The NWCA All-Star Classic features the top two available wrestlers in each of the 10 weight classes in an exhibition that kicks off the regular season, and sometimes previews the NCAA Championships four months later. Griffin is the first Pride wrestler to participate as a featured competitor since Nick Gallo, Hofstra's only national champion, faced Kenny Nelson from Oklahoma in 1977. Joel Kislin, another Hofstra All-American, made two appearances in the All-Star Classic, facing Iowa State's Chris Taylor in both 1972 and 1973.
Griffin, a senior from Reading, Pennsylvania, earned All-American honors at the 2007 NCAA Championships at Auburn Hills, Michigan last March with a third-place finish at 141 pounds. The three-time Colonial Athletic Association champion and NCAA qualifier posted a 35-6 overall record, including a 6-1 mark at the NCAA Championships, in 2006-07. Griffin has posted an 89-20 career record including a perfect 14-0 mark in the conference matches. He will face two-time All-American Nathan Morgan from Oklahoma State. Morgan, ranked third immediately behind Griffin in the preseason poll, placed fourth at last year's NCAA Championships and was sixth in the 2006 Championships. The two wrestlers faced each other as freshman in a dual match at Hofstra during the 2004-05 season. Griffin posted a 7-4 victory over Morgan in that match.
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