Nahshon Garrett – Chico HS

Jason Bryant

MANHEIM, Pa. — Two-time All-American Nahshon Garrett of Cornell will make his second straight appearance at the 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.

Garrett, an NCAA Division I runner-up a year ago and California native, will take on Joey Dance of Virginia Tech at 125 pounds in the second match-up announced by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Dance, a native of Christiansburg, Virginia, finished a surprising fourth at the Division I championships in Oklahoma City last year. He entered the tournament as the No. 16 seed.

Garrett placed third as a true freshman in 2012-13 and went through the 2013-14 season with a 34-2 record, losing only to Illinois’ two-time NCAA champion Jesse Delgado. Garrett comes into this season with a sparkling career record of 77-7.

Nahshon Garrett – 2X D1 All-American

As a true freshman last season, Dance finished 29-10 and was a catalyst for Virginia Tech’s eighth-place finish in Oklahoma City, the highest in team history. Garrett and Dance met once last season, with Garrett taking a 7-2 decision in Columbus, Ohio at the NWCA Division I National Duals in February.

Historically, Cornell has participated in the All-Star Classic with 13 appearances, holding a 6-7 overall record. Garrett topped Jarrod Patterson of Oklahoma in 2013 in overtime, while Kyle Dake won a much-talked-about tie-breaker win over Penn State’s David Taylor in 2012 at 165 pounds.

Dance’s appearance will mark the fourth time a Virginia Tech athlete has appeared in the event. Sean Gray appeared in 2001 and 2002, while Devin Carter participated at 141 pounds last year at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. Dance will try to become the first Hokie to win a match at the event.

Cornell’s Nahshon Garrett is a two-time All-American
(Photo/Simon Jimenez, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)

Outgoing NWCA President and Cornell head coach Rob Koll has participated in the event as a coach and an athlete. While wrestling for North Carolina, Koll won both his appearances at the All-Star Classic, beating current Duke head coach Glen Lanham in 1987 and current Santa Ana College head coach Vince Silva in 1998.

“The depth of 125 pounds last year was phenomenal,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “Every single All-American last year at the weight was an underclassmen, which shows how college-ready our incoming freshmen are. We’re grateful coach Rob Koll and coach Kevin Dresser are supportive of the event and are making sure they can contribute to this fantastic showcase event by having Nahshon Garrett and Joey Dance compete in the event. We believe the fans in Philadelphia will get a real treat with two scrappy wrestlers getting after it at 125 pounds.”

Announced matchups:
125: Nahshon Garrett, Jr. (Cornell) vs. Joey Dance, So. (Virginia Tech)
133: A.J. Schopp, Sr. (Edinboro) vs. Mason Beckman, Jr. (Lehigh)
141:
149: Jason Tsirtsis, So. (Northwestern) vs. Josh Kindig, Sr. (Oklahoma State)
157: James Green, Sr. (Nebraska) vs. Ian Miller, Jr. (Kent State)
165: Alex Dieringer, Jr. (Oklahoma State) vs. Nick Sulzer, Sr. (Virginia)
174: Robert Kokesh, Sr. (Nebraska) vs. Tyler Wilps, Sr. (Pittsburgh)
184: Gabe Dean, So. (Cornell) vs. Jack Dechow, So. (Old Dominion)
197: J’Den Cox, So. (Missouri) vs. Scott Schiller, Sr. (Minnesota)
285: Nick Gwiazdowski, Jr. (N.C. State) vs. Mike McMullan, Sr. (Northwestern)