NWCA All-Star classic match order, Penn State wrestling bout previews, how to watch, and more

The eyes of the college wrestling world will turn toward State College this weekend. The No. 1 Penn State wrestling team opens its 2024-2025 season and NCAA title defense on Sunday when Drexel visits for a 1 p.m. ET dual meet. Of course, that is not the only event Rec Hall is hosting this weekend. One day earlier, the NWCA All-Star Classic, an exhibition event featuring top wrestlers from around the country, will feature 16 bouts, five of which will feature a Nittany Lion.

The NWCA All-Star Classic starts at 7 p.m. ET. Flo Wrestling is streaming it live for its subscribers here. And, some tickets are still available here.

Which Penn State wrestlers are in the NWCA All-Star Classic?

Penn State was set to have six competitors in this event. Now, however, the list is down to five. Heavyweight Greg Kerkvliet dropped out earlier this week due to a family obligation. But, he will be in action Sunday against the Dragons. His teammates competing on Saturday, though, are unlikely to be. The Nittany Lions are represented by Beau Bartlett, Shayne Van Ness, Tyler Kasak, Levi Haines, and Carter Starocci.

“It looks like the majority of them will not be wrestling Sunday,” head coach Cael Sanderson said this week. “I think there’s a couple of them that are considering it, but I think their focus right now is the all-star match. If something changes, obviously they’re on weight, but they’re wrestling some of the best guys in the country, so we want them to focus on that match. We have a lot of really tough and able bodied kids that are ready to jump in there, if the opportunity presents itself.”

NWCA All-Star Classic bout order

Here’s the order of competition, courtesy of the NWCA:

110: 1 Emma Baertlein, Southern Oregon vs #4 Kendra Ryan, North Central

124: #1 Amani Jones, North Central vs #2 Maya Davis, Grand View

145: #1 Jamilah McBryde, Life vs #2 Aine Drury, King

160: #1 Cheyenne Bowman, King vs #1 Latifah McBryde, Life

131: #1 Victoria Baez Dillion, King vs #1 Carolina Moreno, Southern Oregon

197: #1 (D2) Derek Blubaugh, Indianapolis vs #1 (D3) Massoma Endene, Wartburg

197: #6 Stephen Little, Little Rock vs #9 Zac Braunagel, Illinois

285: #3 Nick Feldman, Ohio State vs #8 Taye Ghadiali, Campbell

125: #2 Jore Volk, Wyoming vs #5 Tanner Jordan, South Dakota State

133: #2 Nasir Bailey, Little Rock vs #6 Lucas Byrd, Illinois

141: #2 Jesse Mendez, Ohio State vs #3 Beau Bartlett, Penn State

149: #2 Shayne Van Ness, Penn State vs #3 Ty Watters, West Virginia

157: #4 Tyler Kasak, Penn State vs #5 Peyten Kellar, Ohio

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

174: #2 Levi Haines, Penn State vs  #3 Cade DeVos, SDSU

184: #1 Carter Starocci, Penn State vs #2 Parker Keckeisen, Northern Iowa

What are we watching for?

We will have updates on The Lions Den and The Wrestling Room message board throughout the night. Here’s one thing we’re watching for in each match:

–At 141, can Bartlett get by Mendez, who beat him in last year’s national title match at this weight and is ranked ahead of him?

–Coming off a lower body injury, how does Van Ness look moving around and will he be aggressive or will this be more of a match where he continues to work toward regaining full comfort and confidence on the match?

–How does Kasak look at 157 after bumping up from 141 to 149 a year ago? It’s admittedly a pretty big jump for the sophomore, but also one he’s capable of making as he battles Alex Facundo in the Penn State room for that starting job full time.

–Haines is bumping up two weight classes. Will he look and wrestle differently because of it? We doubt it. He’s a consistent guy. But, this will be our first chance to see him at 174.

–The match of the night is also the last one. Starocci is a four-time champ at 174. Keckeisen is the defending champ at 184. The season-long outlook for both will be set after this match to close things out.