Note: Thanks to Britt Malinsky for the extra research for this preview. Be sure to follow this year's NWCA All-Star Classic on InterMat's live blog.
125: No. 3 Alan Waters (Missouri) vs. No. 5 Joey Dance (Virginia Tech)
Muir Line: Waters -2.5
Alan "Dirty" Waters comes to the NWCA All-Star Classic as the late fill-in for Nahshon Garrett to face Joey Dance. The two have never met, but both found their way to All-American status, with Dance placing fourth last season and Waters fourth the season before at the same weight class.
Virginia Tech's Joey Dance became a true freshman All-American (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Waters is coming off redshirt season and though he's missing ace-in-the-hole coach Sammie Henson, expect an even more mat-mature Waters to appear. However, returning from a year off can sometimes take adjustment. Still, Waters is tough from top and will be hunting for turns and falls. Dance has proven himself worthy from bottom -- escaping dangerous opponents as freshman without ceding over too many sets of extra back points.
Will Waters have a difficult Division I re-introduction with Dance, or will his top game prevail?
Look for Dance to escape without bonus points and find one takedown and a pushout for the win.
Foley Prediction: Dance, 4-3
133: No. 1 A.J. Schopp (Edinboro) vs. No. 2 Mason Beckman (Lehigh)
Muir Line: Schopp -1.5
Edinboro's A.J. Schopp finished fourth at the NCAAs in 2014 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Beckman won the 2013 NWCA All-Star Classic match, 5-1, but Schopp found revenge in a Midlands wrestleback semifinal match, defeating the Lehigh wrestler, 5-0. At the 2013 NCAAs it was Beckman who lost to eventual champion Tony Ramos (Iowa) in the quarterfinals, but would go on to secure sixth place. Schopp would go on to also lose to Ramos in the semifinals, and place fourth.
This year's matchup will give a good indication into how the new anti-stall ride calls will be played out in 2014. The entire event will be an indication, but here it's Schopp who will need to secure riding time to win the match, while also not looking passive on top. Beckman isn't always pushing the pace, and much of their first meeting was wrestled from their knees -- a pose that could get them dinged in 2014.
I see the match tight, but think that the new incentives to attack will benefit Beckman on the edge of the mat.
Prediction: Beckman, 6-3
141: No. 1 Logan Stieber (Ohio State) vs. No. 2 Mitchell Port (Edinboro)
Muir Line: Stieber -3.5
Logan Stieber is a three-time NCAA champion and unless something significant has changed in the offseason, he shouldn't see much of a challenge from Mitchell Port, who placed third at 141 pounds in 2014 and was a runner-up in 2013.
Stieber is too powerful, too tactical and too aggressive for Port to challenge him.
Prediction: Stieber, 11-3
149: No. 1 Jason Tsirtsis (Northwestern) vs. No. 3 Josh Kindig (OSU)
Muir Line: Tsirtsis -1.5
This is a rematch of the 2014 NCAA finals which Tsirtsis won by 3-1 decision in sudden victory. Both wrestlers had moments of aggression, and that should balance at this year's All-Star Classic. If history is any lesson, then we can expect an even more offensive performance from Kindig, who under the coaching of John Smith, will ripen into a more offensive wrestler this year.
Similar to Kindig, the word is that Tsirtsis has also improved and though facing a hurdle as a sophomore with a national title, he should be able to find a few more takedowns in the rematch.
In a somewhat surprising turn of events, I'd expect much more scoring than the NCAA finals with Tsirtsis finding an extra takedown to secure the win in regulation.
Prediction: Tsirtsis, 10-8
157: No. 2 James Green (Nebraska) vs. No. 3 Ian Miller (Kent State)
Muir Line: Green -4
Green beat up Ian Miller 13-1 to take home third place from the 2014 NCAA Championships. Miller, who had an impressive offseason and is coached by fellow pin-master Josh Moore at Kent State, is tricky to counter when transitioning from neutral to the mat. That could pose a problem for Green who got caught in last year's semifinals against Dylan Ness in a messy scramble.
