Feb. 26, 2008
Complete Postseason Guide in PDF Format 
THIS WEEK
The Stanford wrestling team travels to MacArthur Court in Eugene, Ore. this week for the Pac-10 Championships, hosted by the University of Oregon. Ten Stanford wrestlers will look to win a conference title and qualify for the NCAA Championships, Mar. 20-22. in St. Louis, Mo. The tournament begins Sunday at 11 a.m. and continues through Monday evening, with the championship bouts scheduled for 7 p.m.
FOLLOWING THE CHAMPIONSHIPS
For the second year in a row, college wrestling fans across the country will have the opportunity to watch the Pac-10 Wrestling Championships live via online streaming video, free of charge, available exclusively at www.pac-10.org. Tickets to the championships start at $10 for single session general admission and can be purchased by calling the Oregon Athletics ticket office at 1-800-WEBFOOT.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Ten wrestlers from each school will be looking to claim a Pac-10 title and qualify to continue the 2007-08 season at nationals. This year, 38 of the conference's top wrestlers will earn spots at the 2008 NCAA Championships at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., Mar. 20-22. The seedings for this weekend's tournament will be announced on Saturday.
THE FIELD
Cal State Fullerton leads the field with a 7-1 conference record and a No. 24 national ranking. The Broncos of Boise State also have just one Pac-10 loss (6-1) and have eight of their ten starters ranked in the top half of the conference. Fourteen conference wrestlers are ranked nationally, with four belonging to both Boise State and Cal State Fullerton and two belonging to Stanford, Cal Poly and Arizona State. Oregon State is the defending conference champion, having edged Cal State Bakersfield for the title last year.
REGULAR-SEASON RECAP
The Cardinal is amidst one of its best seasons ever, having posted the program's highest win total in over three decades with a 13-4 dual record. The Cardinal also won six of nine Pac-10 duals, the most in four years, beat Arizona State for the first time in program history and posted the first shutout in the program's recorded history against Wagner. Senior Tanner Gardner won three tournament titles and placed in every tournament he competed in, leading a combined 16 tournament placers and four tournament champions on the year. As a team, Stanford wrestlers combined to win 257 matches, pin 59 opponents and beat four ranked individuals.
WIN FEST
Entering the postseason, five Stanford wrestlers have already posted 20-win seasons, and two of those are already at the 30-win mark. Seniors Tanner Gardner and Josh Zupancic went undefeated in duals this year, leading four wrestlers with 50 or more team points and six wrestlers with 30 or more.
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Seniors Tanner Gardner and Josh Zupancic have both been consistently ranked in the top-10 nationally this season. Gardner currently holds the No. 6 spot, while Zupancic stands at No. 9.
STANFORD AT THE PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS
Stanford has competed in NCAA wrestling since at least 1933 and has never won a conference championship. Since the conference became the Pac-10 in 1980, the Cardinal's highest finish has been third place in 1985 and 1986. The program's highest conference finish ever came during the 1964-65 season, when Stanford placed second in the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU). Last year, the Cardinal finished sixth at the Pac-10 Championships hosted by Cal State Bakersfield. Stanford has had 13 Pac-10 individual champions since 1980, including Tanner Gardner, who will be looking to become Stanford's first repeat conference champion in more than two decades this year.
BACK AGAIN
Five of Stanford's probable ten have competed at the Pac-10 Championships before. Senior Tanner Gardner, the defending 125-pound champion, has placed three times, coming in fifth as a freshman in 2004, second as a sophomore in 2006 and first as a junior in 2007. Junior Luke Feist placed fourth in last year's competition at 174 pounds, and took fifth as a freshman in 2006. Senior 157-pounder Josh Zupancic returns for his third championship, as he took second last year and competed at the event as a freshman. Sophomore Zack Giesen was the Pac-10 runner-up at 184 pounds last year as a freshman. Senior Phillip Doerner will be making his second consecutive appearance in the championships at heavyweight. Gardner, Zupancic, Feist and Giesen all advanced to the NCAA Championships last year, and Gardner and Zupancic both earned All-America honors. Gardner has been to the NCAA Championships three times, and will be looking to become the program's first three-time All-American this year.
