Wrestling Fans Pack Jadwin For All-Star Classic; Tiger Duo Drops 1-Point Matches To Higher Seeds

Sunday, November 5

Princeton, N.J.

3:00 PM

Princeton University

NWCA All-Star Classic

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

Wrestling Fans Pack Jadwin For All-Star Classic; Tiger Duo Drops 1-Point Matches To Higher Seeds

November 05, 2017 | Wrestling

The dream of Chris Ayres and the Princeton wrestling staff came to fruition Sunday afternoon, as a packed Jadwin Gym crowd watched a terrific exhibition of collegiate wrestling during the 2017 NWCA All-Star Classic. The Tigers sent two of their best to the mat during the main event against higher-ranked opponents, and both Matthew Kolodzik and Jonathan Schleifer put forth competitive performances in matching 4-3 losses.

Kolodzik, the first Princeton freshman All-American and the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year, fell 4-3 to Northern Iowa's Max Thomsen in matchup of Top-5 wrestlers. Schleifer fell to another Top-5 wrestler, All-American Chad Walsh of Rider, in a Mercer County showdown.

While Ayres would have loved to see those results flipped, he was thrilled with the overall event that serves as the unofficial opening to the NCAA wrestling season.

"I'm really excited and proud to bring the All-Star Classic to Jadwin, and I was so happy to see the crowd that came out to watch this great event," Ayres said. "We keep trying to give our guys the chance to compete in special events, and there aren't many quite like this. I thought both Kolodzik and Schleifer wrestled hard, but they can also take great lessons from these matches. I'm excited to see what those two can do this season, as well as the rest of our guys."

Kolodzik had a thriller against Thomsen, which came down to the final 10 seconds of the match. Following a scoreless opening period, Thomsen scored an escape early in the second, but Kolodzik got around the waist and got a takedown for a 2-1 lead. Thomsen escaped before the period ended to draw even entering the final period.

Kolodzik started in the down position and escaped within the first minute, which opened a 3-2 lead. The two scrambled around the edge of the mat, where Thomsen was able to get a grip on Kolodzik's ankle. The Tiger All-American scrambled and had a grasp of Thomsen for most of it, but the Northern Iowa sophomore was able to break free and score the takedown with less than 10 seconds remaining. He rode the rest of the way for the 4-3 win.

Schleifer had a terrific effort against Walsh, the two-time All-American from Rider. After another scoreless first period, Walsh opened the second with an escape and then wrapped up Schleifer around the waist before scoring the takedown for a 3-0 lead. Schleifer escaped before the end of the period, and then ignited the Jadwin crowd with an early reversal in the third to square the match at 3-3.

Walsh escaped for the 4-3 edge, and the two scrambled for the final minute. While Schleifer got close on one shot with about 30 seconds remaining, Walsh was able to play defense and hold on for the 4-3 win.

MAIN EVENT • MEN
184 – Peter Renda (NC State) dec. Drew Foster (Northern Iowa) 5-2
197 – Mike Macchiavello (NC State) dec. Frank Mattiace (Penn) 3-2
285 – Tanner Hall (Arizona State) dec. Nick Nevills (Penn State) 2-0
125 – Nick Piccininni (Oklahoma State) dec. Darian Cruz (Lehigh) 8-5
133 – Seth Gross (South Dakota State) dec. Stevan Micic (Michigan) 7-1
141 – Kevin Jack (NC State) dec. Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) 8-7
149 – Max Thomsen (Northern Iowa) dec. Matthew Kolodzik (Princeton) 4-3
157 – BJ Clagon (Rider) dec. Alex Pantaleo (Michigan) 10-4
165 – Chad Walsh (Rider) dec. Jonathan Schleifer (Princeton) 4-3
174 – Zahid Valencia (Arizona State) dec. Mark Hall (Penn State) 3-2

MAIN EVENT • WOMEN
116 – Victoria Gutierrez (Emmanuel) tf. Makayla Bourbon (Cumberlands) 12-0
123 – Dom Parrish (Simon Fraser) tf. Amber Pair (Eastern Oregon) 10-0
191 – Paige Baynes (Grays Harbor) tf. Alyssa Cantu (Missouri Valley) 10-0
155 – Niauni Hill (Lindenwold-Belleville) dec. Kiera Gabaldon (Warner Pacific) 7-0
170 – Kacie Moorehouse (Grays Harbor) dec. Brandy Lowe (McKendree) 7-0
130 – Megan Black (McKendree) dec. Shelby Hall (Campbellsville) 6-0
136 – Kayla Miracle (Campbellsville) tf. Solin Piearcy (Menlo) 10-0
101 – Marina Doi (King) p. Hiba Salem (Menlo) 1:51
109 – Charlotte Fowler (Campbellsville) tf. Maria Vidales (Emmanuel) 14-3
143 – Mallory Velte (Simon Fraser) tf. Desiree Zavala (Grays Harbor) 10-0

SHOWCASE
165 – Gordon Wolf (Lehigh) md. May Bethea (Penn) 17-9
285 – Youssif Hemida (Maryland) dec. Garrett Ryan (Columbia) 3-2