Three-time NAIA champion Brock Gutches of Southern Oregon to replace Tyler Wilps at 174 pounds at NWCA All-Star Classic
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by Jason Bryant, NWCA
Manheim, Pennsylvania – For the first time since 2004, a wrestler from the NAIA will be in the main event at the NWCA All-Star Classic.
Due to an injury to Pittsburgh All-American Tyler Wilps at 174 pounds, Southern Oregon’s three-time NAIA national champion Brock Gutches has been named as a participant at the 2014 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps and the Wrestlers in Business Network hosted by Penn and WIBN-Philadelphia on November 1 at the Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.
The last time an NAIA wrestler competed in the main event was when Montana State-Northern’s Emmett Willson took to the mat at 197 pounds in Cedar Falls, Iowa in February of 2004. Willson won that match, beating Northern Iowa’s Sean Stender 7-3.
Gutches, a Central Point, Oregon native, started his career at Division I Boise State before heading back to his home state to wrestle for coach Mike Ritchey. Southern Oregon wrestlers have competed in the showcase matches, with 125-pounder Trevor Lofstedt competing at the 2007 event in Eugene, Oregon.
Gutches will face two-time Division I All-American Robert Kokesh of Nebraska. In the finals of last season’s Reno Tournament of Champions, Kokesh defeated Gutches 3-1. Gutches placed fourth at the Division I-heavy Midlands championships last season. He ended his season 30-3. Gutches brings a career record of 72-11 into the match with 47 career falls. He holds a 38-0 record against NAIA competition and is 15-9 against Division I opponents in his career. Gutches is also currently on the U.S. Greco-Roman national team.
“It’s an outstanding opportunity for both the NAIA to be represented and for us as a university,” said Southern Oregon coach Mike Ritchey. “I think it’s a heck of a compliment to Brock and his abilities and I feel he’s capable of wrestling at that level. So it’s an opportunity for him to show you can be an NAIA guy and wrestle at a really high level. He’s pretty pumped up.”
“While we never want to see any of our athletes get hurt, injuries do happen,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “Coach Mike Ritchey jumped at the opportunity to have Brock Gutches compete in the event. It brings a lot of exposure to the NAIA. The Gutches family is synonymous with wrestling in Oregon and worldwide. Brock is an aggressive competitor and will be able to show the wrestling community the talent level that competes in the NAIA.”
Gutches inclusion brings the total number of All-American medals won by the competitors to 36, with 14 finals apperances and 10 total championships across the NCAA and NAIA levels.
To purchase tickets to the event, click here for the Penn Athletic Ticket Office.
The event will be streamed live by the NWCA’s live streaming partner Flowrestling. Fox College Sports will air the event on television via tape-delay no less than 10 times during the season, starting two weeks after the event has completed. These broadcasts are paid for by Rothschild, a leading global financial advisory based in New York City with offices in Washington, Los Angeles and Houston.
Hibiclens and Resilite will again support the event as associate sponsors. The Rothman Institute and the United Association (UA) Group will also make 1,500 tickets available for local students (K-12) throughout southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. These tickets will be distributed to regional schools by representatives of the United States Marine Corps.
Follow on Social Media!
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 (Rankings by TheOpenMat.com)
125: #2 Nahshon Garrett, Jr. (Cornell) vs. #4 Joey Dance, So. (Virginia Tech)
133: #1 A.J. Schopp, Sr. (Edinboro) vs. #2 Mason Beckman, Jr. (Lehigh)
141: #1 Logan Stieber, Sr. (Ohio State) vs. #2 Mitchell Port, Sr. (Edinboro)
149: #1 Jason Tsirtsis, So. (Northwestern) vs. #2 Josh Kindig, Sr. (Oklahoma State)
157: #2 James Green, Sr. (Nebraska) vs. #3 Ian Miller, Jr. (Kent State)
165: #1 Alex Dieringer, Jr. (Oklahoma State) vs. #2 Nick Sulzer, Sr. (Virginia)
174: #2 Robert Kokesh, Sr. (Nebraska) vs. #1-NAIA Brock Gutches, Sr. (Southern Oregon)
184: #1 Gabe Dean, So. (Cornell) vs. #1 Jack Dechow, So. (Old Dominion)
197: #1 J’Den Cox, So. (Missouri) vs. #2 Scott Schiller, Sr. (Minnesota)
285: #1 Nick Gwiazdowski, Jr. (N.C. State) vs. #2 Mike McMullan, Sr. (Northwestern)
Showcase Matchups
To Be Announced
Due to an injury to Pittsburgh All-American Tyler Wilps at 174 pounds, Southern Oregon’s three-time NAIA national champion Brock Gutches has been named as a participant at the 2014 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the United States Marine Corps and the Wrestlers in Business Network hosted by Penn and WIBN-Philadelphia on November 1 at the Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.
