Lineups finalized for Marines/NWCA All-Star Classic
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John Fuller (TheMat.com)
11/09/2004
Lineups for the 39th Marines/NWCA All-Star Classic, presented by Real Pro Wrestling have been finalized. The All-Star Classic will be held Monday, November 22 at the Vadalabene Center on the campus of Southern Illinois Univ.-Edwardsville. Perhaps the biggest rivalry set to take place is at 174 lbs., where defending NCAA champion Chris Pendleton of Oklahoma State will meet Ben Askren of Missouri in a rematch of last year's Big XII and NCAA finals. Pendleton won four out of five matches against Askren last year, including an 11-4 decision in the NCAA finals. Askren's lone win was 9-7 in the Big XII Tournament finals. At 125 lbs., All-Americans Nick Simmons of Michigan State and Sam Hazewinkel of Oklahoma will battle. Simmons placed seventh in the 2003 NCAA Tournament before taking an Olympic Redshirt last year. Hazewinkel placed third at last year's NCAA Tournament. Three-time All-American and 2002 NCAA champion Travis Lee of Cornell will take on Mark Jayne of Illinois, who placed seventh at the 2004 NCAA Tournament. This will be a rematch from last year's All-Star Classic, when Lee won 7-4. At 141 lbs., two-time All-American and 2003 NCAA champion Teyon Ware of Oklahoma will face Cory Cooperman of Lehigh, who placed seventh in the NCAA Tournament last year. Zack Esposito of Oklahoma State, a 2004 NCAA runner-up, will meet up with two-time All-American Dustin Manotti of Cornell at 149 lbs. Esposito defeated Manotti twice last year, including a 5-2 decision in the NCAA Tournament semifinals. 2003 NCAA champion Ryan Bertin of Michigan will matchup with 2004 NCAA runner-up Jake Percival of Ohio at 157 lbs. Bertin placed third at last year's NCAA Tournament. Percival is a three-time All-American. At 165 lbs., defending NCAA champion Troy Letters of Lehigh will take on All-American David Bolyard of Central Michigan. Bolyard placed sixth at last year's NCAA Tournament. Letters was also an NCAA finalist as a freshman in 2003. Letters defeated Bolyard 4-2 in overtime in a dual meet last year. Two-time NCAA champion Greg Jones of West Virginia will face Paul Bradley of Iowa at 184 lbs. in a rematch of last year's NCAA Tournament semifinal match that Jones won 8-3. Bradley went on to place fourth in last year's NCAA Tournament. Two-time NCAA runner-up Jon Trenge of Lehigh, coming off an Olympic Redshirt, will battle J.D. Bergman of Ohio State at 197 lbs. Bergman placed third at last year's NCAA Tournament. At heavyweight, 2003 NCAA champion Steve Mocco of Oklahoma State will face Cole Konrad of Minnesota, who placed fourth at last year's NCAA Tournament. Mocco is coming off an Olympic Redshirt year in which he placed third at the Olympic Trials and transferred from Iowa to Oklahoma State. Mocco was also an NCAA runner-up in 2002. There will also be two exhibition matches. Joe Rujawitz of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville will face Chad Swagman of Truman State at 149 lbs. and George Kirgan of Northern Illinois will wrestle Kiel Geise of Missouri Valley College at 174 lbs. Oklahoma State and Lehigh, the two teams many feel will battle for the NCAA team title this year, both will have three wrestlers representing their programs at the All-Star Classic. Oklahoma and Cornell each have two wrestlers. Overall, this event will have seven NCAA Division I champions and four other wrestlers that have competed in the NCAA Division I finals. The NWCA changed the date of its annual All-Star Classic to be held November 22. The event is usually held in the first week of February, just over one month before from the NCAA Division I Championships. The All-Star Classic attempts to pit the top two national competitors at each weight class against each other. 39th NWCA All-Star Classic Lineups 125 - Nick Simmons, Michigan State vs. Sam Hazewinkel, Oklahoma 133 - Mark Jayne, Illinois vs. Travis Lee, Cornell 141 - Teyon Ware, Oklahoma vs. Cory Cooperman, Lehigh 149 - Zack Esposito, Oklahoma State vs. Dustin Manotti, Cornell 157 - Jake Percival, Ohio vs. Ryan Bertin, Michigan 165 - Troy Letters, Lehigh vs. David Bolyard, Central Michigan 174 - Chris Pendleton, Oklahoma State vs. Ben Askren, Missouri 184 - Greg Jones, West Virginia vs. Paul Bradley, Iowa 197 - J.D. Bergman, Ohio State vs. Jon Trenge, Lehigh 285 - Steve Mocco, Oklahoma State vs. Cole Konrad, Minnesota Exhibition: 149 - Joe Rujawitz, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville vs. Chad Swagman, Truman State 174 - George Kirgan, Northern Illinois vs. Kiel Geise, Missouri Valley