For Conner Hartmann, he's looking to cement himself as one of the school's all-time great athletes and his quest for a third medal at the NCAA Division I Championships starts with an appearance at the 50th annual Hire Heroes NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the Wrestlers in Business Network on November 1 in Atlanta, Ga. The All-Star Classic is also sponsored by Raymond James and will be held at Georgia Tech's McCamish Pavilion at 5 p.m.
Hartmann, a two-time All-American from Port Orchard, Washington, will face Michigan's Max Huntley at 197 pounds. He will be the first wrestler in Duke history to compete at the event.
Hartmann became Duke's second-ever two-time All-American after a sixth-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Division I Championships. He and former heavyweight Konrad Dudziak are the only two wrestlers in school history with All-American honors and Hartmann will look to become the first three-time All-American at Duke.
He finished last season with a 29-5 record.
"Duke University is known the world over for its tremendous academics," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "To have a student-athlete of this caliber represent Duke at the All-Star Classic for the first time is a tremendous accomplishment for coach Glen Lanham's team and for the school as a whole."
Huntley has battled injuries throughout his career in Ann Arbor, but last year, he finally broke through and hit the podium with an eighth-place finish. The NCAA granted Huntley a sixth year of eligibility after he'd seen two prior seasons end due to injuries. He finished last season with a 24-11 record.
"It's great to see Max Huntley get an opportunity to finish out his career after such a rocky beginning," said Moyer. "I'm excited to see this matchup."
Seeded 10th, Hartmann reached the semifinals of the 2015 NCAA championships by opening up with a win over Penn's Caanan Bethea before upending seventh-seeded Abe Ayala of Princeton and second-seeded Morgan McIntosh of Penn State. He fell to eventual NCAA champion Kyven Gadson of Iowa State in the semifinals.
Huntley was the No. 8 seed and fell to returning NCAA champion J'Den Cox of Missouri in the quarterfinals. Huntley earned his first All-American honor by defeating Wisconsin's Timmy McCall.
Coming into 2015, Michigan wrestlers are 14-16-3 all-time in the event, with Steve Luke picking up the school's last victory back in 2009 against Iowa's Jay Borschel at 174 pounds. Huntley and teammate Adam Coon are two of the three Wolverines competing in Atlanta. Rossi Bruno accepted the invitation at 133 pounds and information on his bout will be released in the coming days.
Announced #NWCAClassic50 Matchups
125: Nathan Tomasello, So. (Ohio State) vs. Zeke Moisey, So. (West Virginia)
133:
141: Cody Brewer, Sr. (Oklahoma) vs. Dean Heil, So. (Oklahoma State)
149: B.J. Clagon, So. (Rider) vs. Alexander Richardson, Sr. (Old Dominion)
157: Isaiah Martinez, So. (Illinois) vs. Nick Brascetta, Sr. (Virginia Tech)
165: Alex Dieringer, Sr. (Oklahoma State) vs. Ethan Ramos, So. (North Carolina)
174: Kyle Crutchmer, Jr. (Oklahoma State) vs. Zach Epperly, So. (Virginia Tech)
184: Nathaniel Brown, Sr. (Lehigh) vs. Vic Avery, Sr. (Edinboro)
197: Conner Hartmann, Sr. (Duke) vs. Max Huntley, Sr. (Michigan)
285: Adam Coon, Jr. (Michigan) vs. Ty Walz, Jr. (Virginia Tech)
WHAT: 50th Annual Hire Heroes NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the Wrestlers in Business Network Atlanta Chapter
WHEN: Sunday, November 1, 2015, 5 p.m. Eastern
WHERE: Hank McCamish Pavilion, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Ga.
TICKETS: VIP/Social $125, Premium Floor $100, Premium $50, Reserved $25-$35; General Admission $10-$20; Student Rate $15
PURCHASE ONLINE: Click here
TV/LIVE STREAMING: ESPNU (Find ESPNU on your cable or satellite provider)
EVENT WEBSITE: http://www.theallstarclassic.com
About the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)
The NWCA brings the wrestling coaching community together to advance the sport and ensure that current and future generations have the opportunity to engage in a safe and educationally based wrestling experience. This is primarily done by strengthening existing programs, creating new programs, and providing coaches with progressive educational opportunities.
About Wrestlers in Business Network (WIBN)
The Group Wrestlers in Business is a non-profit organization that strives to unite the thousands of wrestlers that have retired from the sport and are now in their respective careers. It started as a networking group on LinkedIn. Since then, the group has evolved into a more prominent, member-focused organization that cares about supporting current & former wrestlers and the sport. Their mission is to establish a community of wrestlers who commonly share in the interest of helping each other in business and in life, while supporting and strengthening the sport that made us who we are today. www.wrestlersinbusiness.org
About ESPNU
The 24-hour college sports television network airs more than 650 live events annually. ESPNU is available nationwide in approximately 73 million households.
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