Two Golden Gopher wrestlers to participate in NWCA All-Star Classic
November 15, 2006
Defending national champion Dustin Schlatter (Massilon, Ohio) and 2006
NCAA runner-up Roger Kish (LaPeer, Mich.) will participate in the 41st
annual NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine
Corps. The event, which attempts to pit the nation’s top two
ranked wrestlers at each weight class in a dual meet format, will take
place on Monday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m., at the Dallas Convention Center in
Dallas, Texas.
Schlatter is coming off the best freshman season in school history
after he finished the 2005-06 campaign with a 42-1 overall record on
his way to becoming the first Golden Gopher freshman to capture an
individual national championship. He earned Big Ten Freshman of the
Year honors after claiming the conference title at 149 pounds. His 42
victories on the season rank as the fourth-most in school history.
Schlatter will face Oklahoma senior Matt Storniolo in the All-Star
Classic. Schlatter defeated Storniolo, 5-1, in the semifinals of last
year’s NCAA Championships. Storniolo ended up finishing fourth to
earn All-America status for the second time in his career. A native of
State College, Pa., Storniolo transferred to Oklahoma from Penn State
prior to his sophomore season. He was the Big Ten’s Freshman of
the Year in 2004 after reaching the 149-pound final at the Big Ten
Championships.
The 2006 NCAA runner-up at 184 pounds, Kish emerged as one of the top wrestlers on the Golden Gopher
roster last season. He claimed his first conference crown at the 2006
Big Ten Championships and then put together a remarkable run at the
NCAA Tournament, winning each of his first four matches to advance to
the finals.
Kish will face Northwestern junior Jake Herbert. Last season, Herbert
compiled a 36-1 overall record while competing at 174 pounds. He won
the Big Ten title and earned his second All-America honor after
finishing second at the NCAA Championships, with his only loss of the
season coming in the finals. Kish and Herbert have never faced each
other in collegiate competition.
Two other Minnesota wrestlers, defending national champion Cole Konrad
(Hwt.) and two-time All-American Mack Reiter (133), were also invited
to participate in the All-Star Classic but had to decline due to injury.
Minnesota will take part in the Kaufman-Brand Open this weekend on the
campus of the University of Nebraska-Omaha before heading to Albany,
N.Y., for the Northeast Duals on Nov. 25. The Golden Gophers will open
their dual meet season at Northern Colorado on Friday, Dec. 1.
NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by the United States Marine Corps
Date: November 20, 2006
Time: 7:00 p.m. (CST)
Location: Dallas Convention Center
City/State: Dallas, Texas
Announced Match-ups
125: #1 Sam Hazewinkel (Oklahoma) vs. #2 Troy Nickerson (Cornell)
133: #1 Matt Valenti (Penn) vs. #5 Coleman Scott (Oklahoma State)
141: #1 Ryan Lang (Northwestern) vs. #2 Andy Simmons (Michigan State)
149: #1 Dustin Schlatter (Minnesota) vs. #2 Matt Storniolo (Oklahoma)
157: #1 Brian Stith (Arizona State) vs. #2 Trent Paulson (Iowa State)
165: #1 Johny Hendricks (Oklahoma State) vs. Mark Perry (Iowa)
174: #2 Matt Herrington (Penn) vs. #3 James Yonushonis (Penn State)
184: #1 Jake Herbert (Northwestern) vs. #2 Roger Kish (Minnesota)
197: #1 Phil Davis (Penn State) vs. #2 Jerry Rinaldi (Cornell)
285: #2 Bode Ogunwole (Harvard) vs. #4 Spencer Nadolsky (North Carolina)