STANFORD, Calif. - Freshman Daniel Cardenas captured the 157-pound individual title leading Stanford to a runner-up finish at the Pac-12 Championships, Sunday, in Maples Pavilion.
The Cardinal scored 113.5 team points trailing only Oregon State (123.5), which won its 24th conference title, while Cal Poly was third (112). It was the fifth time Stanford has finished as the runner-up in the team race and its first since 2020.
A native of Arvada, Colorado, Cardenas became just the ninth freshman in program history to take home an individual title. Joining him as automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma (March 16-18) are Jaden Abas (149), Shane Griffith (165) and Nick Stemmet (197), who all finished as the runner-up in their respective weight classes.
Ranked No. 11 nationally, Cardenas advanced to the finals with a 4-2 decision over Little Rock's Matthew Bianchi. He dominated in the finals, posting a 13-4 major decision over Cal Poly's Luka Wick, and is now 22-1 on the season.
Also ranked No. 11, Abas earned a spot in the finals with a 6-3 decision over No. 24 Dom Demas of Cal Poly. The redshirt junior was edged in the finals, 2-1, by fifth-ranked Kyle Parco of Arizona State. Abas is 22-5 heading into the postseason.
For the third consecutive season, Griffith finished second at the conference tournament. He notched a 3-0 decision over Cal Poly's Legend Lamer in the semifinals, before falling to Oregon State's Matthew Olguin in tiebreakers. The Westwood, New Jersey, native is now 23-3 on the season.
Stemmet earned his highest finish at the conference tournament, placing second at 197 pounds. The junior opened the tournament with a first-period fall over Little Rock's Matthew Weinert before avenging a loss to No. 17 Tanner Harvey of Oregon State in the semifinals, 9-7. Stemmet is now 20-9 on the season and is the fifth Cardinal wrestler to reach the 20-win mark in 2022-23.
No. 25 Tyler Eischens also placed second for the Cardinal, dropping a 3-1 decision to No. 21 Mateo Olmos of Oregon State in the finals at 174 pounds. The redshirt senior was edged, 6-5, by Arizona State's Cael Valencia in a true second place match following the championships. Boasting a 21-9 season record, Eischens will learn his postseason fate on Wednesday at 5 p.m. PT during the NCAA Selection Show on NCAA.com.
True freshman Brook Byers went 2-2 to place third at 184 pounds, while Nico Provo (125), Jackson DiSario (133) and Jason Miranda (141) all took fourth. Heavyweight Peter Ming finished fifth.
Prior to the finals, Griffith was announced as the 2023 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year - the eighth Cardinal to take home the honor since the awards inception in 2007-08.
#26 Nico Provo, 125 pounds | 2-2 (4th)
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| dec. Eddie Flores (CSU Bakersfield) | 6-2 |
| lost to #12 Brandon Kaylor (Oregon State) | 6-5 |
| dec. Jeremiah Reno (Little Rock) | 4-1 |
| lost to Antonio Lorenzo (Cal Poly) | 7-4 |
Jackson DiSario, 133 pounds | 1-2 (4th)
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| lost to #33 Ethan Rotondo (Cal Poly) | 3-1 |
| won by medical forfeit over #25 Chance Rich (CSU Bakersfield) | MFF |
| lost to #33 Ethan Rotondo (Cal Poly) | 3-1 |
Jason Miranda, 141 pounds | 2-2 (4th)
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| dec. Angelo Martinoni (CSU Bakersfield) | 6-3 |
| lost to #33 Cleveland Bellton (Oregon State) | 9-7 (SV) |
| maj. dec. Jaylen Carson (Little Rock) | 17-3 |
| lost to Lawrence Saenz (Cal Poly) | 3-2 |
#11 Jaden Abas, 149 pounds | 1-1 (2nd)
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| dec. #24 Dom Demas (Cal Poly) | 6-3 |
| lost to #5 Kyle Parco (Arizona State) | 2-1 |
#11 Daniel Cardenas, 157 pounds | 2-0 (1st)
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| dec. Matthew Bianchi (Little Rock) | 4-2 |
| maj. dec. Luka Wick (Cal Poly) | 13-4 |
#3 Shane Griffith, 165 pounds | 1-1 (2nd)
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| dec. Legend Lamer (Cal Poly) | 3-0 |
| lost to #18 Matthew Olguin (Oregon State) | 2-2 (TB2) |
#25 Tyler Eischens, 174 pounds | 1-1 (2nd)
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| maj. dec. Triston Wills (Little Rock) | 12-3 |
| lost to #21 Mateo Olmos (Oregon State) | 3-1 |
Brook Byers, 184 pounds | 3-1 (3rd)
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| maj. dec. Mason Diel (Little Rock) | 16-3 |
| lost to #6 Trey Munoz (Oregon State) | 13-5 |
| fall Jacob Hansen (CSU Bakersfield) | F4:44 |
| dec. Jarad Priest (Cal Poly) | 6-5 |
#31 Nick Stemmet, 197 pounds | 2-1 (2nd)
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| fall Matthew Weinert (Little Rock) | F1:41 |
| dec. #17 Tanner Harvey (Oregon State) | 9-7 |
| lost to #5 Bernie Truax (Cal Poly) | 7-6 |
Peter Ming, 285 pounds | 1-2 (5th)
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| lost to Josiah Hill (Little Rock) | F5:00 |
| lost to J.J. Dixon (Oregon State) | 2-1 |
| dec. Jake Andrews (CSU Bakersfield) | 3-0 |