NWCA announces complete Cape Cod Potato Chips / NWCA All-Star Classic tentative lineup
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Pat Tocci (NWCA)
01/17/2003
The National Wrestling Coaches Association is pleased to announce that an impressive lineup of Division I wrestlers have accepted invitations to compete at the 2003 Cape Cod Potato Chips / NWCA All-Star Classic. The 37th Annual All-Star Classic, which is being hosted by the Delaware Wrestling Alliance, will take place at the University of Delaware's Bob Carpenter Center on February 3 at 8p.m. The Cape Cod Potato Chips / NWCA All-Star Classic pits the nation's top collegiate wrestlers against each other in challenge matches that is often seen as a preview of the upcoming NCAA finals. The 2002 All-Star Classic at Hofstra University saw three wrestlers go onto capture NCAA titles in March. This year's lineup will feature two returning NCAA Champions and five current No. 1 ranked wrestlers. There are currently five matches featuring the number one and two ranked wrestlers in the nation according to Amateur Wrestling News. The lineup is tentative and could be subject to change in case of injuries to participating wrestlers. Headlining the lineup is returning NCAA Champions Greg Jones of West Virginia University at 174lbs and Tommy Rowlands of Ohio State University at 285lbs. Jones is currently ranked one nation with a perfect 15-0 record this season. Jones will meet second ranked Chris Pendleton of Oklahoma State University, who is also undefeated at 14-0. Rowlands, who is making his third consecutive appearance at the NWCA All-Star Classic, is currently ranked second in the nation with a 23-2 record. He will renew his rivalry with Steve Mocco of Iowa. Mocco is currently ranked first with a 16-0 record and defeated Rowlands at the Midlands Championships 4-2. Rowlands and Mocco is a repeat of last year*s NCAA finals, which Rowlands won on the tiebreaker. There will be three other matches that will see the number one versus number two wrestlers meet. At 125lbs, number one ranked Chris Fleeger of Purdue will meet Cornell University's second ranked Travis Lee. Fleeger is currently undefeated at 15-0 while Lee is 18-0 on the season. At 184lbs, Jessman Smith of Iowa will look to defend his number one ranking versus Cornell's second ranked Clint Wattenberg. Smith defeated Wattenberg in the finals of the Midlands 5-4. The final number one versus two match will take place at 197lbs. Number one ranked Muhammad Lawal of Oklahoma State will battle Lehigh's second ranked Jon Trenge. Cornell's Dustin Manotti at 149lbs and Lehigh's Troy Letters at 165lbs were the lone freshmen selected to compete in this year's event. The fifth ranked Manotti will meet fourth ranked Jake Percival of Ohio University while fourth ranked Letters will wrestle fifth ranked Johnny Clark of Ohio State. The remaining lineup includes: Second ranked Witt Durden of Oklahoma meeting fourth ranked Kevin Black of Wisconsin at 133lbs, third ranked Dylan Long of Northern Iowa meeting fourth ranked Mike Maney of Lock Haven at 141lbs and second ranked Keaton Anderson of Ohio State wrestling third ranked Scott Owen of Northern Illinois at 157lbs. In keep with the tradition of a local feature match, the Delaware Wrestling Alliance invited Clarion's John Testa to meet Penn's Matt Feast at 285lbs. Testa grew up in Newark, DE and went to school at St. Mark's High School. "On behalf of the NWCA Board of Directors, I would like to thank the athletes and coaches for competing in this signature event, we truly could not make these events a success without their support," stated Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association This year's Cape Cod Potato Chips / NWCA All-Star Classic is unique as it marks the first time the event is being brought to a campus that currently does not sponsor wrestling. The Delaware Wrestling Alliance is presenting the event to help bring wrestling back to the University of Delaware. The DWA's success is predicated on their ability to demonstrate a strong commitment from the wrestling community in the Middle Atlantic Region. "The NWCA Board of Directors will be forever grateful for the relentless efforts of the DWA to host our signature event in an attempt to restore an intercollegiate wrestling program to the campus of University of Delaware. We would like to ask that the entire wrestling community in the mid-Atlantic region supports the DWA's efforts by ensuring that we have a sell-out crowd," commented Moyer. Tickets can be purchased for the Cape Cod Potato Chips / NWCA All-Star Classic by calling by visiting the DWA's website at www.beastwrestling.com For more information, please call 717-653-8009. 2003 CAPE COD POTATO CHIPS / NWCA ALL-STAR CLASSIC LINEUP February 3, 2003 University of Delaware 125 - #1 Chris Fleeger (Purdue) vs. #2 Travis Lee (Cornell) 133 - #4 Kevin Black (Wisconsin) vs. #2 Witt Durden (Oklahoma) 141 - #4 Mike Maney (Lock Haven) vs. #3 Dylan Long (Northern Iowa) 149 - #4 Jake Percival (Ohio) vs. #5 Dustin Manotti (Cornell) 157 - #3 Scott Owen (Northern Illinois) vs. #2 Keaton Anderson (Ohio State) 165 - #4 Troy Letters (Lehigh) vs. #5 Johnny Clark (Ohio State) 174 - #1 Greg Jones (WVU) vs. #2 Chris Pendleton (Oklahoma State) 184 - #1 Jessman Smith (Iowa) vs. #2 Clint Wattenberg (Cornell) 197 - #2 Jon Trenge (Lehigh) vs. #1 Muhammad Lawal (Oklahoma State) 285 - #1 Steve Mocco (Iowa) vs. #2 Tommy Rowlands (Ohio State) 285 - #8 John Testa (Clarion) vs. #11 Matt Feast (Penn) Coaches: Craig Turnbull (West Virginia), Russ Hellickson (Ohio State), Jeff Swenson (Augsburg) and Ray Kowatch (Ashland)