PISCATAWAY, N.J. – When Rutgers wrestling head coach Scott Goodale received the news that the NWCA All-Star Classic was coming to Jersey Mike’s Arena, he could not contain his excitement.

Known as the unofficial start to the collegiate folkstyle season, the showcase event features some of the country’s top male and female wrestlers. On the men’s side, this year’s field includes reigning NCAA Champions Lucas Byrd (Illinois) and Jesse Mendez (Ohio State), as well as 10 Division I All-Americans from a season ago.

Goodale believes the talented field paired with a top wrestling venue like Jersey Mike’s Arena will make for an incredible atmosphere when the lights come on on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.

“All eyes will be on Jersey Mike’s Arena on Saturday night,” Goodale said. “The amount of talent that will be on display here along with our built-in fan support will make this an incredible wrestling atmosphere. I’m so glad they decided to host this event here.”

FloSports and the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) partner each year to host the NWCA All-Star Classic, presented by Nike Wrestling.

Last year’s classic was hosted by Penn State at Rec Hall. When FloSports was presented with several bids for this year’s installment, GM of FloWrestling Travis Shives said Rutgers caught the organization’s eyes for several reasons.

One of those was the program’s consistent high attendance numbers in Piscataway. Rutgers has finished within the top five nationally in average home attendance eight out of the past nine seasons. The Scarlet Knights averaged 4,228 fans per home dual last season, which included a sellout crowd of 8,057 against No. 1 Penn State on Jan. 24 at Jersey Mike’s Arena.

Since RU’s debut in the Big Ten Conference during the 2014-15 season, the program has featured 15 home duals with 5,000 or more fans in the stands.

“There's just a great passion and avid following and fan base with Rutgers University and its wrestling program,” Shives said. “It's a program that I would say, for a good number of years now, has been on the rise, in particular the last handful of years. It's a great opportunity for us to bring what we believe is a premier event and expose it to new audiences.

“On top of that, I'd say that New Jersey is a wrestling hub with great high school and youth wrestling. Having the classic here is an opportunity, again, to bring this event into a new state and new location with a high population density to continue to grow this sport.”

Wrestling fans in New Jersey have demonstrated they will show up for big events held in the Garden State, specifically those tied to Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights hosted Final X – which serves as the championship to determine the members of the U.S. Senior World and Olympic teams – back in 2019. The 2020 Big Ten Wrestling Championships were held at Jersey Mike’s Arena, as the two-day, four session tournament drew close to 20,000 fans to the venue.

According to Goodale, next month’s NWCA All-Star Classic is just another chance for New Jersey to get its wrestling fix.

“We have such a knowledgeable fan base here in this state,” Goodale said. “They love the sport. They're not all just Rutgers fans, they're wrestling fans. It's one of the few states in the country where wrestling is king, and this is again is a great opportunity to make sure our fans come out and see the sport and support this sport.”

The All-Star event also features specific ties to the program, as both Lenny Pinto and Dylan Shawver were selected to compete in the showcase. Shawver faces reigning NCAA Champion Byrd, while Pinto wrestles 2025 NCAA All-American Simon Ruiz (Cornell).

It marks the second time in program history Rutgers will have multiple selections for the NWCA All-Star Classic. Anthony Ashnault and Richie Lewis both competed in Cleveland in 2016, when Ashnault defeated Bryce Meredith (Wyoming) in overtime by 8-6 decision, while Lewis downed eventual national runner up Joey Lavallee (Missouri) in the 157-pound undercard match.

Pinto arrives at Rutgers after a standout career at Nebraska, where he tallied 70 victories and three NCAA Championships appearances for the Cornhuskers. Now representing the Scarlet Knights, Pinto cannot wait to get out in front of the Jersey crowd during the classic.

"I'm excited to be selected for my first all-star match and to be able to compete so close to home in front of my friends and family," Pinto said. "Our time in this sport is so short, so when these moments come up, you have to be ready for them. I'm excited to put on a show for the fans and introduce myself to the Jersey crowd."

Twelve wins shy of 100 for his career, Shawver is equally as excited to get back into Jersey Mike’s Arena. A 2024 All-American and Big Ten Champion, Shawver enters this season ranked No. 7 at 133 pounds by FloWrestling.

"I'm psyched. Not many people get this opportunity," Shawver said. "This being my last collegiate season, it's an opportunity that I cannot just let go by. Now that I'm in it, it's definitely something that I'm really excited to be in."

With two of its own competing in the NWCA All-Star Classic, Rutgers is more than excited to play host to this year’s event. The rest of the wrestling community is also looking forward to seeing the best in the sport compete right here in Piscataway.

“I think it’s undeniable that this is the premiere high-level collegiate event during the early part of the season,” Shives said. “I mean, if a fan wants to see the best of college wrestling – this is it. You’re getting some of the best matchups right off the bat on November first.”

2025 NWCA All-Star Classic Matchups

Rankings are FloWrestling

Men’s Matchups

125: No. 4 Eddie Ventresca (Virginia Tech) vs. No. 5 Sheldon Seymour (Lehigh)

133: No. 1 Lucas Byrd (Illinois) vs. No. 7 Dylan Shawver (Rutgers)

141: No. 1 Jesse Mendez (Ohio State) vs. No. 7 Anthony Echemendia (Iowa State)

149: No. 3 Lachlan McNeil (Michigan) vs. No. 5 Casey Swiderski (Oklahoma State)

157: No. 4 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) vs. No. 5 Ty Watters (West Virginia) 

165: No. 4 Hunter Garvin (Stanford) vs. No. 7 Max Brignola (Lehigh)

174: No. 3 Simon Ruiz (Cornell) vs. No. 8 Lenny Pinto (Rutgers)

184: No. 4 Jaxon Smith (Maryland) vs. No. 7 Zack Ryder (Oklahoma State)

197: No. 3 Joey Novak (Wyoming) vs. No. 4 Stephen Little (Little Rock)

285: No. 3 Yonger Bastida (Iowa State) vs. No. 4 Taye Ghadiali (Michigan)

141: Khyvon Grace, West Liberty (Division II) vs. Mark Samuel, Roanoke (Division III)

Women’s Matchups

117: No. 1 Sage Mortimer (Grand Valley State) vs. No. 1 Christianah Ogunsanya (William Penn)

138: No. 1 Zaynah McBryde (Life) vs. No. 1 Katie Lange (Grand Valley State)

145: No. 1 Esther Kolawole (William Penn) vs. No. 2 Reese Larramendy (Iowa)

160: No. 1 Latifah McBryde (Life) vs. TBD