Still Plenty to CelebrateStill Plenty to Celebrate
Sam Janicki
Wrestling

Still Plenty to Celebrate

STANFORD, Calif. – The 2019-20 Stanford wrestling season was one week shy of completion before the COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament. Despite the abrupt ending, the Cardinal has plenty of team and individual accomplishments to celebrate.

Under the direction of 12th-year head coach Jason Borrelli, Stanford was 11-4 overall, including 4-1 in Pac-12 duals, and finished the season ranked No. 14 in the InterMat Tournament rankings and No. 24 in the NWCA Coaches poll. The Cardinal completed an undefeated home dual season, which included an upset win over No. 17 North Carolina on Nov. 16. Stanford, which hosted the Pac-12 Championships on March 7, finished second as a team with eight finalists and crowned two individual conference champions. The Cardinal qualified five wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, which were scheduled to be held in Minneapolis, and matched a program record with three All-Americans (Real Woods, Shane Griffith and Nathan Traxler).
 


Woods (141) and Griffith (165) captured individual Pac-12 titles – just the sixth and seventh freshmen, respectively, to accomplish that feat in school history. The duo was joined by runners-up Jackson DiSario (125), Tyler Eischens (157) and Traxler (197) in receiving automatic berths to the national tournament. Stanford's four freshmen national qualifiers were the most in the nation.

The Cardinal opened the season by winning the Battle at The Citadel with three individual tournament champions (Woods, Griffith and Traxler). Stanford turned in a program-best third-place finish at the prestigious Southern Scuffle to ring in the New Year. The Cardinal had four finalists and finished with three individual champions (Woods, Griffith and true freshman Jaden Abas, who wrestled unattached) – also a program record.

The team held its year-end banquet on Zoom in early May, where the coaches unveiled their team awards for the season. Griffith and Woods shared the Vern Jones Most Outstanding Wrestler honors. The redshirt freshmen combined for a 47-1 overall record, were both awarded No. 3 seeds in the NCAA Tournament and named NWCA First Team All-Americans. They are just the second and third freshmen to earn All-America honors in school history.

Griffith, the Pac-12 Wrestler and Newcomer of the Year, was undefeated at 28-0 – the best start to a career in program history and the second-longest winning streak by a Stanford wrestler. The Westwood, New Jersey, native, was a finalist for the Hodge Trophy, just the second in school history, and named Amateur Wrestling News Rookie of the Year. The Co-Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Pac-12 Championships, Griffith led the team in pins (9) and 18 of his 28 wins came by bonus points. A two-time Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week, he was No. 6 on the NCAA's Most Dominant list (all weights).

Woods also turned in an impressive rookie season for the Cardinal, finishing 19-1 overall. He finished the year on a 15-match winning streak – the 12th-longest in program history. His only loss of the year came in his first collegiate dual meet on the road at Ohio State against No. 1 Luke Pletcher in overtime. The Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 8, he registered bonus-point victories in 14 of his 19 wins, and finished the season No. 10 on the NCAA's Most Dominant list (all weights).

Traxler took home the Outstanding Scholar-Athlete award for the second straight season. The redshirt junior was 20-5 overall, including 11 bonus-point wins, and his 69 career wins are the most on the active roster. He was awarded the No. 12 seed at 197 pounds for the NCAA Championships, earning him NWCA Second Team All-America honors.  A team captain and three-time NWCA Scholar All-American, he is a computer science major with a 3.54 GPA.

DiSario and Eichens shared the team's Newcomer of the Year award. Both wrestlers were 21-9 overall, tied for second on the team with six pins and finished as Pac-12 finalists and NCAA qualifiers. DiSario, a true freshman from McDonough, Georgia, tallied 13 bonus-point wins at 125 pounds, was third at the Battle at The Citadel and was named the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week on Jan. 22. Eischens recorded 12 bonus-point wins and took third at both the Battle at The Citadel and Roadrunner Open.

Abas, a true freshman from San Diego, was given the team's Most Improved award. After beginning the year 6-4, he ended his redshirt campaign 23-4 overall, finishing the year on a 17-match winning streak. He secured titles at the Reno Tournament of Champions, Southern Scuffle and California Collegiate Open.

New this season, the Iron "S" award, given to the individual that displays exemplary dedication in the weight room, was presented to redshirt junior Jared Hill. A Pac-12 finalist at 174 pounds, he consistently works hard and brings a positive attitude to how he trains and competes.

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 Traxler, Woods, Gabriel Townsell, Trevor Rasmussen and the entire Class of 2023.

Townsell, who was plagued by injuries in his final season on The Farm, finished his career as a three-time NCAA qualifier with 60 wins. A U23 World Team member, Townsell was known on The Farm for his big throws and late-match heroics.

Rasmussen, a fifth-year senior from Prineville, Oregon, finished his career with 39 wins and was a consistent back-up at heavyweight throughout his time on The Farm. He placed third at the Roadrunner Open and sixth at the Battle at The Citadel in 2019, and was a vocal leader the coaches could always count on.

The Class of 2023, which includes Abas, Nick Addison, Luciano Arroyo, Logan Ashton, DiSario, Seamus O'Malley, Fabian Santiallan and Dawson Sihavong, was also recognized for its contributions to the team this season. Six of the eight were in the line-up at some point during the season, forgoing a redshirt year for the benefit of the team.

Five wrestlers were recognized with the Tod Surmon Award for their outstanding performance at a home dual this season. The winners were as follows: David Showunmi (North Carolina), Dalton Young (Columbia), Townsell (CSU Bakersfield), Eischens (Oregon State) and Foster Karmon (Little Rock).

Stanford wrestlers continued to excel in the classroom this year. Five Cardinal were named NWCA Scholar All-Americans – DiSario, Griffith, Karmon, Traxler and Woods. Stanford also led the conference with nine wrestlers earning Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll recognition – Griffith, Hill, Karmon, Townsell, Traxler, Young, Steven Abbate, Gabe Dinette and Brandon Kier.