Photos by BuckeyeWrestling.com

Zack Bailey thought his career was over. Germane Lindsey was waiting for a breakthrough performance.

The 2010 season saw Oklahoma’s Bailey reach the podium at the NCAA Championships for the first time after an injury-riddle career, while Ohio’s Lindsey was still waiting to live up to his high ranking coming out of high school. 

On November 21 at Selland Arena in Fresno, Calif., the two will face off at 141 pounds in the 45th annual NWCA All-Star Classic presented by The Marines.

Bailey, who thought his career was over in 2009, came back from several shoulder surgeries and an opening round loss to finish fourth, while Lindsey was unseeded and made a run into the quarterfinals and ultimately finished sixth.

Bailey went 31-8 and finished the season winning 21 of his last 24 matches. He won six straight in the consolations to reach the third-place match in 2010, falling to Ohio State’s Reece Humphrey and finished fourth.

Lindsey went 30-9 en route to the NCAA quarterfinals, beating third-seeded Mike Thorn of Minnesota in the process. He lost a thrilling overtime match in the quarters to eventual finalist Montell Marion of Iowa and ended the tournament with his first All-American honor. 

Bailey’s the 45th Sooner wrestler to compete in the event and first since 2006 when Matt Storniolo and Sam Hazewinkel both repped the Crimson and Cream. Lindsey is the 11th Ohio Bobcat to wrestle in the event and first since Jake Percival wrestled in the event at 157 pounds in 2004. 

The 45th Annual NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by The Marines will be held at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California on Sunday, November 21, 2010. The doors open at 2:00 p.m. The All-Star Classic follows a weekend of fundraising events. For more information about the tournament, purchasing tickets and the fundraising events, visit the www.nwcaonline.com's event page.  

To donate to the effort to save collegiate wrestling programs, visit http://nwca.ticketleap.net.

2010 NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by the Marines
Rankings by W.I.N. Magazine
125 - 
133 - #1 Jordan Oliver, So. (Oklahoma St.) vs. #2 Andrew Hochstrasser, Sr. (Boise St.)
141 - #3 Zack Bailey, Sr. (Oklahoma) vs. #5 Germane Lindsey, Sr. (Ohio)
149 - #4 Torsten Gillespie, Jr. (Edinboro) vs. #5 Kevin LeValley, Sr. (Bucknell)
157 - 
165 - 
174 - #3 Jordan Blanton, Jr. (Illinois) vs. #6 Nick Amuchastegui, Jr. (Stanford)
184 - #1 Kirk Smith, Sr. (Boise St.) vs. #2 Joe LeBlanc, Jr. (Wyoming)
197 - #3 Sonny Yohn, Jr. (Minnesota) vs. #4 Clayton Foster, Sr. (Oklahoma St.)
285 - #2 Jarod Trice, Jr. (Central Michigan) vs. #4 Alan Gelogaev, Jr. (Oklahoma St.)

Exhibitions:

About California USA Wrestling 

California USA Wrestling is a non-profit organization committed to the success and health of their athletes and dedicated to the promotion and preservation of collegiate and international styles of amateur wrestling. As the official California affiliate of USA Wrestling, the national governing board for international-style amateur wrestling in the United States, the club is responsible for the organization and execution of sanctioned USA Wrestling events in the state. California USA Wrestling educates the community about the styles of wrestling and the value of being involved in the sport. They strive to provide fun, exciting and well-planned events and improve the quality of California wrestling at the competitive level. For more information, visit www.ca-usaw.org.

About NWCA

The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a professional organization dedicated to supporting and elevating the sport of amateur wrestling. NWCA provides leadership and guidance primarily to scholastic and collegiate wrestling programs, but is an advocate to all levels of wrestling. The NWCA promotes communication, recognizes achievement, recommends rules and regulations, sponsors events and serves as a resource for education and information pertaining to the sport of wrestling. Additionally, The NWCA strives to foster the sportsmanship and integrity that are the cornerstones of any competitive sport. For more information, visit http://www.nwcaonline.com.