The 46th Annual NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by The Marines will be hosted by Arizona State University on November 21, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. The event will take place at the Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Arizona.

This event will be on the heels of a great run at the 2011 NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, where the Sun Devils brought home two NCAA Champions ( Anthony Robles and Bubba Jenkins) and a sixth place team finish. The ASU Sun Devils are the only team in the west to win an NCAA Championship which they did in 1988.

The All-Star Classic will feature twenty of the top wrestlers from around the country along with some local feature matches.  The complete line-up will be released starting at the end of October.

 “We are pleased that ASU and Coach Shawn Charles have stepped up to host this signature event and showcase a renewed sense of pride behind their team, which just a few years ago was briefly dropped.  Having the top athletes in the country coming to compete in this event shows the relentless resolve of the coaches, athletes, and fans in our sport,” said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director.

The All-Star Classic is one of the NWCA’s signature events, to which The United States Marine Corps has been a long standing presenting sponsor for eight of the past ten years.  

“The All Star Classic being held at ASU is a first and a great opportunity for ASU wrestling and the greater Arizona wrestling community.  I would like to personally thank the NWCA for giving us the chance to host this prestigious event,” said head coach Shawn Charles.

Charles was a competitor in this event in 1993 where he won by decision over Tony Purler of Nebraska.  Only twelve wrestlers from ASU have competed in the All-Star Classic.

The All-Star Classic has been a long-standing traditional event, which use to be referred to as the East-West Meet, up until 1988, when the event became the All-Star Classic.

By the numbers: the NWCA All-Star Classic has only been held in the west seven times in the forty-six year span.  The event has visited Oregon four times (1977, 1979, 1990, and 2007), California two times (2009 and 2010), and once in Utah (1985).

For more information on the NWCA All-Star Classic, visit our event website for hotel, ticket, and competitor information at http://www.nwcaonline.com/NWCAWebSite/Events/nwcaallstarclassic.aspx.