STANFORD, Calif. - Eight Cardinal wrestlers - sixth year Jaden Abas (149) fifth years Jason Miranda (141), Nick Stemmet (197) and Peter Ming (285), redshirt sophomore Hunter Garvin (165), redshirt freshmen Tyler Knox (133) and Lorenzo Norman (174) and true freshman Grigor Cholakyan (157) - will travel to the NCAA Championships at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, March 20-22.
CATCH THE CARDINAL: ESPN is providing coverage of every match in every session via ESPN, ESPNU and ESPN+. Live scoring will be available on Trackwrestling. Below is the broadcast schedule with ESPN+ (WatchESPN) carrying individual mat feeds throughout the entire tournament.
Thursday, March 20 - 9 a.m. PT - Session 1 (ESPNU)
Thursday, March 20 - 4 p.m. PT - Session 2 (ESPN)
Friday, March 21 - 9 a.m. PT - Quarterfinals (ESPNU)
Friday, March 21 - 5 p.m. PT - Semifinals (ESPN)
Saturday, March 22 - 8 a.m. PT - Medal Round (ESPNU)
Saturday, March 22 - 4 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 class. The top-eight finishers in each weight class will earn 2025 NCAA All-America status.
HOW THEY GOT THERE: Four Cardinal earned automatic berths into the NCAA Tournament based on their placement at the ACC Championships, including individual champion Hunter Garvin (165), runner-up Nick Stemmet (197), third-place finisher Jason Miranda (141) and Peter Ming (285), who was fourth. Receiving at-large berths were Tyler Knox (133), Jaden Abas (149), Grigor Cholakyan (157) and Lorenzo Norman (174).
STANFORD AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Stanford’s highest team finish at the NCAA Championships came in 2011 when the Cardinal placed 11th in Philadelphia. Stanford has turned in top-20 team performances nine times. In 2021, Shane Griffith became just the second Cardinal to win an individual championship, bringing home the title at 165 pounds in St. Louis. Matt Gentry was the first Cardinal to win an individual title, capturing the 157-pound crown in 2004. In 2012, Nick Amuchastegui (‘12) became just the second three-time All-American at Stanford, reaching the finals in back-to-back seasons (2011, 2012). Griffith (2021, 2022) joins Amuchastegui as the only two-time finalists in program history.
2024 NCAA REWIND: Stanford had five wrestlers qualify for the NCAA Championships in 2024. Daniel Cardenas (157) was the top finisher, placing fourth at 157 pounds to garner his first career All-America honors. Hunter Garvin took sixth at 165 pounds after entering the tournament as the No. 20 seed. He became just the third Cardinal freshman to achieve NCAA All-America status. As a team, Stanford was 16th overall - tying for the third-highest finish in program history.
STANFORD ALL-AMERICANS: Stanford has a history of producing All-American wrestlers that dates back more than six decades. In 1967, sophomore teammates Len Borchers ‘69 and Terry Crenshaw ‘69 finished fourth nationally in their respective weight classes and became the school’s first All-Americans. Since then, 24 more Cardinal wrestlers have accomplished that feat, and the program now boasts 26 All-Americans with 37 combined awards.
REPEAT APPEARANCES: Sixth year Jaden Abas (149) is making his fifth appearance at the national tournament - the most in program history. A returning All-American, Abas placed seventh in St. Louis in 2021 and reached the Round of 12 last year in Kansas City. Fifth year Nick Stemmet (197) is making his fourth trip to the NCAA Championships, while returning All-American Hunter Garvin (165) is making his second trip.
REGULAR SEASON RECAP: The Cardinal finished the regular season with a 10-5 overall record, including a 2-4 mark in ACC duals. Stanford matched its win total from a season ago despite forfeiting every dual at 125 pounds. In its first appearance at the Ken Kraft Midlands Championships since 2012, the Cardinal finished atop the team standings for the first time in program history. Jaden Abas (149), Tyler Knox (133) and Lorenzo Norman (174) each won individual crowns - Stanford’s first Midlands champions since Ryan Mango (2012). Knox was voted the Dan Gable Most Outstanding Wrestler, while Norman took home the Jack Leese Champion of Champions award. They become the second Cardinal to win their respective honors, joining Matt Gentry who won both in 2004. Stanford also turned in an eighth-place finish as a team at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational (Dec. 6-7).
HEAD COACH CHRIS AYRES: Stanford is under the guidance of Chris Ayres, who was appointed the 32nd head coach in Stanford history on September 11, 2023. He is in his 19th season as a collegiate head coach. A four-time Ivy League Coach of the Year, Ayres spent 17 seasons at the helm of the Princeton program. He produced just the second individual national champion in Princeton history (it’s first since 1951), the program’s first and second four-time All-Americans, and its first Ivy League championship since 1986. In 2023, Princeton was 13th at the NCAA Championships – its highest placement in program history and its 10th top-25 finish all-time.