PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The NWCA All-Star Classic pits two of the nation's best wrestlers in each weight class against each other and features some of the most competitive wrestling of the year. This year Old Dominion’s Jack Dechow (Richmond, Ill.) was selected to compete at the event.
In one of the nation’s most-discussed matches, top-ranked Gabe Dean from Cornell got the best of Dechow, winning by a narrow 5-2 decision.
“I thought Jack Wrestled very well against the No. 1 guy in the country,” said Head Coach Steve Martin. “Dean just finished third in the Junior Worlds and Jack had him on the ropes. We had three scoring opportunities that we did not convert on and that was the difference in the match. This was a great opportunity to put Old Dominion Wrestling on the national spotlight. We are looking forward to Jack getting better everyday. He is just starting to scratch his potential and that's scary for his opponents.”
The 184-pound fourth-place NCAA finisher was one of 20 All-Americans to compete at the event, as he was the third Monarch to be invited to wrestle at this prestigious event. As a redshirt freshman a season ago, Dechow finished the 2013-14 season with a 21-6 overall record and 11-3 in duals and led the team with four major decision victories. Throughout the season, he took down nine national qualifiers to bring his career total to 11.
He earned a bid to the 2014 NCAA Championships after winning the 184-pound MAC title by defeating Northern Iowa’s All-American Ryan Loder. As he advanced to the NCAA semifinals, he defeated the 4th-seeded Max Thomusseit, 12th-seeded Ophir Bernstein and the 7th-seeded Kevin Steinhaus. He currently holds a 55-18 career record as has been ranked No. 2 in his weight class in six preseason polls this season.
ODU will officially begin the season with a pair of opens on back-to-back weekends in November. First the squad will head north to the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open in Binghamton, N.Y. on Nov. 9 where three-time defending national champions Penn State will likely be in the mix. ODU will then trek to Raleigh, N.C. on Nov. 16 for the Wolfpack Open.
Nov. 23 marks the home opener, as the Monarchs will host 2014 MAC Champion and NCAA 14th-place finisher Missouri. Missouri returns three All-Americans this season, including 2014 NCAA Champion J’Den Cox at 197.
Season tickets are still available for purchase. Please go to YNOTtix.com. Purchase your 2014-15 ODU Wrestling season ticket voucher book for only $25! Each voucher book contains 12 undated ticket vouchers good for any home wrestling match during the 2014-2015 season.
Be sure to follow Old Dominion Wrestling on Twitter at @ODUWrestling, find them on Facebook at OldDominionWrestling and subscribe to ODU Wrestling on YouTube!