Edinboro’s A.J. Schopp will face Lehigh’s Mason Beckman at 133 pounds at the NWCA All-Star Classic on November 2 at George Mason University’s Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va. It’s the ninth weight class released for the 48th annual event. 

While the two haven’t officially met in college competition, their history on the mat goes back to their days wrestling in the rugged Pennsylvania high school ranks.

It will be Schopp’s second straight appearance in the All-Star Classic. He defeated Minnesota’s Chris Dardanes 2-1 in last year’s event. Schopp will also be Edinboro’s 13th participant all-time and it will be the third straight year the Fighting Scots will be represented in the event. Chris Honeycutt earned a fall at 197 pounds during the 2011 All-Star Classic in Tempe, Ariz.

Beckman will make his first appearance in the Classic and Lehigh’s second consecutive appearance after a six year layoff from the event. Last season, Mountain Hawks’ senior Robert Hamlin defeated Minnesota’s Kevin Steinhaus 5-3 at 184 pounds.

Beckman owns a 2-1 lifetime mark against Schopp, splitting during the King of the Mountain tournament during Beckman’s freshman year while at Reynolds High School. Beckman took a freestyle victory over Schopp at the 2012 ASICS University Freestyle Nationals.

Schopp went 33-5 in 2012-13 and finished fourth at the NCAA Division I Championships last year at 133 pounds, while Beckman redshirted. During Beckman’s redshirt year, he went 39-4 at 133 pounds.

As freshmen, both wrestlers won over 25 matches. Schopp, as a redshirt freshman, went 39-6 and finished a match away from placing at the NCAA Championships. Beckman, as a true freshman, moved up to 133 pounds at The Midlands after struggling at 125 pounds. After the move, Beckman finished the season with a 27-11 mark and went 1-2 at the NCAA Championships.

Schopp, a two-time Eastern Wrestling League champion, comes in with a 72-11 career mark, while Beckman’s official record only reflects his true freshman season.

Both wrestlers won PIAA state championships in high school. Beckman won two state titles and placed four times, while Schopp was a state champion for Tyrone Area High School in Tyrone, Pa., and a four-time state placewinner, reaching the finals on two other occasions.

Confirmed Matchups
125: Nahshon Garrett, So. (Cornell) vs. Jarrod Patterson, Sr. (Oklahoma)
133: A.J. Schopp, Jr. (Edinboro) vs. Mason Beckman, So. (Lehigh)
141: Tony Ramos, Sr. (Iowa) vs. Devin Carter, Jr. (Virginia Tech)
149: Logan Stieber, Jr. (Ohio State) vs. Kendric Maple, Sr. (Oklahoma)
157:
165: Michael Moreno, Jr. (Iowa State) vs. David Taylor, Sr. (Penn State)
174: Andrew Howe, Sr. (Oklahoma) vs. Matt Brown, Jr. (Penn State)
184: Jimmy Sheptock, Sr. (Maryland) vs. Ed Ruth, Sr. (Penn State)
197: Taylor Meeks, Jr. (Oregon State) vs. Scott Schiller, Jr. (Minnesota)
285: Mike McMullan, Jr. (Northwestern) vs. Tony Nelson, Sr. (Minnesota) 

The All-Star Classic, presented by the Marine Corps, will take place on November 2nd at 7:15pm on the campus of George Mason University.  To purchase tickets to the event, visit the Ticketmaster website.  For more information on the All-Star Classic, visit the NWCA website and follow the NWCA on Facebook and Twitter.

About the NWCA

Founded in 1928, the NWCA strives to promote and provide leadership for the advancement of amateur wrestling, primarily at the scholastic and collegiate levels. The association is headquartered in Manheim Pa. The three core competencies are coaching development, student-wrestler welfare, and promotion/advocacy.  The NWCA has 10,000 members and educational programs that serve 230,000 students each year.



About George Mason University (GMU)

George Mason University was established in 1957 and obtained university status in 1972.  Located in Fairfax Va., GMU has 32,000 students.  The GMU wrestling program has a rich tradition as evidenced by having advanced 41 different wrestlers to the NCAA Division I Championships, two wrestlers achieved All American status one time and one wrestler achieved All American status two times. The head coach is Joe Russell and he is in his 2nd year. 



About Wrestlers in Business Network (WIBN)

The WIBN-Washington DC Chapter consists of prominent business leaders in the Washington DC metropolitan region.  The organization was originally formed in September 2012 under the name of the Greater Washington Wrestlers in Business Network and more recently merged with the Wrestlers in Business Network (headquartered in Cleveland OH) to form a national Wrestlers in Business Network. The purpose of this organization is to support amateur wrestling activities in major cities across America.