Nathan Tomasello may be feeling a sense of déjà vu as he takes the mat for the first unofficial match of the 2015-16 wrestling season. Tomasello will face familiar foe and NCAA Finals opponent Zeke Moisey in the NWCA All-Star Classic taking place on November 1st, renewing a rivalry dating back to high school.
Though technically an exhibition that doesn’t count towards a wrestler’s official record, it is quite an honor to be selected to wrestle at the NWCA All-Star Classic event, which will celebrate it’s 50th anniversary this season.
Tomasello and Moisey met three times last season, with Tomasello winning each, though by increasingly closer scores. Tomasello also faced Moisey (and defeated him) in the semifinals of the 2011 Walsh Ironman tournament in high school.
Tomasello will look to pick up the tenth victory for Ohio State in the event out of 20 attempts. Most recently, Logan Stieber bumped up a weight to defeat defending NCAA champion Kendric Maple at 149 lbs in 2013. Stieber was to take on eventual NCAA finalist Mitchell Port of Edinboro at the 2014 All-Star Classic, but the Buckeye scratched from the event following weigh-ins.
The Buckeye redshirt sophomore capped off last season with a 19-match unbeaten streak that included a Big Ten and NCAA title and wins over some of wrestling’s elite at 125 lbs.
Though unseeded at the NCAA tournament, Moisey knocked off 3-time All-American Nahshon Garrett of Cornell and pinned Iowa’s Thomas Gilman to punch his ticket to the championship match.
The NWCA has gradually announced the anticipated matchups in each weight class, and Tomasello is the lone Buckeye through six announced matches. Defending NCAA champ at 165 Alex Dieringer is confirmed for the event and rumors have swirled that he may face Buckeye Bo Jordan at the event, but nothing has been confirmed by the NWCA.
Also confirmed to wrestle at the event are Ohio natives Dean Heil and Nick Brascetta. Heil was a four time state champion for Lakewood’s St. Edward High School. Heil now competes for Oklahoma State and will face defending NCAA champ Cody Brewer of Oklahoma at 141 lbs. Brascetta was a two time state champion for Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio, where he was a teammate of Bo and Micah Jordan. Brascetta, now a Virginia Tech Hokie, will have a tough task at 157 lbs when he faces undefeated NCAA champion Isaiah Martinez of Illinois.
The 50th NWCA All-Star Classic will take place on November 1 in Atlanta, Georgia’s Hank McCamish Pavilion on the campus of Georgia Tech. The event will air live on ESPNU, and Eleven Warriors will feature more news on the event as it becomes available.
