The Cardinal has five wrestlers ranked in conference and two ranked nationally. At 125 pounds, Tanner Gardner is No. 3 nationally and No. 1 in the Pac-10. He boasts a 33-3 overall record, leads the team with 12 pins and has won 11-straight bouts. At 157 pounds, Josh Zupancic is No. 15 in the nation and third in the Pac-10 with a record of 31-8, while Perry is 25-12 at 165 pounds and third in the Pac-10. Luke Feist stands fourth in the conference at 174 pounds with a 22-15 record, and freshman Zack Giesen is third at 184 pounds with a 27-12 record. The rookie, who currently stands third on the all-time freshman win chart, will be looking for his 13th-straight win on Friday.
Arizona State also has five wrestlers ranked in conference, including the top-ranked wrestlers at 157 pounds, 165 pounds and 184 pounds. Zupancic will meet No. 4 Brian Stith, the conference's top-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds, and look to avenge a 6-1 loss on Dec. 1. Perry will have a chance to upset No. 14 Patrick Pitsch at 165 pounds, another one of the conference's top-ranked wrestlers, while Giesen will try to oust the Pac-10's top-ranked Greg Gifford at 184 pounds. Gardner will meet his closest conference challenger in John Espinoza and Jared Boyer will look for an upset of the conference's fourth-ranked Jason Trulson at 197 pounds.
Stanford and Arizona State wrestlers have met 12 times this season, and the Cardinal has come out on top in eight of the meetings. Last season, Stanford fell to Arizona State on the road, 30-15.
"ASU is one of the best teams in the conference and in the nation every year," said Head Coach Kerry McCoy. "This will be a great test for us and great preparation for the Pac-10s next week. Our guys have been working hard and smart, so we will see what happens."
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