Every year at the Cliff Keen Invitational I am reminded of how our sport is built. It is shaped by two kinds of people. There are the visible builders whose names become part of wrestling history. And there are the quiet builders whose influence is just as real, even if it lives behind the scenes.
Cliff Keen was the builder out front. A coach who shaped modern college wrestling, a man whose impact is stamped on the history of the sport. He dedicated forty five years of his life to Michigan wrestling and to the advancement of wrestling nationally. His name is on the building, and rightfully so.
But there are also people who build from the shadows. People whose names are not on arenas, but whose impact you feel every single day if you know where to look. Mike Wood was one of those people for Stanford Wrestling. He founded LeapFrog and changed early childhood education, but more quietly, he invested in Stanford at a time when the program’s future was uncertain. Stanford Wrestling exists today because Mike, along with others who never asked for recognition, stepped in.
Mike came to the last two CKLVs with his son and brother, and we spent real time together at this tournament. This was the first year he was not with us, and I felt that. Little moments during the weekend would catch my attention and I found myself thinking, “Mike would have enjoyed this.”
In a year when we are competing with only 6.9 scholarships while programs around us are expanding, it is not lost on me how people like Mike make everything we do possible. We are competing at the highest level with fewer resources, yet our guys continue to step into events like the Cliff Keen and prove they belong with anyone in the country. When you look closely, you can see the fingerprints of people like Mike on every opportunity these athletes have.
Cliff Keen built the sport. People like Mike Wood keep programs like ours excelling within it. I am grateful for both.
If Mike were there he would have been proud. Our wrestlers competed courageously and earned third place as a team. We did not have any champions, but when the final round ended every Stanford wrestler who placed had an odd number next to his name. Odd numbers mean you won your last match. They mean you showed up after a tough loss. That is all you can ask for.
A trio of thirds: Nico Provo, Dan Cardenas, and Jack Consiglio.
HE IS BACK. It has been a long year and a half for Nico Provo and it was great to see him in a Stanford singlet again. He had a strong tournament at a deep weight. The final result was not what he wanted, but he made steady progress throughout the weekend. His best match might have been his 2 to 1 tiebreaker win over Princeton’s Marc Anthony McGowan. Nico usually scores a lot in his wins, so it was good to see him show control and maturity in a tight match. Scoring points is great, but you also need to win close ones. One quiet thing I noticed was that Nico looked more comfortable as the tournament went on. That is a good sign.
HE IS BACK number two. It is easy to forget that Cardenas redshirted last year and just how important he is to the culture of our program. I often refer to him as the “brand” because we would love every Stanford wrestler to compete with his tenacity and his willingness to endure the pain required to wrestle at his pace. We know what we are going to get when Dan steps on the mat, and CKLV was no different.
With one exception. In his semifinal against Zerban he had an uncharacteristically slow first period, and it cost him. We talked about it, and he understood immediately. Sometimes a moment like that sharpens your pursuit of a national title. His response afterward told me far more about him than the moment itself.
HE HAS ARRIVED. Jack Consiglio earned the breakthrough performance of the tournament. We get some of the best recruits in the country and Jack was certainly one of them, but being great in high school does not guarantee success in college. Athletes have to make a jump in levels. Some make it, some do not, and as a coach you often see it in them before they see it themselves. Jack made that jump this weekend.
Seeded twelfth, Jack fought his way to a third place finish with his only loss coming to a red hot Anthony Echemendia, who nearly secured bonus points in all his matches. Jack competed at a level we have not seen from him before and this tournament was a great launchpad for a special season. If you watched closely, there was a new confidence in the way he moved. Those little cues usually tell the truth.
Two fifths: Aden Valencia and Angelo Posada.
In a completely stacked weight class, Aden earned fifth. Based on what we see in the room every day, he has the ability to win a national title this March. I expected he would win this tournament, but he did not quite have the performance he needed. He has all the tools to be one of the best wrestlers in the world. He is fast, strong, physical, crisp in his technique, and his cardio is otherworldly. We just need to help him use his strengths consistently in competition. The good news is that he improves steadily and is a true student of the sport. His adjustments are quiet but meaningful, and they come quickly.
The most falls in the least amount of time went to Angelo Posada, who might have also earned the unofficial award for wrestler least likely to stay under the radar this season. The four falls were impressive, but his losses may say even more about where he is headed.
His first match was against All American Bennett Berge from South Dakota State and it was a great battle. Angelo got behind early and spent the last twenty seconds deep on a shot at the edge but could not quite finish. That would have won him the match. His only other loss was to U23 World Champion Justin Rademacher of Oregon State. Angelo scored the only takedown but was reversed and caught for back points and lost 7 to 4.
He proved he can compete with the best in the country and, as a true freshman, he has a lot of room to grow. One thing I noticed is that Angelo never backs away from intensity. No matter the situation, he stays in the fight. That is hard to teach.
Non placing bright spots.
Abe Wojcikiewicz continues to blossom at 184. He had a major win over number twenty Kole Mulhauser of Princeton, which should get him into the rankings. In the blood round he wrestled a strong match against number seventeen Ayzerov of Columbia, but lost focus in the final seconds and gave up a takedown that cost him the match. Abe has made big jumps this year and is figuring out the style he needs to execute at this level. There is a steadiness developing in his wrestling that tells me he is close.
Going into CKLV we could have easily been without a heavyweight because Jackson was injured in our dual with Cal Baptist. Then after practice one day, Luke Duthie came up to me and said, “If it helps the team I would like to go heavyweight this weekend.” And just like that, we had our guy.
