The 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by Nike Wrestling will take place on Saturday, November 16, 2024, at 7:00 pm (ET) in Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State. 

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This event can be viewed only on FloWrestling and will feature 10 highly ranked Division 1 folkstyle matchups along with a DII vs DII men's bout and 5 cross-divisional women’s freestyle matches.

Below is a breakdown of all ten folkstyle bouts. 

125: Jore Volk, Wyoming vs #5 Tanner Jordan, South Dakota State

#2 Jore Volk, Wyoming

Volk's Stats

• 44-19 career record
• 2024 All-American - 7th place at 125 lbs

Volk's College All-American Hitlist

• Richard Figueroa
• Michael DeAugustino
• Cale Smith
• Tanner Jordan (3x)
• Brandon Kaylor

#5 Tanner Jordan, South Dakota State

Jordan's Stats

• 67-52 career record
• 2024 All-American - 8th place at 125 lbs

Jordan's All-American Hitlist

• Patrick McKee (2x)
• Caleb Smith
• Jore Volk
• Liam Cronin

Breaking Down The Rivalry

• 2024 NCAA 7th place match - Volk over Jordan 4-0
• 2024 Big 12 quarterfinals - Volk over Jordan 1-0
• 2024 Wyoming vs SDSU dual - Jordan over Volk 2-1
• 2023 Wyoming vs SDSU dual - Volk over Jordan 7-1

This meeting between Volk and Jordan will be the fifth time the two have wrestled in their careers. Their first meeting occurred during a Wyoming vs South Dakota State dual two seasons go. Volk won 7-1 in that contest, but their last several matches have been much tighter. In fact, there was only one total takedown in their last three meetings.

During the 2023-24 season, Jordan secured a 2-1 victory over Volk during their February showdown at the annual Wyoming vs South Dakota State Dual, but Volk notched 1-0 and 4-0 wins at Big 12s and NCAAs respectively. The narrow margins of victory in all three bouts suggest that this All-Star Classic showdown should be ultra competitive.

133: Nasir Bailey, Little Rock vs Lucas Byrd, Illinois

Nasir Bailey, Little Rock

• Hometown: Park Forest, Illinois
• True Sophomore
• 29-4 career record
• 4th place finisher at 2024 NCAAs

Lucas Byrd, Illinois

• Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
• Redshirt Junior
• 85-19 career record
• Two-time NCAA All-American (5th in 2021 & 5th in 2022)
• Three-time NCAA qualifier

Breaking Down This Matchup

Eight months after Nasir Bailey became the first ever All-American in Little Rock history, he’s giving them their first ever All-Star Classic participant (although Stephen Little will also be at the All-Star Classic and will be technically be wrestling first now that the match order has been released). 

He’ll be taking on Illinois' Lucas Byrd in a bout that is likely to excite fans—Bailey’s dangerous double leg and top game vs Byrd's scrappiness. 

Byrd may still be shaking out the mat-rust, as he missed all of the 2023-24 season due to injury. However, Byrd has already had several tough matches this season, notching  wins over national qualifiers Micah Roes, Julian Chlebove and Brett Ungar at the Journeymen events last weekend, the last two bouts by shutout. 

But missing last season means Byrd never had a chance to wrestle Nasir Bailey, who had a phenomenal season a true freshman for the Trojans. Bailey and teammate Stephen Little were Little Rock's first ever All-Americans, an incredible achievement for head coach Neil Erisman, who has been at the helm of that program since it's inception a mere six years ago. 

It's anybody's guess who will win between the seasoned veteran and the up and coming true sophomore. But that’s what we’ll find out on November 16th.