Lesson learned it should be an easy win for Green who has national title aspirations. Too good from the outside and with the knowledge of what can happen when he allows his hips to get too high, look for Green to dominate from low doubles and, when necessary, bring single legs out and elevated.
Prediction: Green, 10-5
165: No. 1 Alex Dieringer (OSU) vs. No. 2 Nick Sulzer (Virginia)
Muir Line: Pick 'em
Perhaps no wrestler has been given more tools for success than Nick Sulzer of Virginia. Already happy with his one-on-one time with NCAA champion and assistant coach Jordan Leen, Sulzer this season will also be working with NCAA champion and past U.S. World Team member Keith Gavin.
Resources aside, it's Dieringer who had climbed the mountain, last year winning the 157-pound title and moving up in 2014 to face a field where last year's top three wrestlers vacated. Plenty big enough to compete up, don't expect Dierenger to be bullied around.
The match should be a great barometer of how both are dealing with their changes. Expect a wild, offense-filled match with attacks leaning to the favor of Sulzer. Also, look for Sulzer to give Dieringer some issues in escaping from bottom. For Sulzer quick finishes and maintaining good defense in scramble positions could mean the difference in the W or the L.
Prediction: Sulzer, 4-1
174: No. 2 Robert Kokesh (Nebraska) vs. Brock Gutches (Southern Oregon)
Muir Line: Kokesh -3
Three-time NAIA champion and late fill-in Brock Gutches will have his hands full this weekend handling one of Nebraska's most intense wrestlers in Robert "Bob" Kokesh. That pair met last year in the finals of the Reno Tournament of Champions, with Kokesh taking a 3-1 decision.
I haven't seen much of Brock Gutches over the past few years, but from what I've seen he keeps great positioning and for what it's worth has found a way to win a lot of matches.
Kokesh will once again be too much for Gutches.
Prediction: Kokesh, 4-2
184: No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) vs. No. 2 Jack Dechow (Old Dominion)
Muir Line: Dean -2.5
Gabe Dean has the only win between these wrestlers, earning a a 5-4 decision at last year's NCAA Division I Championships third-place match.
This summer Dean made the trip to the Junior World Championships where he steamrolled his first few opponents, before a single mental error got him pinned in the quarterfinals by a less-than-stellar opponent.
Dechow was the Cinderella of the 2014 NCAA Championships, but in placing fourth showed that his talent was underestimated rather than it being a simple fluke performance. He's an aggressive and creative wrestler who rarely puts himself in heaps of danger. However, in facing Dean he'll need to be conscience of the Cornell wrestler's ability to rack up points.
Dean will be well rested and should earn a fairly clinical decision.
Prediction: Dean, 7-3
197: No. 1 J'den Cox (Missouri) vs. No. 2 Scott Schiller (Minnesota)
Muir Line: Cox -1
Defending NCAA champion J'den Cox comes into the season as the top-ranked wrestler in the nation. The Mizzou youngster was brilliant at last year's tournament, wrestling an aggressive style that lent excitement back into a hit-and-miss 197 class.
Minnesota's Scott Schiller is a two-time All-American (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)Their matchup will be a perfect opportunity for fans to gauge the rest of the season and who might be left standing in the way of the third wrestler not on the ballot but always lurking: Kyle Snyder.
Prediction: Schiller, 5-3
285: No. 1 Nick Gwiazdowski (N.C. State) vs. No. 2 Mike McMullan (Northwestern)
Muir Line: Pick 'em
Defending NCAA champion Nick Gwiazdowski and three-time NCAA All-American Mike McMullan have helped re-energize and make competitive a weight class that only a few years ago was dominated by cumbersome big men. Now, with several athletic and attack-first big men, heavies have once again become a highlight of the season.
These two have met before. The first of their encounters came in 2012 with McMullan winning a 5-3 decision in the consolation quarterfinal at the NCAA Championships. Gwiazdowski earned revenge last year with a 5-3 decision in sudden victory at a dual meet in North Carolina.
The wrestlers are perfectly matched and given that there is little size or talent advantage the match becomes as much a tossup as any we'll see in the event.
Prediction: McMullan, 4-3
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