IOWA CITY, Iowa – NCAA wrestling champion Derek St. John has joined the lineup for the NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 2 in Fairfax, Va.
St. John, an UI senior and defending NCAA champion at 157 pounds, will face Boston University senior Nestor Taffur in the 49th annual All-Star event. Taffur earned his first trip to the NCAA tournament last season winning the Colonial Athletic Association 157-pound championship. He is ranked No. 11 in WIN Magazine’s 2013-14 preseason poll.
St. John is the second Hawkeye to accept an invitation to the NWCA All-Star Classic. All-American Tony Ramos will face Virginia Tech’s Devin Carter at 141 pounds.
St. John is also the sixth NCAA Champion to join the lineup. Logan Stieber (Ohio State), Kendric Maple (Oklahoma), Andrew Howe (Oklahoma), David Taylor (Penn State), Ed Ruth (Penn State), and Tony Nelson (Minnesota) have all accepted invitations to the showcase event.
The completed main event draw features 18 All-Americans with a combined 10 NCAA Division I titles and 32 medals.
The All-Star Classic, presented by the Marine Corps, will take place on Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. (CT) on the campus of George Mason University. To purchase tickets to the event, visit the Ticketmaster website.
Confirmed Matchups
125: Nahshon Garrett, So. (Cornell) vs. Jarrod Patterson, Sr. (Oklahoma)
133: A.J. Schopp, Jr. (Edinboro) vs. Mason Beckman, So. (Lehigh)
141: Tony Ramos, Sr. (Iowa) vs. Devin Carter, Jr. (Virginia Tech)
149: Logan Stieber, Jr. (Ohio State) vs. Kendric Maple, Sr. (Oklahoma)
157: Derek St. John, Sr. (Iowa) vs. Nestor Taffur, Sr. (Boston U.)
165: Michael Moreno, Jr. (Iowa State) vs. David Taylor, Sr. (Penn State)
174: Andrew Howe, Sr. (Oklahoma) vs. Matt Brown, Jr. (Penn State)
184: Jimmy Sheptock, Sr. (Maryland) vs. Ed Ruth, Sr. (Penn State)
197: Taylor Meeks, Jr. (Oregon State) vs. Scott Schiller, Jr. (Minnesota)
285: Mike McMullan, Jr. (Northwestern) vs. Tony Nelson, Sr. (Minnesota)