141: Jesse Mendez, Ohio State vs Beau Bartlett, Penn State

Jesse Mendez, Ohio State

Mendez’s Stats:

• 48-11 career college record
• 2-time All-American - NCAA Champ (2024), 6th (2023),
• 2023 U20 World Silver (65kg)

Mendez’s College All-American Hitlist:

• Beau Bartlett (2X)
• Anthony Echemendia
• Brock Hardy (2X)
• Real Woods
• Ryan Jack (2X)
• Sam Latona
• Lucas Byrd (2X)
• Dylan Ragusin (2X)
• Chris Cannon

Beau Bartlett, Penn State

Bartlett’s Stats:

• 74-18 career college record
• 2-time All-American - 2nd (2024), 3rd (2023)
• 2021 U20 World Bronze

Bartlett’s College All-American Hitlist:

• Jesse Mendez
• Lachlan McNeil (3X)
• Vance Vombaur
• Brock Hardy
• Real Woods
• Tyler Kasak
• Clay Carlson (2X)
• Dylan D’Emilio (2X)
• Michael Blockhus
• Kyle Parco

Breaking Down The Rivalry

• 2024 NCAA Finals - Mendez over Bartlett, 4-1
• 2024 Big Ten Finals - Mendez over Bartlett, 4-1
• 2024 Dual Match - Bartlett over Mendez, 4-1 (SV-1)

As the above shows, Mendez leads the series over Bartlett winning 2 of the 3 matches in the rivalry. Every match has been exactly the same score and decided by one exchange. Bartlett won the first meeting last year in overtime when he countered Mendez’s low single and came out on top of the scramble with a takedown. Then, in the Big Ten finals, Mendez secured the match-winning takedown with 13 seconds left in the match with a smooth double-leg.

Their NCAA final match had the most epic finish of any final last year (and in recent memory). With only 20 seconds left and the match tied at 1, Bartlett shot a double and the finish looked imminent as he got behind Mendez in the rear-standing position. However, Mendez hit a standing granby and scrambled to Bartlett’s legs where he finished a takedown with just 5 seconds left in the match. That one exchange is the perfect illustration showing how evenly matched Mendez and Bartlett were last year.

Who Wins At The All-Star Classic?

This head-to-head matchup has mostly been a battle between Mendez’s offense and Bartlett’s defense. Mat wrestling has not been a factor in either match as neither wrestler has been close to earning a turn or a minute of riding time. Because of that, their match at the All-Star will likely come down to who wins the battle on their feet. 

Considering their past matches, I’m picking Mendez to come out on top at the All-Star. Mendez is more offensive than Bartlett and in these close matches, I tend to favor the wrestler who has more ways to score. On the other side of things, Bartlett is one of the most intelligent wrestlers in the game and often only needs one attack to win a match. In fact, he was inches away from having that tactic work to his advantage in the NCAA finals match. Regardless of who wins this match, we can expect a battle between Mendez and Bartlett which will set the stage for their rivalry this year and maybe even preview this NCAA Finals at 141-pounds.

149: Shayne Van Ness vs Ty Watters

Shayne Van Ness, Penn State

Van Ness’ Stats

• 29-7 career college record
• 2023 All-American - 3rd place

Van Ness’ College All-American Hitlist:

• Kyle Parco (X2)
• Caleb Henson
• Quinn Kinner

Ty Watters, West Virginia

Watters’ Stats:

• 30-6 career college record
• 2024 All-American - 4th place

Watters College All-American Hitlist:

• Kyle Parco
• Casey Swiderski
• Jaden Abas

Breaking Down The Matchup

In some ways, Watters and Van Ness are very similar. Their career records are almost identical and both had very good freshman seasons, wrestling their best at NCAAs - Van Ness placed 3rd while Watters placed 4th. 

However, the similarities become much fewer once you start actually analyzing their wrestling on the mat. Watters is one of the taller, lankier 149-pounders in the country while Van Ness is shorter and stockier. Watters is more scramble-reliant on his feet and frequently lets wrestlers in on his legs whereas Van Ness is stingier defensively holding better position. Both are tough on their feet and on top but Watters relies more on his length while Van Ness is a power wrestler. This is truly a fascinating matchup and a clash of styles that could play out in a variety of ways at the All-Star Classic. 