And help he did. Weighing only two hundred and three pounds, he fought his tail off, earning a major decision on the championship side and another win on the consolation side. If Luke had not stepped up, we would not have earned a team trophy. It was a small moment when he approached me, almost an afterthought, but moments like that shape the culture of a program.
Illness going around.
A quick note that Tyler Knox was not injured and will be back for our duals with Penn State and NDSU.
Speaking of.
Next up is Penn State and NDSU on December 20th in Nashville at Montgomery Bell Academy. We wrestle NDSU at 12:00pm PST and Penn State at 2:00pm PST.
Luncheon before the Iowa State dual 1/4/2026
Before I wrap up, I want to share one more thing we are excited about. On January fourth we are hosting a luncheon before our dual with Iowa State, and we will be joined by Bruce Baumgartner. If Cliff Keen was one of the early builders of our sport, Bruce has been one of its great leaders of wrestling in the modern era. Four Olympic medals, thirteen World and Olympic medals in total, and now serving as President of the USA Wrestling Board of Directors. He has done just about everything a person can do in this sport and has done it with humility and purpose. He is also from New Jersey, which is a great thing in my book.
We are partnering with Beat the Streets Bay Area for this event as we spotlight youth wrestling and community building. It will be a chance to share a meal, hear a chalk talk before the dual, and learn more about the work being done to grow wrestling in the Bay Area. If you enjoy being around people who care deeply about this sport, this will be a good place to be.
If interested, please try to purchase your tickets by January 19th.
Event Details
Bay Area Youth Wrestling Luncheon
January 4, 2026
Stanford University, Palo Alto
If you are interested in the luncheon, please register here:
Pre-event luncheon, chalk talk, and then our home dual against Iowa State. Should be a great day of wrestling and community.
CKLV Full Results
125 – #11 Nico Provo, 5-1 (3rd)
dec. Sulayman Bah (Columbia), 4-1
tech. fall Brayden Teunissen (Ohio), 19-4 (6:54)
dec. #16 Marc-Anthony McGowan (Princeton), 2-1 TB-1
lost to #15 Maximo Renteria (Oregon State), 7-6
maj. dec. #26 Koda Holeman (Cal Poly), 15-3
dec. #10 Stevo Poulin (Iowa State), 7-0
133 – #6 Tyler Knox, 2-2
dec. Will Betancourt (Rider), 5-0
maj. dec. Carter Schmidt (Oklahoma), 12-0
lost to #19 Kyler Larkin (Arizona State), 8-3
lost to #15 Derrick Cardinal (South Dakota State), MFF
141 – Jack Consiglio, 5-1 (3rd)
tech. fall Nathan Jerore (Michigan), 17-0 (4:46)
maj. dec. #19 Greyson Clark (Purdue), 13-2
dec. Carter Nogle (Air Force), 10-3
lost to #4 Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State), 12-2
dec. #24 Tyler Wells (Oklahoma), 2-0
dec. #21 Lorenzo Frezza (Columbia), 8-4
149 – #12 Aden Valencia, 5-2 (5th)
maj. dec. Pat Phillips (Franklin & Marshall), 16-3
maj. dec. Kaden Keiser (Appalachian State), 11-2
lost to Jacob Frost (Iowa State), 4-3
tech. fall Noah Tolentino (Oregon State), 19-4 (4:26)
dec. Collin Gaj (Virginia Tech), 5-3
lost to #2 Kaleb Larkin (Arizona State), 10-6
won by forfeit over #11 David Evans (Utah Valley)
157 – #4 Daniel Cardenas, 5-1 (3rd)
tech. fall Jeremiah Price (Appalachian State), 18-3 (3:35)
tech. fall Antonio Avila (Wyoming), 19-4 (4:47)
dec. #25 Camron Catrabone (Michigan), 15-12
lost to #3 Vinny Zerban (Iowa State), 7-5
tech. fall #27 Chance Mclane (Arizona State), 19-1 (4:54)
tech. fall #25 Cameron Catrabone (Michigan), 21-5 (5:43)
165 – Zach Hanson, 0-2
lost to Andrew Riggins (Iowa State), 18-2 (4:38)
lost to Josh Palmucci (Franklin & Marshall), 8-0
174 – Collin Guffey, 1-2
lost to #21 Brody Baumann (Purdue), 15-6
maj. dec. Beau Lewis (VMI), 12-2
lost to Eddie Enright (Northwestern), 9-7
184 – Abraham Wojcikiewicz, 2-2
lost to #10 Isaac Dean (Iowa State), 8-3
dec. Brock Fettig (South Dakota State), 4-2
dec. #20 Kole Mulhauser (Princeton), 5-2
lost to #18 Aaron Ayzerov (Columbia), 9-8
197 – Angelo Posada, 5-2 (5th) (Most Falls/Least Amount of Time)
lost to #7 Bennett Berge (South Dakota State), 3-1
fall Alex Smith (Northwestern), F2:03
dec. Cole Jackson (Cal Poly), F:21
fall Zayne Lehman (Ohio), F1:11
dec. Spencer Mooberry (Northern Illinois), F1:47
lost to #8 Justin Rademacher (Oregon State), 7-4
dec. #21 Rune Lawrence (West Virginia), 7-2
285 – Luke Duthie, 2-2
maj. dec. Cole Will (VMI), 16-4
lost to #11 Spencer Lanosga (Navy), 19-2 (3:26)
dec. Brock Kehler (West Virginia), 7-6
lost to #30 Ashton Davis (Cornell), 4-1
