In one of the most anticipated matches at the 2013 NWCA All-Star Classic, the 149-pound bout between Ohio State wrestling redshirt-junior Logan Stieber and Oklahoma's Kendric Maple lived up to the hype. In the final match of the event, Stieber defeated Maple, 6-4, on a last second reversal in the first tiebreaker. Including the win vs. Maple, Stieber now has won 37 consecutive matches dating back to March 3, 2012.
In 2013-14, Stieber and Maple will move up a weight class, respectively, and open the campaign as the No. 1 ranked wrestlers. Stieber, a native of Monroeville, Ohio, will wrestle at 141 pounds and Maple will compete at 149 pounds.
In the match Saturday night, Stieber opened action with a takedown for a 2-0 lead. Maple ended the period with an escape and chose bottom to begin the second. An escape to open the middle period tied the score at 2-2 and not long after, Maple took a 4-2 advantage on a takedown. The Buckeye was able to cut Maple's lead to one when he scored an escape in the final seconds of the second period. Choosing bottom at the start of the third period, Stieber tied the score at 4-all on an escape to force overtime. With a lot of scrambling in the sudden victory period, the match went in to a pair of tiebreakers. Stieber opened the first tiebreaker on bottom and towards the end of the 30 seconds scored a reversal for a 6-4 lead. In the next tiebreaker, Stieber was able to ride out Maple for the win.
Taylor dominates, Penn State splits two matches
Penn State University Sports Information
Two members of the top-ranked Penn State wrestling team took part in the 2013 NWCA All-Star Classic in Fairfax, Va. Held in George Mason University's Patriot Center, All-Americans David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) and Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) each competed at the exhibition event.
Taylor, ranked No. 1 at 165, was Penn State's first competitor, taking on No. 4 Michael Moreno of Iowa State. Taylor, a three-time All-American, three-time National Finalist and the 2012 NCAA Champion and Hodge Trophy winner, came out on fire, recording a quick taking down and tacking on two two-point turns for a 6-0 lead. Moreno escaped at the 1:40 mark, but Taylor quickly took him down for another takedown to lead 8-1 after the first period.
Moreno chose down to start the second stanza and Taylor continued to dominate action on top, building up over 3:00 in riding time while looking for another tilt. Taylor added another takedown to lead 10-2 heading into the third. Taylor chose down to start the final stanza. Moreno put together a solid ride but Taylor was steady, working his way to a late reversal. With 3:06 in riding time, Taylor posted a strong 13-2 major decision.
Brown, ranked No. 3 at 174, took on No. 1 Andrew Howe of Oklahoma. Brown, an All-American as a National Finalist last year, met Howe for the first time. Howe is a three-time All-American and former National Champion as well. Howe struck first with a takedown early in the first period, but Brown quickly escaped to a 2-1 deficit at the 1:20 mark. The duo then battled evenly for the rest of the period, giving the Sooner a 2-1 lead after one.
Brown chose down to start the second period and Howe then started to work on a long ride. But the Sooner was not generating any offense on top and was his hit with three straight stall calls, giving Brown a 3-2 lead after two periods. But Howe had built up more than 2:00 in riding time with a ride-out. Howe then chose down to start the third period and worked his way to an escape and a 3-3 tie. With a riding time point against him, Brown put together a furious close but could not notch the takedown and Howe escaped with a 4-3 win on 2:00 in riding time.
Over 4,000 fans attended the event in the Patriot Center. The results of the exhibition do not count towards Taylor and Brown's season records. In preparation for the start of the new campaign, the Nittany Lions will be sending a group of unattached wrestlers to the Clarion Knight Point Open on Sunday, Nov. 3, as well as a strong contingent of grapplers to the Binghamton Bearcat Open on Sunday, Nov. 10.
Penn State opens up the 2013-14 season at Rider on Sat., Nov. 16, and at Lehigh on Sun., Nov. 17. All-Americans David Taylor (St. Paris, Ohio) and Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) will take part in the NWCA All-Star Classic two weeks prior to that on Nov. 2 at George Mason. In addition, Penn State will have a presence at the Binghamton Open on Nov. 10 with many Lions making the trip unattached.
Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2013-14 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
Iowa's Ramos defeats VT's Carter up a weight class
University of Iowa Sports Information
University of Iowa All-American Tony Ramos used a pair of late takedowns to defeat Virginia Tech's Devin Carter on Saturday night at the NWCA All-Star Classic.
Ramos, the top-ranked 133-pounder in the country, finished a single-leg takedown in sudden victory to earn a 5-3 decision over Carter in the 141-pound exhibition. Carter is ranked No. 3 at 141 pounds in preseason polls.
"I felt him break in the third," said Ramos. "He was worn out and I could see some hesitation. He gave a half-shot and I was able to get into the leg and finish."
Ramos scored first in the match, escaping early in the second period. Carter then answered with the first takedown of the match, catching Ramos' ankle for a 2-1 lead.
Carter later escaped to open the third period, extending his lead to 3-1, before Ramos forced overtime with a takedown with 20 seconds left in regulation.
"There was no panic," said Ramos. "We knew what to expect going in, and I knew to watch for him kicking out. When he did I kept going for the leg and was able to finish."
The 48th annual NWCA All-Star Classic, presented by the United States Marine Corps, was hosted by the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University.
The Hawkeyes open the regular season Nov. 22 when Baker University, Cornell College, and Iowa Central visit Carver-Hawkeye Arena for the Iowa City Duals. Competition begins at 10 a.m. (CT).
"It feels good and it's exciting to get the season started," said Ramos. "The guys in the room see it and they know the season is here. It's time to keep going."