Beyond the style matchup, this bout will also tell us a lot about Van Ness and Watters. Last season, expectations were incredibly high for Shayne Van Ness before he went down with a season-ending injury. Prior to the injury, Van Ness defeated Kyle Parco at the All-Star Classic and many were projecting Van Ness as an early favorite to win NCAAs. The match against Watters will tell us if Van Ness is back to form and ready to win a title this season.

Watters is coming off a fantastic true freshman season where he got progressively better, culminating in his All-American finish. Despite finishing fourth, Watters lost two decisive decisions to NCAA Champ Caleb Henson along with matches against Tyler Kasak, Casey Swiderski, Ty Whalen, and Willie McDougald placing Watters a clear tier behind the title contenders at this weight. However, the match against Van Ness will tell us if Watters has continued to improve and if he’s ready to insert himself in the title conversation this year. 

Who Wins At The All-Star Classic?

This is will be one of the most interesting matchups of the night, and because of the clash of styles, it will be incredibly challenging to predict. As mentioned above, Watters possesses some unconventional leg defense and could stifle Van Ness’ offense to keep the match low-scoring. However, Van Ness is an incredibly powerful wrestler and a high-percentage finisher on his leg attacks. Watters frequently allows wrestlers in on his lead leg, which could play right into Van Ness’ strength. 

Then there’s the mat wrestling. Watters has a tough top game and is highly effective with his turns from a tight waist and half. He’ll have a huge length advantage and could be dangerous if he gets on top of Van Ness. On the other side of things, Van Ness isn’t a prolific turner but is capable of putting together a tough ride on top and could at least earn riding time against Watters. 

There’s a case to be made for both wrestlers but I’m picking Van Ness in the All-Star Classic match. I think his offense will be too much for Watters to handle and we’ll see Van Ness use his arsenal to expose Watters’ lack of baseline defense. Beyond that, I don’t think Watters will be able to turn Van Ness and that means the winner of this match will be decided by who’s better on their feet - leaving Van Ness the clear favorite in my eyes. Watters is more than capable of proving me wrong and regardless of who comes out on top, this should be an incredible bout from start to finish.

157: Peyten Kellar vs Tyler Kasak

Peyten Kellar was perhaps one of the surprise performers at 157 last year, at least to folks outside, Athens, Ohio, when he had his breakout performance as a redshirt sophomore and placed fifth at the 2024 NCAAs in Kansas City. 

Tyler Kasak, meanwhile, was a highly touted recruit for Penn State who placed third last season at 149 as a true freshman. He'll be moving up a weight class to try and keep the momentum going in 2025. 

Peyten Kellar Stats

• NCAA Career Record: 58-17
• NCAA Championship Finishes: 2023 R32 at 157lbs, 2024 5th at 157lbs
• Three Ohio High School state placer, including a title in 2021

Tyler Kasak Stats

• 2023 Big Board Ranking: #10
• NCAA Career Record: 24-5
• NCAA Championship finishes: 2024 3rd at 149lbs
• Freestyle accolades:
  • 2021 Fargo 16U runner-up at 138lbs 
  • 2022 U17 World silver medalist at 65kg
  • 2023 U20 US Open champ at 65kg

Career Highlights

Of these two, Kasak was the much higher prospect coming out of high school. Training at David Taylor's M2 Training Center made him a well known commodity in the recruiting world, as did his many competitions at major high school events. Additionally, Kasak moved to State College, PA for his high school senior year, during which he entered several college opens. Before that, Kasak, a native of Doylestown, PA, had three successful seasons at Bethlehem Catholic high school. 

Kasak hit the ground running once his official career as a student-athlete began at Penn State. At his first collegiate tournament, the Black Knight Invite, he defeated teammate David Evans but lost to teammate Beau Bartlett at the Black Knight Invitational. This helped serve as an official wrestle-off at 141 and likely helped determine who would bump up to 149 after Shayne Van Ness unfortunately had his season cut short due to injury.

