Four showcase matches have been announced for the upcoming NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps on November 2 at George Mason University’s Patriot Center.

All four matches have ties to the D.C. metro area, with two matches featuring 2016 U.S. Olympic hopefuls who have brought medals back to the U.S. in World-level international competition.

Maryland natives Helen Maroulis and Kyle Snyder will take to the mats in a pair of freestyle matches. Maroulis will wrestle at 121 pounds in a women’s freestyle match against Venezuela’s Marcia Andrades. Maroulis, from Rockville, Md., is currently a student at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia and is a four-time U.S. World Team member and 2012 World silver medalist. Maroulis twice placed in the Maryland high school state championships against the boys. 

Andrades, 31, is a two-time Olympian and is a five-time Pan American Games Champion. She’s also a seven-time Venezuelan World Team member.

Snyder is a high school senior spending his final year of high school in Colorado Springs, Colo., and training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. He’s the reigning FILA Junior World Champion. Snyder attended Good Counsel High School in Olney, Md., and has previously won the USA Wrestling Junior Nationals, National Preps, Beast of the East and Walsh Ironman. He’ll face Canada’s Yiannis Narlidis at 211 pounds. 

Narlidis, 20, was second at the Canadian Junior Nationals and currently trains in Toronto, Ontario with the Team Impact Club. 

Host George Mason University will see 141-pound sophomore Sahid Kargbo wrestle against West Chester University’s Luke Bilyeu. American University, host of last year’s event, will see 125-pound NCAA qualifier David Terao take on Division III All-American Chris Donaldson of Ursinus College. 

Kargbo, from nearby Hayfield Secondary School in Lorton, Va., was the first wrestler from George Mason University to represent the United States on a Junior World Team in Greco-Roman. He competed at the Junior World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria this past summer. As a true freshman, Kargbo went 19-14. 

Bilyeu, a senior and Pennsylvania native, finished the 2013 season 27-4 and was third at the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) championships at 141 pounds. He’s twice placed at the NCWA National Championships. The NCWA is a wrestling organization for wrestling club programs and varsity college teams unable to compete in a post-season championship or are reclassifying to different organizations. 

Terao, a redshirt sophomore from Hawaii, went 28-14 during the 2012-13 season at 125 pounds for coach Teague Moore. Terao was third at the EIWA championships. 

Donaldson finished sixth at the 2013 NCAA Division III championships at 125 pounds as a sophomore, ending his season with a 36-11 mark, the most wins of any wrestler in Division III at the weight. A Wilmington, Del., native, Donaldson attended Salesianum High School. 

The two collegiate showcase matches have ties to West Chester University as Bilyeu is currently attending the school and Ursinus head coach Bill Racich wrestled for the Golden Rams.

“One of the primary objectives of the Wrestlers in Business Network when we were creating these matches was what we aspired to become and make of the event,” said John Licata, President of the Greater Washington Wrestlers in Business Chapter. “It was the purpose to bring a positive light to the local schools while also giving other divisions opportunity as well.

“This year, it’s supporting USA Wrestling and the Olympic issue they faced; The NCWA and Division III with the goal of promoting wrestling at all levels. Even the middle school all-star meet on Friday has the same idea,” said Licata.

“We also want to engage all the wrestling bodies, traditional and otherwise,” he said. “We desired to be inclusive.”

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 second 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, Ohio) to form a national Wrestlers in Business Network. The purpose of this organization is to support amateur wrestling activities in major cities across America.