NORFOLK, Va. – On November 1, redshirt sophomore Jack Dechow (Richmond, Ill.) will join the nation’s top wrestlers and kick off the wrestling season at the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps and the Wrestlers in Business Network (WIBN) hosted by Penn and WIBN-Philadelphia at the Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.
Dechow will be the first Monarch to compete in the event since James Nicholson competed in 2009 at 125 lbs. He will try to become the first Monarch to win at the All-Star Classic in ODU’s fourth overall appearance, as he will have another showdown with All-American Gabriel Dean from Cornell after falling in a gut-wrenching 5-4 decision in the third-place match of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.
Dean enters the 2014-15 season ranked No. 1 in both the Wrestling Insider News Magazine Preseason Poll and the Associated Wrestling Press Poll after picking up a third-place finish at the NCAA Championships and finishing 40-3 overall last season.
Due to his tremendous run through the NCAA Championships last season, Dechow earned All-American honors as a redshirt freshman after finishing fourth at 184 lbs as the 13th seed. He qualified for the tournament after winning the Mid American Conference Championship, defeating Northern Iowa’s All-American Ryan Loder in the final round.
He finished the 2013-14 season with a 21-6 overall record and 11-3 in duals, taking down nine national qualifiers in the process. He currently holds a 55-18 career record and has beaten 11 national qualifiers during his time as a Monarch.
Jack enters the 2014-15 season ranked second at 184 lbs. in both the Associated Wrestling Press Poll and the Wrestler Insider News Magazine Poll, while the team is ranked preseason No. 20 in the nation.
To purchase tickets to the event, click here for the Penn Athletic Ticket Office.
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For more information on the All-Star Classic, visit www.theallstarclassic.com and follow the NWCA on Facebook and Twitter. Fans can join the discussion with the #NWCAClassic hashtag. Fans should keep an eye on the discussion as there will be contests and interactive discussions about the event via Twitter and Facebook!
Competing wrestlers will be eligible for the Outstanding Wrestler Award, presented by the Wrestlers in Business Network - Atlanta Chapter.
Announced Matchups
125: Nahshon Garrett, Jr. (Cornell) vs. Joey Dance, So. (Virginia Tech)
133: A.J. Schopp, Sr. (Edinboro) vs. Mason Beckman, Jr. (Lehigh)
141:
149:
157:
165:
174:
184: Gabe Dean, So. (Cornell) vs. Jack Dechow, So. (Old Dominion)
197:
285:
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