Kasak's freshman campaign picked up steam when he defeated Ohio State All-American Dylan D'Emilio in an early February dual. Kasak then avenged a dual loss to Iowa's Caleb Rathejn at the Big Ten Championships where he finished third. 

Kasak followed that up with another third place finish, this time at the NCAAs, though it didn't come easy. Jaden Abas defeated Kasak in the first round, sending the young Pennsylvanian on the Ultimate Road Warrior path in the consolations. Kasak reeled off 7 wins in a row, including most impressively his last two collegiate matches over Ridge Lovett and Ty Watters. 

Kellar had a decidedly more under-the-radar recruiting period, though he was an Ohio state champ his senior, one of the toughest wrestling states in the country. 

Credit to Joel Greenlee and the Bobcat staff for both identifying and developing Kellar's talent. A solid redshirt season in 2022 turned into a productive season as a freshman starter that saw Kellar in the national rankings for most of the season. That year culminated in Kellar qualifying for the 2023 NCAA Championships in Tulsa, though it did not end on a high note as Kellar suffered two losses against zero wins at NCAAs. 

But then came the big breakthrough by Kellar. The previous year, Peyten amassed a respectable number of pins with five. Last season, Kellar more than doubled that number to 12, including two pinfalls at the NCAA tournament over fellow All-Americans Ed Scott and Bryce Andonian. 

This was after Kellar won the Southeast Open to start the season, the MAC Championships directly before the NCAAs, and went undefeated in dual meets. The only matches Kellar dropped on the season were two at the CKLV (one in sudden victory and the other by a single point) and two matches at NCAAs (to eventual All-Americans). 

The Weight Question

Kellar looks to be a full size 157-pounder and then some, as evidenced by his prodigious pin count. Kasak started the 2023-24 season at 141-pounds before moving up to 149 in December. This suggests one of the biggest questions that this match will help answer is if bumping up another weight class poses any kind of problem for Tyler Kasak. 

This will be Kasak's first action of the season, whereas Ohio had a couple of events on its schedule before the All-Star Classic. Kellar kicked off the season with a win over Wisconsin on November 1st. He also won a Michigan State Open title last weekend, which included ranked wins over Chase Saldate and Johnny Lovett.

Who Will Win? 

There's little in the way of common opponents to base a conjecture on, as Kasak's collegiate career has only just begun and all of it has been at a lower weight class. Additionally, Kellar has no significant freestyle matches on his resume. If he did it could have shed some light on how this match will go, as Kasak stays busy during most summers competing in freestyle. 

Kasak's pedigree and trajectory suggests he is a slight favorite. He is a blue-chip recruit that finished third in the NCAAs as a true freshmen. Teemer, Shapiro, and Cardenas are in the top tier right now, but there's no reason to think Kasak couldn't wrestle his way into that grouping. 

Kasak avenged three of his regular season losses (his only other was to Beau Bartlett at 141) in the postseason, and another year of training under Cael Sanderson at Penn State certainly doesn't hurt his cause. 

But by similar logic, looking at the trajectory of Peyten Kellar over the last three years, one could make the argument that his progression has been just as if not steeper.

A solid redshirt season, followed by a promising freshman campaign, leading up to a stellar sophomore season that saw Kellar established as a bona fide contender.  Is there any reason to think Kellar couldn't jump levels again?

My mind keeps going to the weight factor and the highlights of Kellar using horsepower to get so many bonus wins over the season. Kasak won't exactly be lacking in the strength department and both wrestlers have ample craftiness, but in the end I'm going to go with size and experience carrying the day. 

At least for now, this early in the season, I have Kellar winning in a minor upset. But I think this match has a high propensity to become a shootout.

But it's tough to make any call about this match with much confidence, which means I have an easier time predicting that this will be one of the more slept on matchups at the All-Star Classic. 

