Stanford wrestling (2-1, 0-0 Pac-12) defeated No. 17 University of North Carolina (1-1, 0-0 ACC) in a decisive 21-11 match on Saturday afternoon at Burnham Pavilion. The Cardinal won seven of the 10 bouts, including three ranked victories.
Stanford entered the competition coming off a 6-29 loss against No. 3 Ohio State on Nov. 11. However, Saturday proved to be a redemptive day for the Cardinal as several athletes showed a promising start to the season in the team’s first appearance at Burnham Pavilion.
The event began at 125 pounds. True freshman Jackson DiSario pulled off a come-from-behind victory against UNC’s Joey Melendez. DiSario trailed 4-2, but flipped the table as he claimed his first win with an 8-5 decision.
Nick Addison, the only other true freshman to compete, faced Carolina’s Chasen Blair at 184 pounds. Addison racked up points with a takedown in the first period, an escape in the second and a takedown in the third to win the match 6-0.
In one of the closest matches of the day, No. 13 Real Woods played a highly competitive dual against UNC’s Zach Sherman at 141 pounds. The first two periods ended in a 0-0 tie only to be broken by Woods in the third period. A game of back-and-forth happened as Stanford’s redshirt freshman started in the bottom and escaped for one point. Sherman then claimed the lead after taking Woods down for two points before Woods responded to tie the score. In a bout that seemed destined for overtime, Woods regained the lead with a last-second takedown, claiming the 3-2 decision.
Redshirt freshman Tyler Eischens tallied a victory for Stanford at 157 pounds. The Minnesota native trailed 2-1 after the opening period to Carolina’s No. 16 A.C. Headlee. However, Eischens scored an escape and takedown to come away with the 4-3 upset victory.
At 165 pounds, No. 8 Shane Griffith scored nine unanswered points against No. 17 Kennedy Monday to claim a 9-4 decision. The victory marked his sixth straight on the season.
All in all, Stanford won seven of the 10 duals to win the home debut.
The momentum continued the following day, as Stanford returned to action at San Francisco State (1-2) on Sunday. Redshirt junior Nathan Traxler, ranked No. 9 at 197 pounds, registered his first pin of the season only 56 seconds into his bout. Traxler’s victory combined with technical falls by DiSario and Woods led Stanford to a 29-10 victory against the Division II Gators.
Stanford won seven of the 10 bouts to improve to 2-1 on the season. The Cardinal return to action on Saturday in an outdoor dual against Columbia. The event will take place in Fan Fest at 11 a.m. prior to the home football game against Cal.
Contact Hussam Algallaf at hussamig ‘at’ stanford.edu and Alejandro Salinas at asalinas ‘at’ stanford.edu.