RECORD BOOKS
Tanner Gardner, Stanford's 125-pounder, has already recorded a personal best 17 pins this year, good enough to lead the Pac-10 and rank third nationally. Gardner needs just one more pin to match the Stanford single-season record set by Chris Horpel in 1975 (18). He is also just one win short the the Stanford career win record set by Matt Gentry in 2005 (138). Not to be overshadowed, senior Josh Zupancic is third on the career win chart with 114, second only to Gentry and Gardner. Redshirt freshman Lucas Espericueta, Stanford's 149-pounder, is also climbing his way up the charts. He is currently tied for fifth for wins in a freshman season, with 23 already this year.
STANFORD STATS
Tanner Gardner leads the Cardinal squad with 17 pins this year, and also paced the squad with 93 dual points during the regular-season. Gardner and Josh Zupancic lead the team with four wins by technical fall, while freshman Lucas Espericueta leads the squad with 11 wins by major decision. Gardner is the team's leader with 35 overall wins.
ALL-AMERICAN PRIDE
Stanford has two returning All-Americans on its team. At 125 pounds, senior Tanner Gardner is looking to become Stanford's first three-time All-American this season, after finishing 7th and 8th in the nation the last two years. Senior Josh Zupancic earned his first career All-America honor last year, taking 7th place at 157 pounds. Last season, Zupancic and Gardner became the first Stanford duo to earn All-America honors in the same year since 1966-67.
MILESTONE WINS
Tanner Gardner and Josh Zupancic are both members of Stanford's 100-win club. Tanner Gardner earned his 100th win at the NCAA Championships last season, and Zupancic picked up his earlier this year at the Reno Tournament of Champions. The elite club also includes Scott Wiggen `87, Steve Buddie `91 and Matt Gentry `05. Sophomore Zack Giesen and junior Luke Feist are already halfway there. Giesen posted his 50th career win against Oregon State on Feb. 3 and Feist notched his against Menlo College on Jan. 25.
PAC-10 RANKINGS
Six Cardinal wrestlers are currently ranked among the top five in the conference and will likely receive seeds when the final bracket is announced on Saturday. Tanner Gardner is top-ranked at 125 pounds, and Josh Zupancic and Luke Feist stand second at 157 and 174 pounds, respectively. Zack Giesen, the 2007 Pac-10 runner-up, is currently ranked fourth at 184 pounds. Both newcomers to the Pac-10 tournament, Lucas Espericueta and Jake Johnson round out the top Cardinal wrestlers with No. 5 rankings at 149 pounds and 197 pounds, respectively.
DOUBLE THE WINS
Senior Phillip Doerner has already more than doubled his career win total this year. Doerner has 16 wins on the season, and has pinned a career-best three opponents.
NATIONAL STAT LEADERS
A few Stanford athletes are among the nation's statistical leaders. Going into the week, senior 125-pounder Tanner Gardner is the Pac-10 leader and ranked third nationally in both wins and pins. Redshirt freshman 149-pounder Lucas Espericueta is ranked sixth nationally with 11 major decisions, while senior 157-pounder Josh Zupancic is among the nation's top-10 with 33 wins on the year.
HEAD COACH Kerry McCoy
Stanford Head Coach Kerry McCoy has been named to the coaching staff for the 2008 Olympic Freestyle Team. McCoy was a two-time Olympian, competing at the Games in Athens and Sydney. Former Stanford wrestlers Matt Gentry and Patricia Miranda are in contention to be Olympians this year.
