STANFORD, Calif. – Shane Griffith has been selected the Pac-12 Wrestler and Newcomer of the Year, the conference announced Thursday.
Griffith becomes the third Cardinal to be named Pac-12 Wrestler of the Year, joining Matt Gentry (2004) and Nick Amuchastegui (2012), and the fifth to earn the Newcomer of the Year honor along with Gentry (2002), Zack Giesen (2007), Jim Wilson (2014) and Joey McKenna (2016).
"Shane is a tremendous student-athlete and an overall great example of someone that does the little things right," said head coach Jason Borrelli. "He is very disciplined and consistent. He works hard, has tremendous passion, and is incredibly competitive."
Griffith was 28-0 in his rookie campaign – the best start to a career in program history. The Westwood, New Jersey, native, is also a finalist for the Dan Hodge Trophy, presented annually to the nation's top collegiate wrestler.
The Pac-12 champion at 165 pounds, Griffith's 28-match winning streak is the second-longest in school history. He led the team in wins and falls (9) this season. Eighteen of his 28 wins were by bonus points and he registered six wins over ranked opponents.
In addition to his conference title, Griffith won the Battle at The Citadel, the Roadrunner Open and the Southern Scuffle. He earned Co-Most Outstanding Wrestler honors at the conference championships and was twice named Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week.
"It is very hard to position yourself as a legitimate national title contender at any point in your career and Shane did it as a freshmen," added Borrelli. "He was primed to bring home just the second individual national title in program history and I had full confidence that he was going to get the job done in Minneapolis.
"I am very proud of him and happy that he is being recognized with these honors. Our program is in great shape moving forward with Shane as one of our leaders!"