165: #8 Hunter Garvin, Stanford vs #4 Peyton Hall, West Virginia

#8 Hunter Garvin, Stanford 

• Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa
• Redshirt sophomore
• #15 on the Class of 2022 High School Big Board
• Three-time Iowa high school state champ
• 32-12 Career record
• 5th at 2024 NCAAs

#4 Peyton Hall, West Virginia

• Hometown: Chester, West Virginia
• Senior
• #31 on the Class of 2022 High School Big Board
• Team Captain and Team’s Mountain Man
• 96-27 Career record
• Four-time NCAA qualifier
• Two-time NCAA All-American (8th in 2022, 7th in 2024)

Previous Meeting

Hall and Garvin met in the consolation round on Friday evening of the 2024 NCAA Championshops. Garvin was the #20 seed and at his first NCAAs. Hall was at his fourth NCAAs and was seeded 9th. 

It was all Garvin last March, as the Iowa native majored Hall 14-4. 

What's Happened Since NCAAs

Garvin was very busy this summer wrestling both freestyle and Greco-Roman. He made the U23 World Team in Greco at 77kg, though he went 0-2 at the U23 World Championships. 

Garvin also wrestled plenty of freestyle, winning a U23 Pan-Am gold medal at 79kg in freestyle and made it to the quarterfinals at senior World Team Trials at 79kg. 

Hall did not participate in any USA Wrestling or UWW events this summer, but both he and Garvin have begun their respective collegiate seasons.

Hall is 8-0 with four 'countable' matches against D1 opponents. Garvin is 2-2, having suffered two bouts to very tough opponents in All-American Michael Caliendo and Utah Valley's Penn State transfer Terrell Barraclough. 

What Will Happen At The All-Star Classic

That's what we're all going to find out Saturday! The head-to-head win from NCAAs would favor Hall, but the experience factor as a two-time All-American fifth-year senior would favor Hall. Garvin may have a little more creativity from neutral but Hall is smothering on top. So the difference could come down to Garvin being able to get to his offense and Hall being able to work a turn on top or get a full period ride out. We'll see who has the upper hand very soon!

174: Levi Haines, Penn State vs Cade DeVos, South Dakota State

Levi Haines, Penn State

Haines’ College Stats

• 48-2 Career College Record
• 2X All-American - NCAA Champion (2024 at 157), NCAA Runner-Up (2023 at 157)

Haines’ College All-American Hitlist:

• Jacori Teemer
• Bryce Andonian (X2)
• Peyton Robb (X4)
• Will Lewan (X3)
• Jared Franek (X2)

Cade DeVos, South Dakota State

DeVos' College Stats:

• 99-32 Career College Record
• 2024 All-American (5th Place)

Devos' College All-American Hitlist:

• Lennox Wolak
• Edmond Ruth
• Ben Pasiuk (X2)
• Peyton Mocco (X3)
• Carson Kharchla
• Travis Wittlake
• Dustin Plott

Breaking Down The Matchup

The matchup between Haines and Devos at the All-Star Classic should be phenomenal. DeVos had a breakthrough year last season placing 5th at NCAAs after failing to make the podium in his previous two trips to the big show. DeVos was 28-3 last season with notable wins over Carson Kharchla, Travis Wittlake, Peyton Mocco, Ben Pasiuk, Edmond Ruth, Lennox Wolak, and several other top ranked wrestlers. Beyond the wins, DeVos only lost to Shane Griffith (twice) and Lennnox Wolak. DeVos is currently ranked #3 in the country and should be considered a pre-season darkhorse to make the NCAA finals after Keegan O’Toole and Haines.