2008 UPDATED WRESTLER PROFILES
125 lbs. Tanner Gardner
RS Senior * Berryton, KS * 35-1
2006-07 Season: Stanford's starter at 125 pounds ... Looking to become Stanford's first three-time All-American and the program's first repeat conference champion in more than two decades ... Has posted a 35-1 record this season, and gone undefeated in duals (17-0) ... Top-ranked in the conference ... Paced the team with 93 dual points on the year ... Also leads the team in wins, pins and technical falls ... Earned bonus points if 27 of 36 matches ... Has a perfect 9-0 record in Pac-10 bouts this season ... Leads the team with 17 pins on the year, and is just one pin short of matching the program's single-season record ... Has 137 career wins to date, and needs just one win to match Stanford's all-time career win leader and two to shatter the record ... Has been consistently ranked in the nation's top-10 by Intermat, and enters the postseason at No. 6 nationally ... Leads the Pac-10 in both wins and pins, and is tied for third in the nation in both categories ... Pinned his first five opponents of the year ... Opened the year with a 20-match win streak, capturing titles at the Central Missouri Open, the Fullerton Open and the Las Vegas Invitational ... Finished second and suffered season's only loss at the Reno Tournament of Champions ... Ends the year on a 15-match winning streak ... Every victory since Dec. 1 has been by eight points or more ... Pinned five consecutive opponents in mid-January.
133 lbs. Porfirio Madrigal
Freshman * Healdsburg, CA * 9-10
2006-07 Season: Stanford's starter at 133 pounds ... Has posted a 9-10 record in his first year of collegiate wrestling, including a 4-5 mark in dual matches ... Pinned three opponents, and earned bonus points in five matches ... Contributed 19 dual points to the Stanford effort ... Won three Pac-10 dual bouts, and pinned his first dual opponent in the third period against Arizona State ... Won two matches at the Menlo Open, including his first collegiate pin ... Also won two matches at the Fullerton Open ... Enters the postseason ranked eighth in the conference.
141 lbs. Max Rosefigura
Freshman * Anchorage, AK * 12-13
2006-07 Season: Stanford's starter at 141 pounds ... Has wrestled in 25 bouts and posted a 12-13 record in his first year of collegiate competition ... Won four dual matches to earn 16 team points for the Cardinal ... Picked up a decision at Oregon to record his first Pac-10 dual win ... Pinned his first six collegiate opponents, including all three at the Menlo Open ... Fastest fall came in just five seconds ... Placed in his first collegiate tournament, taking fourth place with a 4-2 record at the Fullerton Open ... Ranked ninth in the conference heading into the championships.
149 lbs. Lucas Espericueta
RS Freshman * Shafter, CA * 23-10
2006-07 Season: Stanford's starting 149-pounder ... Enters the postseason with a 23-10 record and a No. 5 ranking in the conference ...Won 12 of 16 bouts in dual meets ... Defeated five Pac-10 opponents ... Earned bonus points for the Cardinal in 11 duals ... One of five Cardinal wrestlers to reach the 20-win mark on the year, and one of four to contribute 50 or more dual points ... Currently tied for fifth on the program's freshman win chart, with 23 already in his rookie season ... Leads the team with 11 major decisions, which ranks sixth nationally ... Scored bonus points in 17 matches, and pinned three opponents ... Went undefeated at the Menlo Open, and won his first six matches of the year ... Fell just short of placing with four wins at the Central Missouri Open ... Won two bouts at the Las Vegas Invitational and the Reno Tournament of Champions ... Posted a season-high eight-match win streak in the month of January, topping four conference opponents in the stretch.
157 lbs. Josh Zupancic
RS Senior * Akron, OH * 33-5
2006-07 Season: Stanford's starter at 157 pounds ... Enters the postseason with a 33-5 record and a perfect 16-0 mark in duals ... One of two team members to reach the 30-win mark on the year ... Leads the team with 15 decisions and four technical falls ... Second on the team with seven major decisions and six pins ... Contributed 68 dual points to the Stanford effort ...Has been consistently ranked among the nation's top-10 157-pounders, and is currently listed at No. 9 nationally by Intermat ... Ranked second in the Pac-10 heading into the championships ... Tied for ninth nationally with 33 wins ... Opened the year with a ten-bout win streak, capturing the Central Missouri Open title with a 5-0 record ... Went 4-1 to take second at the Fullerton Open ... Won six bouts in the consolation bracket to take fourth at the Reno Tournament of Champions ... Became just the fifth wrestler in program history to post 100 career wins, getting his 100th in Reno against Trevor Hall of Cal State Bakersfield ... Has not lost in 2008, winning his last 14 matches ... Upset two top-10 wrestlers in a two week span in early January, taking out No. 8 Ryan Hluschak of Drexel and No. 10 Tyler Sherfey of Boise State ... Has earned bonus points in his last seven matches.
