By Jason Bryant

Manheim, Pennsylvania – The NWCA All-Star Classic has historically been an event where potential NCAA championship previews take place. In 2014, the 149-pound matchup won’t be just a preview, it’ll be an NCAA finals rematch as Northwestern’s Jason Tsirtsis will take on Oklahoma State’s Josh Kindig.

Tsirtsis and Kindig is the latest matchup released by the National Wrestling Coaches Association for 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.

Tsirtsis, a sophomore from Crown Point, Indiana, went 32-3 last season defeated Kindig 3-1 in sudden victory to win the Division I title last season in Oklahoma City. It’ll be the second time the two have met during their college career.

As a freshman, Tsirtsis came into last year’s NCAA Division I championships as the No. 5 seed and defeated four eventual All-Americans, including defending champion Kendric Maple of Oklahoma,, en route to the title.

Kindig was a surprise finalist, emerging from the bottom bracket and the No. 11 seed to make the finals. From Blue Mountain, Pennsylvania, knocked off No. 6 Jake Suefolhn of Nebraska, No. 14 Scott Sakaguchi of Oregon State and No. 15 Mitch Minotti of Lehigh to make the finals.

Kindig went 24-9 last season after redshirting in 2012-13. He's a three-time NCAA qualifier and his career mark stands at 65-29. .

“The fact we’re starting off the season with a rematch of last year’s final is remarkable,” said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. “The matchup between Jason Tsirtsis and Josh Kindig isn’t just a showcase of what’s to come, it’s a chance to see two of the top young wrestlers in the sport get reacquainted with a high-level, championship quality match.”

Oklahoma State has put wrestlers in the event more than any other wrestling program. Cowboy wrestlers have appeared individually in the All-Star Classic 85 total times with an overall record of 42-37. Oklahoma State has appeared in 38 of the 48 previous events, but this will be the first time since 2011 the orange and black will compete. In 2011, Jordan Oliver and Jamal Parks won matches in Tempe, Arizona.

Northwestern first appeared in the event in 1968 when Russ Schnieder competed at 160 pounds in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Overall, Wildcat wrestlers have appeared 14 times with a 5-9 overall record. Jason Welch was the last Wildcat to win a match at the All-Star Classic, beating American’s Ganbayar Sanjaa 8-5 at 157 pounds in Tempe, Arizona in 2011. Tsirtsis will join teammate Mike McMullan in this year’s event.

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.

“Hibiclens and Resilite have long supported the NWCA and its events,” said Moyer. “We’re pleased to have two true wrestling companies on board again. The donation of 1,500 tickets by Rothman and the UA Group will help us expand the reach of college wrestling to the local wrestling community.”

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
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, Jr. (Oklahoma State)
157: James Green, Sr. (Nebraska) vs. Ian Miller, Jr. (Kent State)
165:
174:
184: Gabe Dean, So. (Cornell) vs. Jack Dechow, So. (Old Dominion)
197:
285: Nick Gwiazdowski, Jr. (N.C. State) vs. Mike McMullan, Sr. (Northwestern)