17, Stanford knocked off 11th-ranked Northwestern, 21-15, in a dual in San Luis Obispo for Borrelli's 100th career win. In another first for the program, the Cardinal defeated 18th-ranked Oregon State, 19-16, for the first time in Corvallis on Feb. 15. The win was Borrelli's 106th, moving him past Chris Horpel (105) to become the all-time winningest coach in school history.
Stanford kicked off 2019 with its best-ever showing at the prestigious Southern Scuffle, finishing fourth as a team with a program-best nine placewinners.
The Cardinal sent five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh, bringing Borrelli's NCAA qualifier count to 26 different wrestlers for a total of 52 appearances.
Arizona State's Zahid Valencia was tabbed the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year for the third straight season, while Oregon State's Grant Willits was named the Newcomer of the Year.