Cornell's Dean picks apart Ohio State's Martin in battle of NCAA champions at NWCA All-Star Classic

Two-time NCAA champion Gabe Dean of Cornell works a cradle on NCAA champion Myles Martin of Ohio State at the NWCA All-Star Classic. Photo: Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Two-time NCAA champion Gabe Dean of Cornell reminded the 184-pound weight class he is the man to beat after turning in a masterful performance at the 51st annual NWCA All-Star Classic on Saturday night.


Dean reigned supreme over Ohio State sophomore Myles Martin, 13-4, in a battle of returning NCAA champions. The Cornell senior separated himself in the later rounds, scoring multiple third period takedowns to leave no hope for a Martin comeback.


Entering his senior campaign, Dean boasts the No. 1 ranking at 184 pounds after winning the last two titles at the weight class. Martin, ranked No. 2, won the NCAA Championships at 174 pounds in 2016, but will bump up this season.


“The focus wasn’t [on the ranking],” Dean said. “It was more hands and feet and scoring points. That was the focus. Solid, but it could be better.”


The evening’s star-studded dual meet held at the Wolstein Center on the campus of Cleveland State University featured a total of 16 All-Americans representing six different conferences and 16 respective Division I institutions.


Eight of the ten bouts on the main event card were decided by three points or less. In fact, the Dean-Martin contest was without question the most lopsided of them all.


Two-time All-American Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers rallied against returning national finalist Bryce Meredith of Wyoming to grab an 8-6 win in the first sudden victory period. Meredith took an early 4-1 lead courtesy of two electric first-period takedowns. Ashnault battled back with a barrage of single leg attacks to pull off the upset over the third-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds.


Coming off an Olympic redshirt, Wisconsin senior Connor Medbery announced his return in splendid fashion, controlling Virginia Tech All-American Ty Walz, 5-2. Medbery starts his final season in a Badgers singlet ranked No. 2 in the land behind Olympic Gold medalist Kyle Snyder. Medbery himself made the trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this summer as a training partner for Olympic heavyweight Tervel Dlagnev.


The two highest All-Americans returning at 165 pounds, Isaac Jordan of Wisconsin and Daniel Lewis of Missouri, went back and forth throughout their All-Star battle. Lewis looked strong early, gathering a 3-0 lead over the three-time Badger All-American. However, Jordan reeled off five-straight points in the final two periods to take the match, 5-3.


It was a similar tale at 149 pounds as Oklahoma State’s Anthony Collica and Missouri’s Lavion Mayes met for the seventh time in college. Mayes opened with two lightning fast first period takedowns, but it was two late takedowns for Collica that proved the difference. The Cowboy took it by a 7-5 tally.


Down at 133 pounds, All-Americans Zane Richard of Illinois and Eric Montoya of Nebraska rang up 16 combined points in a match that came down to the final seconds. Tied 7-7, Richards secured the match-clinching takedown with five seconds to go and continued his winning ways over Big Ten foe Montoya.


Tenth-ranked Zac Brunson of Illinois captured a 5-4 win over North Carolina All-American Ethan Ramos at 174 pounds. Brunson opened up an early 4-0 lead courtesy of a takedown and two near fall points. Ramos knotted things up at 4-4 before Brunson stole the match with an escape point late in the third period.


Minnesota’s Brett Pfarr rode a last second takedown to a 7-4 decision over Princeton’s Brett Harner in a battle of All-Americans at 197 pounds. The bout was tied 4-4 entering the final moments. Pfarr countered a Harner single leg with under 10 seconds remaining to pick up two points and tacked on a riding time point for good measure.


Fifth-ranked Max Rohskopf of North Carolina State made a statement in his first match down at 157 pounds by pinning Michigan All-American Brian Murphy in 5:43. Prior to the fall, Murphy was riding a 6-3 lead over the native Ohioan. Rohskopf then went funky, countering a Murphy single leg to pick up an unorthodox fall.


Campbell’s Nathan Kraisser opened the main event with a tight 3-2 victory over sixth-ranked Barlow McGhee of Missouri courtesy of a riding time point. Kraisser became the first Camel to win a bout at the NWCA All-Star Classic.

2016 NWCA ALL-STAR CLASSIC

Nov. 5 at Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio

Main Event Results

125: Nathan Kraisser (Campbell) dec. No. 6 Barlow McGhee (Missouri), 3-2

133: No. 3 Zane Richards (Illinois) dec. No. 4 Eric Montoya (Nebraska), 9-7

141: No. 5 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers) dec. No. 3 Bryce Meredith (Wyoming), 8-6, SV1

149: No. 4 Anthony Collica (Oklahoma State) dec. No. 3 Lavion Mayes (Missouri), 7-5

157: No. 5 Max Rohskopf (NC State) fall No. 4 Brian Murphy (Michigan), 5:43

165: No. 2 Isaac Jordan (Wisconsin) dec. No. 3 Daniel Lewis (Missouri), 5-3

174: No. 10 Zac Brunson (Illinois) dec. No. 6 Ethan Ramos (North Carolina), 5-4

197: No. 2 Brett Pfarr (Minnesota) dec. No. 4 Brett Harner (Princeton), 7-4

285: No. 2 Connor Medbery (Wisconsin) dec. No. 3 Ty Walz (Virginia Tech), 5-2

184: No. 1 Gabe Dean (Cornell) maj. dec. No. 2 Myles Martin (Ohio State), 13-4

Showcase Results

133: Mitch Pawlak (Indiana Tech) dec. Mitch Tikkanen (John Carroll), 8-0

141: No. 15 Ronnie Perry (Lock Haven) dec. Evan Cheek (Cleveland State), 8-2

141: No. 10 George DiCamillo (Virginia) dec. No. 18 Brock Zacherl (Clarion), 4-3

149: Cobey Fehr (Notre Dame College) dec. Isaac Collier (Case Western Reserve), 12-5

157: No. 7 Richie Lewis (Rutgers) dec. No. 12 Joey LaVallee (Missouri), 2-0

197: Garrett Lineberger (Notre Dame College) tech. fall Mason Litz (John Carroll), 17-0

197: Evan Rosborough (Lake Erie) dec. Tyler Maclellan (Baldwin Wallace), 11-4

Women: Haley Augello (King) dec. Becka Leathers (Oklahoma City), 7-4

HS 113: Matt Kazimir (St. Edward) dec. Matt Fields (Walsh Jesuit), 2-0

MS 70: Patrick Reineke (Wickliffe M.S.) dec. Wyatt Richter (Brecksville M.S.), 6-4