This match is also intriguing for Levi Haines because it will be his first big folkstyle test at his new weight class. Haines spent the first two years of his college career at 157 pounds where he was runner-up as a true freshman in 2023 before winning an NCAA title last year. Despite it being his first folkstyle match at 174, we saw Haines compete at 79 kg (174.2 lbs) at the World Team Trials in September where he displayed an impressive 4th place performance. There, Haines recorded impressive victories over Keegan O’Toole and Evan Wick while only losing to Jordan Burroughs and David Carr. Haines has already proven he can handle the move up in weight and the All-Star will be another opportunity for him to display how he can be just as successful at 174 as he was at 157.

Who Wins At The All-Star Classic?

The matchup between Haines and Welsh should be close from start to finish and could even be an early preview of a semifinal bout at the 2025 NCAA Tournament. DeVos might be a little under the radar but he’s a really complete wrestler and is as solid as they come in all positions. DeVos has great go-behinds and reattacks on his opponents shots and can score on leg attacks to both sides of his opponent's body. He’s tough on top and is capable of building riding time on most opponents if he doesn’t get to his turns. 

With all of that said about DeVos, I still favor Levi Haines to win at the All-Star Classic. Haines has an elite outside step single and finishes his shots almost every time he gets his hands locked on a leg. Though he’s coming up in weight, I don’t think he’ll be undersized and I actually believe Haines’ power could be a problem for DeVos. Haines has elite defense and DeVos might have a hard time getting through Haines’ head and hands - though it was freestyle, even Jordan Borrughs wasn’t able to secure a takedown against Haines. I don’t see the mat being much of a factor for either wrestler and because I give Haines an edge in neutral, I have Haines winning a one or two takedown match over DeVos in what should be a fantastic bout at the All-Star Classic.

184: Carter Starocci, Penn State vs Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa

Simply put, Starocci vs Keckeisen will be a literal clash of the Titans!

You may now be asking, "When you say Starocci vs Keckeisen is literally a clash of Titans, are you suggesting that both wrestlers are actual mythical Greek gods, manifest here on earth in the year 2024?' To answer your question, yes. Yes I am and  that is literally the case. Prove me wrong!

Just How Titanic Of A Matchup Is This?

There are many factors I could point to that would back up the claim that this is a literal clash of titans. More factors than my deadline for filing this preview would allow me to discuss, but I'll do what I can! 

They Are Both Defending NCAA Champs

Starocci won 174lbs at the 2024 NCAA Championships. Keckeisen won 184lbs at the same tournament in Kansas City. 

Starocci beat Ohio State's true freshman phenom Rocco Welsh at 174, and Keckeisen defeated Oklahoma State's three-time All-American and four-time national qualifier Dustin Plott.

It's very rare that two returning NCAA champs wrestle each other. It necessitates one returning champ changing weights to a division that also has a returning champ in it. In this case its Carter bumping up from 174 to 184. 

That also adds intrigue to the match, as this will be the first time we Starocci up at 184 (PSU's first scheduled event this season is a home dual against Drexel the day after the All-Star Classic). Carter certainly looks big enough to handle the extra lbs, but this is also someone who not long ago was contemplating cutting down to 74kg (162.8lbs) to try and make the Paris Olympic team. 

So even if you don't expect the 10 pound jump to be a problem for Starocci (which, for the record, I don't), it will still be interesting to see how Carter looks against a 184lb national champ. 

They Are Both 2024 Hodge Trophy Finalists

The 2024 Dan Hodge Trophy was awarded to Aaron Brooks, but Starocci and Keckeisen were both finalists. The prerequisite for being a Hodge finalist is usually an undefeated title-winning, which Keickesen accomplished. Starocci technically had two losses on his record but they were both injury defaults at the Big Ten Championships where he took the mat for just a few seconds. That was due to an injury Starocci suffered in the last dual of the season against Edinboro where he still managed to secure a tech fall before limping off the mat. 

