Stanford wrestling took third place in the Pac-12 Championships on Sunday in Corvallis, Oregon. The Cardinal rode several strong individual performances to finish just behind hosts Oregon State, who claimed their fourth consecutive conference title, and Arizona State.

Redshirt sophomore Jim Wilson defended his 165-pound Pac-12 title in a lighter-than-expected schedule that should have him well-rested for the NCAA Championships. Wilson, seeded first in the conference and 14th nationally, made it to the finals on the strength of a 9-3 decision over ASU’s Jacen Petersen, where he was slated to face Seth Thomas of Oregon State. When Thomas was medically unable to face Wilson, the sophomore claimed his second consecutive Pac-12 title.

Wilson was joined on top of the podium by redshirt freshman Nathan Butler. Butler, the top-seeded heavyweight, won his semifinal match by major decision over Cal Poly’s Nick Johnson. His final matchup against Arizona State’s Chace Eskam was a rematch of a Jan. 25 dual won 3-2 by Butler. This match played out almost identically to the first, with Butler securing a third-period takedown en route to a 3-1 victory and his first conference title.

Although fifth-year senior Garrett Schaner and redshirt freshman Connor Schram were unable to win conference championships at their respective weight classes, they performed well enough to secure NCAA championship berths. Schram, the second-seeded wrestler at 133 pounds, made it to the finals before dropping a 4-0 decision to Oregon State’s Jack Hathaway. Schaner lost his semifinal matchup against Arizona State’s Christian Pagdilao before running through the consolation group to secure third place. He then won a close-fought 8-7 decision against second-place finisher Abraham Rodriguez of Oregon State to punch his ticket to the NCAAs.

The Cardinal’s four qualifying wrestlers will head to St. Louis for the NCAA Championships from March 19-21.

Contact Sanjay Srinivas at ssri16 ‘at’ stanford.edu.