Stanford wrestling's performance at this year's NCAAs wasn't just the program's best NCAA performance ever, it was among the greatest NCAA overperformances of any team in Stanford history. It topped the 2015 women's gymnastics team that made the super 6 as an 11th ranked team and is in range of the two 15-seed Women's tennis teams that won the 2016 and 2018 National Championships.
#18 Stanford had qualified wrestlers in only 8 of 10 weight classes, but all 8 contributed in big ways:
Nico Provo (125 lbs), #7 seed, finished 3rd
Record at NCAAs 7-1
3 Major Decisions, upset the #2 seed
Typical pts for his seed: 7.4
Points scored: 16.5
Tyler Knox (133), #15 seed, finished 6th
Record: 5-3
upset the #5 and #13 seeds
Typical pts for his seed: 2.4
Points scored: 9
Jack Consiglio (141), #10 seed
Record 2-2
upset #9 seed
scored 1.5 pts
Aden Valencia (149), #10 seed, finished as Champion
Record: 5-0
1 major decision, upset #1, #2 and #7 seeds
Typical pts for his seed: 4.3
Points scored: 21
Caniel Cardenas (157), #9 seed
Record: 3-2
1 major decision, 1 tech fall
Points Scored: 4.5
EJ Parco (165), #27 seed
Record: 2-2
Upset #6 and #11 seeds
Typical pts for his seed: 0.3
Points scored: 2
None (174)
Abraham Wojcikiewicz (184), #28 seed
Record 1-2
1 tech fall, upset #21 seed
Typical pts for his seed: 0.4
Points scored: 2
Angelo Posada (197), #9 seed, finished 6th
Record 4-3
1 Fall and 1 major decision
Typical pts for his seed: 5.2
Points scored: 12
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None (285)
Stanford's 8 qualified wrestlers were expected to earn 29.5 points based on typical points scored for their seeds, but they earned 68.5 points, with all wrestlers contributing points and 10-seed champion Aden Valencia earning the most points above expectation in the whole tournament.
With so many top-5 programs on campus, it's easy to gloss over a 6th place finish. But Stanford's wrestlers accomplished something truly special this year.
If you want a sense of how meaningful it was, check out this photo of Aden Valencia being congratulated by his sister Nyla (a wrestler in Iowa's women's program) after Aden won his championship match.