Once the undefeated NCAA champs are identified the next step in the Hodge Trophy evaluation process is to look at pins and bonus wins. Then you go to strength of schedule, then intangibles (at least that is the official Hodge criteria). Brooks, with a 91% bonus rate (compared to 90% for Keckeisen and 65% for Starocci) and his becoming a four-time NCAA champ gave him the nod over our two 184 All-Stars (and also Levi Hains and Greg Kerkvliet). 

Before the injury defaults, Starocci's last loss was to Michael Kemerer in the 2021 Big Ten finals. Keckeisen's last loss was to Aaron Brooks in the 2023 NCAA finals. 

Add all that up and you get two Hdge finalists. So not just two returning national champs, but two national champs who had undefeated seasons (aside from injury defaults) AND elite bonus rates. 

Now let's look at some stats from each wrestler to gain more appreciation for this matchup. 

Starocci Stats

• Four-time NCAA champ
• Two-time Big Ten champ
• 16 D1 pinfalls in 2023-24
• 2022 U23 World bronze medalist
• 2021 & 2022 Senior Men's Freestyle National Team member

Keckeisen Stats

• 2024 NCAA Champion

• Four-time NCAA All-American (3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 1st)
• 102-6 collegiate career (D1 opponents only)
• 20 D1 tech-falls in 2023-24
• 2019 U20 World Team runner-up

Outstanding statistics in my opinion. 

So Best NCAA Matchup Since...?

I'm doing my best to hype these two up to the highest possible level so might be worth it to take a second and ask what other matchups might compare. After all, the NCAA has been able to supply fans with quite a few number of amazing matches over the last couple of decades. 

Let's see, I'm going to forget and leave off a bunch of legendary matchups but recently we've been treated to David Carr vs Keegan O'Toole (multiple times), Valencia vs Hall (multiple times), Nolf vs IMar, Cenzo vs IMar, Spencer vs Suriano, Snyder vs Gwiz, Ruth vs Dean, Steiber vs Retherford and many more (by all means, sound off on who I missed!).

The one that stands out, though, is Dake vs Taylor, which we saw three times during the 2012-13 season. Dake won all three bouts (at the 2012 NWCA All-Star Classic, the 2013 Southern Scuffle, and the 2013 NCAA finals), but that didn't stop each match from producing an avalanche of hype each time they met. If anything, the ASC and the Scuffle matches only served to add to the excitement and anticipation surrounding the NCAA 165lb championship bout!

Which brings me to another important aspect of the Keckeisen vs Starocci bout.

They Both Won Matches At The 2023 All-Star Classic

Further illustrating that these two wrestlers are up for any challenge, they both participated in last year's All-Star Classic, and, importantly for our hype train we are currently riding, they won. 

Starocci majored Mekhi Lewis 11-0, and Keckeisen defeated four-time All-American Bernie Truax 7-5

Prediction

But I don't believe anyone who says they can predict with any amount of certainty what we'll see when these two lock horns. 

We talked about this match a bunch of FRL on Wednesday and came to the conclusion that the key to victory for Carter will be defense in neutral and his riding when he's on top, and for Parker, it's finishing his shots in neutral and escaping from bottom. 

And of course, both wrestlers will want to score more points than their opponent (har har har). 

There's not a lot of overlap in opponents to get a sense of who would win by the transitive property. Starocci lost to Trent Hidlay at the Olympic Team Trials and Keckeisen is 2-1 against Hidlay from matches in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, though of course those respective matches were in different styles. 

My gut says Starocci is stingy enough on defense to eke out a win, but I would not be surprised in the slightest if Keckeisen is able to get a couple of takedowns and hold on for the win. So you can officially mark me down for a Starocci win by a hair, but I would bet zero farms on it.

More confidently I'd predict that this match will do nothing but raise expectations for another showdown at NCAAs, as these two are slated to meet at any other time during the season. All the more reason to tune in Saturday to watch them wrestle!

197: Stephen Little, Little Rock vs Zac Braunagel, Illinois

Little Rock All-American Stephen Little and Greco-Roman World teamer Zac Braunagel are set to square off at 197 lbs in a top-ten battle at the NWCA All-Star Classic. This will be the first meeting between Little and Braunagel.

