NLWC announces Retherford vs. Humphrey, Taylor vs. Dean and Nickal vs. Jackson for November 23 Rokfin card

The Nittany Lion Wrestling club has released three matches for their next card, which will stream live on Rokfin on November 24. All three bouts feature high profile men’s freestyle wrestlers.

The first matchup was announced last Thursday, and features 2018 World champion David Taylor and two-time NCAA champion Gabe Dean.

Taylor was a four-time NCAA finalist and two-time NCAA champion for Penn State. He was unable to compete for the majority of 2019 due to injury. He returned to the mat in March and won the Pan Am Olympic Qualifier in Ottawa, Canada, earning an Olympic berth at 86 kg for Team USA.

Dean wrestled collegiately for Cornell, where he currently serves as an assistant coach. In addition to winning his two NCAA titles, he was a four-time All-American and three-time NCAA finalist. He recently came out of retirement and won the 2020 Senior Nationals. Internationally, Dean earned bronze at the 2012 Junior World Championships.

The second match released pits current World Team member Zain Retherford against former World Team member Reece Humphrey.

Retherford was a three-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American for Penn State. He is a 2012 Cadet World Champion and represented the U.S. at the Senior World Championships in 2017 and 2019.

Humphrey currently serves as the Head Coach of the NJRTC. In 2019, he was named the Terry McCann Freestyle Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling. Humphrey competed collegiately for Ohio State and was a two-time All-American and NCAA finalist. Internationally, Humphrey was a three-time Senior World Team member, competing at the 2011, 2013 and 2015 World Championships. While Humphrey initially retired in 2016, he competed at the 2020 Cerro Pelado Tournament in Cuba in February, finishing with silver at 70 kg. Humphrey also won bronze at the 2019 Beach Wrestling World Series in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil last May.

Yesterday, the third match between U23 World champion Bo Nickal and two-time Indiana All-American Nate Jackson was announced.

Nickal was a four-time NCAA finalist and three-time NCAA champion for Penn State. He is currently No. 2 on the National Team at 92 kg. In addition to his 2019 U23 World title, Nickal also finished fifth at the 2013 Cadet World Championships.

Jackson is an assistant coach at Princeton and a resident athlete with the NJRTC. He won the 2019 Alexander Medved International in Belarus. Additionally, he is a 2020 Senior Nationals runner-up and a 2019 Dave Schultz Memorial runner-up. Jackson is one of only two wrestlers to defeat Nickal while he competed for Penn State. The other wrestler is Myles Martin.

More matches are expected to be released in the lead up to the event.