2023 NCAA DI The Season: Stanford

 *NOTE* - I want to make it clear what this is and what this is not.  What this is NOT is an overview of the entire team. What this is, is a who’s who preview of THIS season 2022-2023. Meaning that I am going to talk about the starters who I feel will have an impact THIS year. Those who will win big matches in duals. Those who will earn placings in major tournaments like CKLV, RENO, MIDLANDS, MATMEN INVITE, SOUTHERN SCUFFLE, CONFERENCES & NCAA’s.  In some cases a weight class will have multiple talented wrestlers. I will note that & I will also be making posts later on about the best wrestle-offs to look forward to this season.  Then after that is determined I will make post later into the season of who our best backups are in the nation.

This post will NOT include redshirts. Those who are redshirting this season will be included in a separate post entitled “22’-23’ Best Redshirts.”  

Despite not having any support from their athletic director, Stanford continues to be successful anyway.  Two All Americans return to this year's lineup, among them a NCAA champion from 2021. 

133 lbs
Jackson Disario

Two time NCAA qualifier Jackson DiSario slipped to a 4th place finish at the PAC-12's last season after earning runner-up finishes in 2020 & 2021. 3rd in Reno, look for him to earn his third NCAA qualification this season. 

141 lbs
Jason Miranda 

I was expecting a little more out of Jason Miranda than what we received last season but only a sophomore he's still young with plenty of time to improve. Potential wise, I think he has a lot to offer. It'll be interesting to see how he fares this season. 

149 lbs
Jaden Abas 

A bit of down season for Jaden Abas last year. After winning  PAC-12, Southern Scuffle & Reno titles as well as placing 7th in the NCAA in 2021, he slipped to a 4th place PAC-12 finish failing to earn a second All American honor last season. He did however place 5th in a competitive CKLV bracket & will look to redeem himself in both the PAC-12 & NCAA this season. 

157 lbs
Charlie Darracott

Charlie Darracott "came close" on more than one occasion last season. Posting an 18-12 record, he was once match shy of earning a top eight finish at CKLV.  He then missed out on NCAA qualification by one match when he dropped a sudden victory to four time PAC-12 runner-up Hunter Willits in the true second place match. 

165 lbs

The face of the Cardinal wrestling program, Shane Griffith continues to earn accolades as his collegiate career continues. An NCAA champion in 2021, he was an NCAA runner-up this past season.  A PAC-12 champion in 2020, he's been runner-up the past two seasons. He's also earned a CKLV runner-up finish as well as both a Southern Scuffle title & a 3rd place finish. He'll contend for an NCAA title this season. 

174 lbs
Tyler Eischens 

Two time NCAA qualifier Tyler Eischens was on fire at last year's PAC-12 championships earning an impressive 4-3 victory over Adam Kemp of Cal Poly in the finals.  Also a PAC-12 runner-up in 2021, he earned an 8th place finish at the Southern Scuffle. A favorite to repeat as PAC-12 champion, I'd call him a darkhorse All American as well. 

197 lbs
Nick Stemmet

An NCAA qualifier in 2021, I would definitely call Nick Stemmet among one of the top wrestlers last season to miss out on NCAA qualification. Within the PAC-12, both Cal Poly's Bernie Truax & Arizona State's Kordell Norfleet will be difficult to surpass, but the 3rd place spot is all his. Will that be good enough for an NCAA automatic allocation? That I don't know. A lot will depend on how he does throughout the regular season. I feel that he is a top 33 wrestler, but garnering upsets will be key to earning that second trip to the NCAA's.