When Zach Braunagel started his college career at Illinois, Stephen Little was a freshman at Union County high school in Kentucky. Since that time, Braunagel has redshirted twice and qualified for NCAAs four times, including round-of-12 finishes in 2022 and 2023. Little used his redshirt during the 2022-23 season then earned All-American honors last year after finishing 7th at 197 lbs. Now, these two top upper weights will meet for the first time at the NWCA All-Star Classic.

#6 Stephen Little is entering his redshirt sophomore year for the Trojans after a 7th place finish at NCAAs in his first trip to the tournament. Little was 10-4 against D1 competition during his redshirt year, but started his first varsity season with a bang, defeating Maryland's Jaxon Smith in the finals of the Tiger Style Invite. That victory established Little as an AA contender, and he lived up to that expectation in Kansas City. Little's most impressive NCAA victories came against former All-Americans Louie DePrez of Binghamton and Michael Beard of Lehigh.

#9 Zac Braunagel has been a staple on the NCAA scene for years. He qualified for NCAAs for four straight years between 2020 and 2023. In his last two attempts, Braunagel finished just one victory shy of All-American honors. In 2023, he even defeated All-American Michael Beard along the way. Braunagel took an Olympic redshirt for the 2023-24 season after making the USA senior level Greco-Roman World Team at Final X in 2023. Now, Braunagel is returning to the Illini lineup with his sites set on All-American honors. A victory over Stephen Little would go a long way in establishing him as a strong All-American threat.

285: Nick Feldman, Ohio State vs Taye Ghadiali, Campbell

Nick Feldman, Ohio State

Feldman’s College Stats:

• 29-7 Career College Record
• 2024 All-American (5th Place)

Taye Ghadiali, Campbell

Ghadiali’s College Stats:

• 89-22 Career College Record
• 2024 All-America (8th Place)

Breaking Down The Rivalry

• 2023 CKLV: Ghadiali over Feldman, 20-5 tech fall
• 2024 NCAA Tournament: Feldman over Ghadiali, 10-4 decision

The meeting between Feldman and Ghadiali will be the third match in a series that’s currently tied at one match a piece. They first met last season at the CKLV in December where Ghadiali dominated to a 20-5 tech fall win. In that match, Ghadiali’s offense was rolling early and he used three takedowns in the first period to hold a 10-2 lead after 3 minutes. Ghadialia added another takedown in the second and two more in the third period to close out the match early. It is worth noting that Feldma was apparently dealing with an injury in that match and took a significant amount of injury time after the first takedown.

The next time Feldman and Ghadiali met was after both earned All-American honors in the consolation rounds at the NCAA Tournament in March. This match was much closer and tied 1-1 in the third period before Feldman finished quickly on a lefty single to take a 4-1 lead. After Ghadiali escaped, he picked up his offense but Feldman was able to capitalize on a go-behind and a reattack single in the final minute for two more takedowns and the 10-4 victory. 

Who Wins At The All-Star Classic?

Feldman and Ghadiali are two of the most athletic heavyweights in the country which should make an exciting bout at the All-Star Classic. Feldman made huge improvements since his loss to Ghadiali last year and because of Feldman’s win at NCAAs, he should be considered the favorite at the All-Star. 

Both wrestlers rely primarily on their neutral offense and in both of their head-to-head matchups, neither wrestler even tried to score while on top. I expect a similar bout to the one we saw at the NCAA Tournament and we could be looking at a tied match late in the third period. However, if Feldman or Ghadiali scores early, the match could turn into a high-scoring back-and-forth match considering the offensive potential of these two big boys. I’m picking Feldman to come out on top at the All-Star because of the improvements he made last season and because he won the takedown battle in their NCAA matchup - three takedowns to zero. Regardless of who comes out on top, this should be a fun one on November 16!

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