There are certain days that feel like a marker on the road. Not because everything went perfectly, but because you can sense the program shifting underneath your feet.
Sunday, January 4, 2026 was one of those days.
We hosted No. 4 Iowa State at Maples Pavilion and fell 20-18 in a dual that came down to the final match. But the result on the scoreboard was only part of the story. We wrestled in front of over 1,700 fans at Maples, the largest crowd we have had since I arrived, and one of those atmospheres where you could feel the energy before the first whistle.
That crowd did not happen by accident. We have been making the case for ticketing wrestling events since I arrived, and I am thankful the administration gave us the chance, with a special shout out to Cory Shakarian. Ticketing allows us to treat duals like major events and to invite the community into something worth showing up for. Sunday was proof that it is working, and proof that our sport can draw when we give people a reason to care and a simple way to be there.
And that is where I keep coming back to the idea of a tipping point.
A tipping point is not a single win that changes everything. It is a moment where momentum becomes visible. Where the people who have been quietly supporting start bringing friends. Where former wrestlers start circling a date on the calendar. Where a kid in the stands starts imagining themselves on that mat someday. Sunday felt like that.
Iowa State Dual (January 4, 2026)
We had five bout wins and some big time performances that deserve the spotlight.
Aden Valencia picked up a 4-3 win over No. 5 Jacob Frost, another top five win early in his career. Nico Provo set the tone at 125 with a 9-3 decision. Tyler Knox delivered an 11-0 major at 133. Daniel Cardenas put on a show with a 20-5 tech fall. Angelo Posada capped our scoring with a gritty 2-0 decision at 197.
We got wins at key weights and there was solid action across the lineup, but I still feel we are wrestling a little tight as a unit, with the exception of Cardenas. One of the most important parts of our work is helping athletes open up. We work at it every day. I know this, if we can put 10 guys on the mat who let it fly, wrestle free, and stay present instead of wrestling the outcome, we will be a tough team to beat.
We came up short, but the fight was real, and the environment was exactly what Stanford Wrestling should look like on a Sunday afternoon.
Midlands Championships (December 29 to 30, 2025)
Before we ever stepped into Maples, we closed out 2025 at the Midlands Championships. We had most of our starters back at Stanford training for the Iowa State dual, so repeating as tournament champions was not the goal this year, but we still had three guys reach the podium and finished 16th as a team.
True freshman Brokton Borelli led the way with a fourth place finish at 197 in his collegiate debut. Brokton has improved a lot since he stepped on the Farm and has a bright future. He has a ton of fight, and that is something you cannot coach. Our job is to just keep sharpening the wrestling.
Abraham Wojcikiewicz placed fifth at 184. In the current landscape of Division I wrestling, athletes can earn their way to the NCAA tournament throughout the season, and that is where a lot of our focus goes for wrestlers like Abe. He is on the bubble right now and a podium finish at Midlands should help him get noticed by the people who do the rankings and the selections.
Zach Hanson placed sixth at 165 and worked his way out of a bit of a slump. Zach has been searching for his groove this year, so it was great to see him compete at a high level. He had five wins, and I actually thought he was just as impressive in his losses to No. 14 Ryan Burton and No. 21 Noah Mulvaney. He competed well in those matches and proved he can go with some of the best in the country. That progress is important as we remain uncertain about Hunter Garvin’s return this season.
Collegiate Duals, Nashville, TN (December 20, 2025)
We headed to the Journeymen Collegiate Duals in Nashville and split the day, beating North Dakota State 25-15 and then running into No. 1 Penn State.
Against North Dakota State, we won six bouts, including three bonus point wins. Lorenzo Norman made his season debut with a pin at 174. Angelo Posada got a pin at 197. Daniel Cardenas added a major decision at 157. We also got key decisions from Tyler Knox, Jack Consiglio, and Aden Valencia to build the lead.
The Penn State dual was a tough one, plain and simple. We were competitive at 125, 149, 157, and 184, but too many of the other losses were by bonus points.
I often tell athletes after competing against exceptional opponents that they need a mental superpower. Not to become someone else, but to take the best parts of what they just felt and saw, and bring it home with them. For years I called that transmutation, but it turns out I had the wrong term. Transmutation is about changing one substance into another. What I really mean is closer to power absorption. My apologies to all my former athletes who I misled.
In any event, that is the challenge in front of us. Penn State did not beat us with tricks. They executed wrestling principles at a high level, moment after moment. They controlled the center. They attacked more often. They built leads instead of protecting them. They were effective in every position. The loss was painful, but it was also instructive. The blueprint is not complicated. It is just demanding, and we have to keep raising our standard in each of those areas.
One thing that is bigger than any single dual
This week we also got hard news out of California Baptist. CBU announced they plan to discontinue wrestling at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season.
That is not just a CBU issue. It is a wrestling issue.
If every former wrestler showed up to support the sport the way football alumni support football and basketball alumni support basketball, our gyms would be packed across the country. Programs would be protected. Athletes would have more opportunities. Communities would stay connected to something that shaped their lives.
But wrestling has a unique problem. Most people finish their careers with what they consider a bad note, and they carry scars from the sport. If someone becomes an All American, they think they failed to be a national champion. If someone places at state, they feel they failed to win it. The sport trains us to measure ourselves against a ruthless standard, and sometimes that makes people step away instead of leaning into all the good the sport gave them.
We have to get over that mentality. Wrestling is bigger than our last match.
So if you are reading this and you ever wore headgear, or your son or daughter did, or you simply believe in what wrestling builds, consider this a gentle nudge. Show up. Bring a friend. Be visible. It matters more than you think.
What is next on The Farm
We are right back at it with two huge home dates.
