Stanford wrestling (4-1, 0-0 Pac-12) continues its season with a trio of in-state competitions this weekend. The Cardinal will face Cal Poly (2-3, 0-0 Pac-12) on Friday, then Life Pacific (1-5) and California Baptist (2-6, 0-0 CCC) on Saturday.
Stanford opened the decade with a third-place finish at the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 2, marking the highest finish at the competition in program history. The Cardinal was led by three individual champions — redshirt freshmen Real Woods (141 lbs) and Shane Griffith (169 lbs), and true freshman Jaden Abas (149 lbs) — the most champions by a single school and the first time Stanford athletes were named champions at the competition.
For his efforts, Woods was named the Pac-12 Wrestler of the Week. Woods has been particularly dominant this season, winning 12 of his 13 duals and losing only to Ohio State’s No. 1 Luke Pletcher on Nov. 10.
During his redshirt season, Woods held a 22-1 record in unattached competition and knocked-off two ranked opponents. He also won the Princeton Open on Nov. 4, 2018. Woods is currently ranked No. 8 for his weight class.
Another notable performance at the Southern Scuffle was that of redshirt junior Nathan Traxler (197 lbs), who was runner-up in the competition. Last season, Traxler captained the team with a 30-7 overall record and a 12-1 mark in duals. He holds a 15-2 record this season, losing only against Ohio State’s No. 1 Kollin Moore in November, and more recently against West Virginia’s No. 13 Noah Adams at the Southern Scuffle.
A day prior to losing to Adams, however, Traxler defeated four opponents at the scuffle, adding to his career-long 62-21 record for Stanford. Given his history, he is a probable contender for this weekend’s events.
Redshirt freshman Shane Griffith (165 lbs) holds a clean 17-0 record, Stanford’s only undefeated wrestler this season. His notable performances this season include victories against Ohio State’s No. 14 Ethan Smith, North Carolina’s No. 17 Kennedy Monday and Navy’s No. 10 Tanner Skidgel. At the Southern Scuffle, Griffith defeated Skidgel in a 2-1 dual to win the title. Griffith will be looking to add wins to his record in his weekend, as he currently sits 10th all-time in Stanford history for consecutive wins, and eight wins away from breaking into the top-10 for freshman wins.
Stanford opens its conference schedule at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA, on Friday. The following day, Stanford will face both Life Pacific in San Dimas, CA, and California Baptist in Riverside, CA.
Contact Hussam Algallaf at hussamig ‘at’ stanford.edu.