Lehigh wrestlers Beckman, Napoli post victories
Lehigh University Sports Information
Lehigh wrestlers Mason Beckman and Joey Napoli opened their seasons by posting victories at the NWCA All-Star Classic Saturday night at George Mason's Patriot Center. Beckman posted a 5-1 decision over A.J. Schopp of Edinboro at 133 while Napoli won by a 2-1 score over Nestor Taffur of Boston University.
Beckman, ranked tenth in the preseason by Amateur Wrestling News, posted takedowns in each of the first two periods to knock off fourth-ranked Schopp. For his impressive win, Beckman was named the Outstanding Wrestler for the green team.
The matches at the NWCA All-Star Classic are considered exhibitions and do not count towards a wrestler's official season record.
On a night when first-period scoring was at a premium, Beckman netted the opening takedown in the first period, before a Schopp escape made the score 2-1 Beckman after one period. Schopp is known to be tough from the top position and chose top to open the second period but Beckman escaped and added a second takedown to go up 5-1 after two.
Beckman chose neutral in the third and fought off a Schopp shot late in the third period to win 5-1 in the first collegiate meeting between the two Pennsylvania wrestlers.
Napoli and Taffur were next up in a matchup of the No. 10 and No. 13 wrestlers in the nation at 157. Napoli was a late addition to the lineup after Iowa's top-ranked Derek St. John withdrew Friday due to illness. After a scoreless first period that featured little offense from either wrestler, Taffur chose bottom and escaped to open the second period.
In the third period, Napoli chose bottom and was able to score a reversal to go up 2-1. Napoli successfully rode out Taffur, taking a stall warning late to preserve the victory.
Lehigh wrestlers are now 16-13 at the NWCA All-Star Classic with four consecutive victories.
The Mountain Hawks will open the dual meet season on Saturday November 9 when they host Bucknell at 7 p.m. inside Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall. Tickets can be purchased by calling 610-7LU-GAME or at LehighTickets.com.
Cornell's Garrett wins in overtime at 125
Cornell University Sports Information
Coming off an impressive freshman campaign, much is expected of sophomore Nahshon Garrett. So far, so good.
Coming off a third place finish at the 2013 NCAA Wrestling championships, Garrett got his sophomore season off to a soaring start by getting the best of an overtime scramble to knock off returning All-American Jarrod Patterson of Oklahoma at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Saturday evening at George Mason.
In the dual meet featuring many of the nation's top returning wrestlers at each weight class, Garrett was able to pick up the victory with a takedown and three near-fall points in the sudden death overtime session after heading to overtime locked at 1-1. Neither wrestler could score except to pick up escapes, Garrett getting his point in the second and Patterson earning his to tie it in the third.
Maryland's Sheptock edges Boise State's Swartz at 184
University of Maryland Sports Information
Jimmy Sheptock found a takedown early in the sudden death overtime period to defeat Boise State’s Jake Swartz, 3-1, in the featured 184 pound contest at the NWCA All-Star Classic Saturday night at George Mason University.
Sheptock, who placed in the top-6 at the NCAA Championships to earn All-American status last year, is ranked third-nationally at 184. Swartz is No. 5.
The Maryland senior got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead on an escape in the second period. Swartz leveled the score with an escape of his own in the third period.
Early in overtime, Sheptock was able to bring down Swartz to score the walkoff takedown. The win serves as a perfect start for Sheptock, who will look to defend his ACC title this season.
The All-Star Classic brings together some of the best competitors in the country each year to compete in a series of exhibition matches. The event is organized by the National Wrestling Coaches Association and presented by the United States Marine Core.
Top-ranked Nelson wins, Schiller falls for Minnesota
Minnesota split two matches at the 2013 NWCA All-Star Classic, with top-ranked Tony Nelson winning at heavyweight and No. 2 Scott Schiller falling at 197 pounds.
Nelson earned a 2-1 tiebreaker victory over Northwestern's Mike McMullan in a rematch of last year's NCAA finals match at heavyweight.
Schiller dropped a 6-4 match in sudden victory to No. 1 Taylor Meeks of Oregon State at 197 pounds.
Showcase Match Results:
WFS 121: Helen Maroulis (USA) tech. fall Marcia Andrades (Venezuela), 8-0
WFS 211: Kyle Snyder (USA) tech. fall Yiannis Narlidis (Canada), 10-0
125: David Terao (American) dec. No. 1 (DIII) Chris Donaldson (Ursinus), 7-5
149: Sahid Kargbo (George Mason) pinned Luke Bilyeu (West Chester), 5:33
Main Event Match Results:
125: No. 3 Nahshon Garrett (Cornell) dec. No. 5 Jarrod Patterson (Oklahoma), 6-1 SV
133: No. 10 Mason Beckman (Lehigh) dec. No. 4 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro), 5-1
157: No. 10 Joey Napoli (Lehigh) dec. No. 13 Nestor Taffur (Boston U.), 2-1
184: No. 3 Jimmy Sheptock (Maryland) dec. No. 5 Jake Swartz (Boise State), 3-1 SV
197: No. 1 Taylor Meeks (Oregon State) dec. No. 2 Scott Schiller (Minnesota), 6-4 SV
285: No. 1 Tony Nelson (Minnesota) dec. No. 2 Mike McMullan (Northwestern), 2-1 TB
165: No. 1 David Taylor (Penn State) maj. dec. No. 4 Michael Moreno (Iowa State), 13-2
174: No. 1 Andrew Howe (Oklahoma) dec. No. 3 Matt Brown (Penn State), 4-3
141: No. 1 (at 133) Tony Ramos (Iowa) dec. No. 3 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech), 5-3 SV
149: No. 1 (at 141) Logan Stieber (Ohio State) dec. No. 1 Kendric Maple (Oklahoma), 6-4 TB
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