Friday, January 9, 2026 at 7:00 PM PST
Stanford vs Duke
Maples Pavilion
Friday, January 16, 2026 at 7:00 PM PST
Stanford vs NC State
Maples Pavilion
Get your tickets here: https://tickets.gostanford.com/section/wrestling-eta9
If Sunday was a glimpse of what Stanford Wrestling can look like in Maples, these next two Fridays are a chance to build on it. Bring your family. Bring a teammate from your old room. Bring someone who has never watched wrestling live. Let them feel it.
Just one more thing. If you know a former wrestler in the Bay Area who has not been to a dual yet, send them this note and tell them I want to meet them at the next dual.
More soon, and thank you for being part of this.
Chris Ayres
Head Coach, Stanford Wrestling
Box Scores
Iowa State 20, Stanford 18 (January 4, 2026) Stanford Cardinal Athletics
125: #14 Nico Provo (STAN) dec. Ethan Perryman (ISU), 9-3
133: #7 Tyler Knox (STAN) maj. dec. Adrian Meza (ISU), 11-0
141: #4 Anthony Echemendia (ISU) maj. dec. #17 Jack Consiglio (STAN), 11-1
149: #14 Aden Valencia (STAN) dec. #5 Jacob Frost (ISU), 4-3
157: #9 Daniel Cardenas (STAN) tech. fall Kane Naaktgeboren (ISU), 20-5 (5:31)
165: #18 Connor Euton (ISU) tech. fall Zach Hanson (STAN), 19-4 (5:51)
174: Aiden Riggins (ISU) dec. Collin Guffey (STAN), 8-3
184: #13 Isaac Dean (ISU) dec. Abraham Wojcikiewicz (STAN), 5-3
197: #19 Angelo Posada (STAN) dec. CJ Carter (ISU), 2-0
285: #1 Yonger Bastida (ISU) tech. fall Jackson Mankowski (STAN), 19-4 (3:19)
Stanford 25, North Dakota State 15 (December 20, 2025) Stanford Cardinal Athletics
125: #31 Ezekiel Witt (NDSU) dec. #12 Nico Provo (STAN), 7-2
133: #6 Tyler Knox (STAN) dec. #29 Tristan Dougherty (NDSU), 1-0
141: #15 Jack Consiglio (STAN) dec. Michael Olson (NDSU), 8-3
149: #14 Aden Valencia (STAN) dec. #24 Max Petersen (NDSU), 8-2
157: #5 Daniel Cardenas (STAN) maj. dec. #21 Gavin Drexler (NDSU), 11-2
165: Boeden Greenley (NDSU) fall EJ Parco (STAN), F1:48
174: Lorenzo Norman (STAN) fall Tyler Secoy (NDSU), F2:33
184: #17 Andy Brenot (NDSU) dec. Abraham Wojcikiewicz (STAN), 8-5 (SV)
197: #19 Angelo Posada (STAN) fall Devin Wasley (NDSU), F4:36
285: Shilo Jones (NDSU) dec. Luke Duthie (STAN), 2-0
Penn State 42, Stanford 0 (December 20, 2025) Stanford Cardinal Athletics
125: #2 Luke Lilledahl (PSU) dec. #12 Nico Provo (STAN), 4-2
133: #10 Marcus Blaze (PSU) fall #6 Tyler Knox (STAN), F6:44
141: Nate Desmond (PSU) maj. dec. Lain Yapoujian (STAN), 9-0
149: #1 Shayne Van Ness (PSU) dec. #14 Aden Valencia (STAN), 10-4
157: #8 PJ Duke (PSU) dec. #5 Daniel Cardenas (STAN), 5-2
165: #1 Mitchell Messenbrink (PSU) fall EJ Parco (STAN), F4:23
174: #1 Levi Haines (PSU) maj. dec. Lorenzo Norman (STAN), 14-4
184: #4 Rocco Welsh (PSU) dec. Abraham Wojcikiewicz (STAN), 5-1
197: Josh Barr (PSU) tech. fall #19 Angelo Posada (STAN), 19-3 (4:13)
285: #13 Cole Mirasola (PSU) tech. fall Luke Duthie (STAN), 21-6 (3:00)
Midlands Placers (December 30, 2025) Stanford Cardinal Athletics
197 Brokton Borelli, 5-2 (4th)
maj. dec. Nick Nosler (SIU Edwardsville), 12-2
tech. fall Charlie Heydorn (Illinois), 20-3 (6:03)
lost to #13 Gabe Sollars (Indiana), 14-2
fall Alex Smith (Northwestern), F5:50
dec. PJ Casale (Rutgers), 6-1
won by injury default over Jude Correa (Spartan Combat), inj. def. (3-0; 1:24)
lost to #13 Gabe Sollars (Indiana), 9-1 Stanford Cardinal Athletics
184 Abraham Wojcikiewicz, 5-2 (5th)
dec. Gunnar Garelli (Virginia Tech), 11-4
dec. Mikey Bartush (Bucknell), 9-2
lost to Joseph Walker (Michigan), 7-4
dec. Luke Daly (Pittsburgh), 8-2
dec. Roman Rogotzke (Indiana), 8-7
lost to Chase Kranitz (Pittsburgh), 14-5
dec. Tyler Bienus (Bucknell), 5-4 Stanford Cardinal Athletics
165 Zach Hanson, 5-3 (6th)
lost to Brock Woodcock (SIU Edwardsville), 7-0
maj. dec. Owen Segorski (Michigan State), 10-2
dec. Tavius Hosley (SIU Edwardsville), 4-2
dec. Josh Knudten (Michigan), 4-2
won by medical forfeit over Jacob Bostelman (Northwestern), MFF
dec. Jared Keslar (Pittsburgh), 4-2
lost to #14 Ryan Burton (Virginia Tech), 8-6
lost to #21 Noah Mulvaney (Bucknell), 4-2