The last time an NAIA wrestler competed in the main event was when Montana State-Northern’s Emmett Willson took to the mat at 197 pounds in Cedar Falls, Iowa in February of 2004. Willson won that match, beating Northern Iowa’s Sean Stender 7-3.
Gutches, a Central Point, Oregon native, started his career at Division I Boise State before heading back to his home state to wrestle for coach Mike Ritchey. Southern Oregon wrestlers have competed in the showcase matches, with 125-pounder Trevor Lofstedt competing at the 2007 event in Eugene, Oregon.
Gutches will face two-time Division I All-American Robert Kokesh of Nebraska. In the finals of last season’s Reno Tournament of Champions, Kokesh defeated Gutches 3-1. Gutches placed fourth at the Division I-heavy Midlands championships last season. He ended his season 30-3. Gutches brings a career record of 72-11 into the match with 47 career falls. He holds a 38-0 record against NAIA competition and is 15-9 against Division I opponents in his career. Gutches is also currently on the U.S. Greco-Roman national team.
“It’s an outstanding opportunity for both the NAIA to be represented and for us as a university,” said Southern Oregon coach Mike Ritchey. “I think it’s a heck of a compliment to Brock and his abilities and I feel he’s capable of wrestling at that level. So it’s an opportunity for him to show you can be an NAIA guy and wrestle at a really high level. He’s pretty pumped up.”
“While we never want to see any of our athletes get hurt, injuries do happen,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “Coach Mike Ritchey jumped at the opportunity to have Brock Gutches compete in the event. It brings a lot of exposure to the NAIA. The Gutches family is synonymous with wrestling in Oregon and worldwide. Brock is an aggressive competitor and will be able to show the wrestling community the talent level that competes in the NAIA.”
Gutches inclusion brings the total number of All-American medals won by the competitors to 36, with 14 finals apperances and 10 total championships across the NCAA and NAIA levels.
To purchase tickets to the event, click here for the Penn Athletic Ticket Office.
The event will be streamed live by the NWCA’s live streaming partner Flowrestling. Fox College Sports will air the event on television via tape-delay no less than 10 times during the season, starting two weeks after the event has completed. These broadcasts are paid for by Rothschild, a leading global financial advisory based in New York City with offices in Washington, Los Angeles and Houston.
Hibiclens and Resilite will again support the event as associate sponsors. The Rothman Institute and the United Association (UA) Group will also make 1,500 tickets available for local students (K-12) throughout southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. These tickets will be distributed to regional schools by representatives of the United States Marine Corps.
Follow on Social Media!
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 (Rankings by TheOpenMat.com)
125: #2 Nahshon Garrett, Jr. (Cornell) vs. #4 Joey Dance, So. (Virginia Tech)
133: #1 A.J. Schopp, Sr. (Edinboro) vs. #2 Mason Beckman, Jr. (Lehigh)
141: #1 Logan Stieber, Sr. (Ohio State) vs. #2 Mitchell Port, Sr. (Edinboro)
149: #1 Jason Tsirtsis, So. (Northwestern) vs. #2 Josh Kindig, Sr. (Oklahoma State)
157: #2 James Green, Sr. (Nebraska) vs. #3 Ian Miller, Jr. (Kent State)
165: #1 Alex Dieringer, Jr. (Oklahoma State) vs. #2 Nick Sulzer, Sr. (Virginia)
174: #2 Robert Kokesh, Sr. (Nebraska) vs. #1-NAIA Brock Gutches, Sr. (Southern Oregon)
184: #1 Gabe Dean, So. (Cornell) vs. #1 Jack Dechow, So. (Old Dominion)
197: #1 J’Den Cox, So. (Missouri) vs. #2 Scott Schiller, Sr. (Minnesota)
285: #1 Nick Gwiazdowski, Jr. (N.C. State) vs. #2 Mike McMullan, Sr. (Northwestern)
Showcase Matchups
To Be Announced
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