165 lbs. Kyle Barrett
Freshman * Las Vegas, NV * 4-4
2006-07 Season: Competed in three tournaments before joining the Cardinal starting line-up in its final dual of the year ... Has posted a 4-4 record in his first eight collegiate bouts ... Pinned his first collegiate opponent at the Menlo Open ... Went 1-2 at the Fullerton Open ... Led the team with two wins at the California Collegiates ... Wrestled in his first career dual match against Arizona State on Feb. 17 ... Ranked eighth in the conference heading into the championships.
174 lbs. Luke Feist
RS Junior * Sandpoint, ID * 13-9
2006-07 Season: Stanford's starting 174-pounder ... Sat out the early part of the season, but made his season debut at the Las Vegas Invitational ... Has a 13-9 record entering the Pac-10 Tournament, and is ranked second in the conference ... Went 10-5 in duals, and won seven of nine conference dual matches ... Contributed 38 team points to the Stanford effort ... Has won 10 of his last 12 matches ... Pinned opponents in duals against Wagner and Cal State Fullerton ... Also has two wins by technical fall on the year ... Recorded 50th career win in dual against Menlo College ... Tallied two wins at the Reno Tournament of Champions.
184 lbs. Zack Giesen
Sophomore * Grants Pass, OR * 22-8
2006-07 Season: Stanford's starting 184-pounder ... Enters the postseason with a 22-8 record and an 11-3 mark in duals ... Won six of nine Pac-10 duals and is ranked fourth in the conference ... One of five Cardinal wrestlers to reach 20 wins on the year ... Added 48 team points to the Stanford effort ... Pinned two opponents ... Also earned six major decisions and won three bouts by technical fall ... Placed in his first tournament of the season, taking third place with a 4-1 record at the Central Missouri Open ... Also pinned first opponent of the year at the tournament ... Placed at the Reno Tournament of Champions, coming in fourth with a 5-2 record ... Earned bonus points for the Cardinal in five straight duals between Jan. 18 and Feb. 3 ... Nabbed 50th career win against Oregon State.
197 lbs. Jake Johnson
Sophomore * Prior Lake, MN * 24-11
2006-07 Season: Stanford's starting 197-pounder ... Owns a 24-11 record, with a 14-3 mark in duals ... Won six of nine Pac-10 dual matches, and is ranked fifth in the conference ... One of five Stanford wrestlers to hit the 20-win mark on the year ... Third on the team with 59 dual points ... Pinned five opponents and earned bonus points in ten matches ... Went undefeated at the Menlo Open to start the year, pinning two of his three opponents ... Won his first six matches of the year ... Took fourth at the Central Missouri Open with a 5-2 record ... Has won 12 of his last 15 bouts ... Went undefeated in the team's five-dual trip to the East Coast.
HWT Phillip Doerner
RS Senior * Oklahoma City, OK * 16-19
2006-07 Season: Stanford's starting heavyweight ... Has posted a 16-19 record in his final year of competition for the Cardinal ... More than doubled his career win total in just the first two months of the season ... Won four dual matches on the year and contributed 18 dual points ... Earn his first career dual meet pin against Wagner on Jan. 6 ... Went undefeated at the Menlo Open to start the year, pinning both of his opponents ... Won three bouts at the Central Missouri Open before withdrawing on a medical forfeit ... Won four consecutive matches at the Fullerton Open to take fourth place ... Went 2-2 at the Las Vegas Invitational ... Ranked ninth in the conference heading into the championships.
