Stanford wrestling upsets No. 12 Pitt

No. 23 Stanford wrestling upset No. 12 Pittsburgh 21-12 at Maples Pavilion on Sunday during its final home dual of the season. With 15 ranked wrestlers spread across both lineups, the matchup carried significant national weight. The Cardinal stormed out to a dominant early lead, winning the first six bouts before holding on against the Panthers’ late push to seal a statement victory. 

At 125 pounds, No. 10 redshirt junior Nico Provo opened the dual in dramatic fashion for the Cardinal, defeating Tyler Chappel 8-5 in sudden victory. After trading points throughout regulation, Provo finished the bout with an overtime takedown that gave Stanford a 3-0 lead. 

Asked afterward about his approach in sudden victory, Provo kept it simple: “Stay composed. That’s the biggest thing. It’s just an extension of the match.”

At 133 pounds, No. 7 redshirt sophomore Tyler Knox methodically handled No. 26 Evan Tallmadge in a 4-0 decision, doubling the team score to 6-0. 

In a contentious bout at 141 pounds, No. 17 redshirt freshman Jack Consiglio narrowly beat Briar Priest 3-2 for another Cardinal win. In the final moments, a controversial call prompted heavy protest from Pitt and a video review, but the ruling stood and Consiglio secured the win.

Stanford’s momentum didn’t slow there. At 149 pounds, No. 13 redshirt freshman Aden Valencia secured a gritty 5-4 decision over No. 23 Kade Brown, stretching the Cardinal’s advantage to 12-0. At 157 pounds, Stanford’s No. 10 redshirt junior Daniel Cardenas outlasted No. 17 Dylan Evans 9-7 in another tightly contested match. Cardenas, who ranks No. 4 nationally in technical falls for the NCAA wrestling awards leaderboard (through Feb. 2), once again showed his offensive firepower. 

Stanford’s perfect record continued at 165 pounds, where redshirt freshman EJ Parco secured a 7-3 decision over No. 32 Jared Keslar. Parco struck first with an opening takedown, absorbed Keslar’s counter in the second period, and then created separation late with another clean finish in the third. The win extended Stanford’s lead to 18-0 and kept the Panthers searching for answers. 

When asked about his mentality, Parco emphasized preparation beyond the seven minutes on the mat. 

“It’s not just the match,” Parco said. “It’s everything that leads up to the match.”

Pitt finally broke through at 174 pounds. Stanford’s redshirt sophomore Colin Guffey fell 1-5 to No. 15 Luca Augustine, trimming the dual score to 18-3. 

The next bout, at 184 pounds, was one of the closest of the afternoon. Redshirt sophomore Abraham Wojcikiewicz fell to No. 27 Chase Krantz in an 8-6 decision that featured multiple lead changes, cutting the Cardinal’s lead to 18-6.

In the most anticipated matchup of the night, No. 13 true freshman Angelo Posada delivered a composed 5-2 victory over No. 8 Mac Stout, putting the dual out of reach for Pitt. As of Feb. 17, Posada has moved up 5 places to No. 8 in national rankings at 197 pounds for this performance, riding a seven-match win streak following this performance. Posada struck a humble tone when reflecting on his win streak. 

“At the end of the day, it’s just another match. Win or lose, it’s just another match.”  Posada said. “I couldn’t care less about all of that. I’m just trying to get better.”

At heavyweight, Stanford’s redshirt junior Luke Duthie faced No. 15 Dayton Pitzer, who recorded a fall to close the evening and bring the final score to 21-12. While Pitt ended on a high note, Stanford’s dominant opening stretch proved decisive in sealing the upset.

Head coach Chris Ayres pointed to the bigger picture as the postseason approaches, framing the win as part of a steady upward trajectory rather than a singular moment. 

“The cool thing is that we’re getting better over here,” Ayres said. “We get better every week, so this was an example of that. It was a good win.”

With one dual remaining before postseason competition begins, Ayres emphasized the importance of building momentum at the right time.

The Cardinal head to Chapel Hill on Friday to take on No. 13 North Carolina.

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