Cowboy named to NWCA All-Star Classic line-up

STILLWATER — Oklahoma State wrestler Izzak Olejnik was selected to wrestle in the 2023 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by Cliff Keen, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced last Friday.

The All-Star Classic will take place at 6 p.m. Nov. 21 at Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State. The competition features 10 highly competitive matches between some of the top-ranked folkstyle wrestlers in Division 1 along with four cross-divisional women’s freestyle matches. Last year’s rendition featured six NCAA individual champions, while 18 of the 20 wrestlers set to compete this year earned All-America honors in 2023.

Beginning in 1967, the prestigious event was a staple of the college wrestling season until 2018. After a short hiatus, the All-Star Classic made its return in 2022 in Austin, Texas, due to the support of the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

Currently ranked sixth in the country by FloWrestling, Olejnik will take on No. 4 Dean Hamiti of Wisconsin in the 165-pound match-up.

Olejnik is entering his first season as a Cowboy after spending five seasons at Northern Illinois. The Bakersfield, Calif., native finished eighth at the 2023 NCAA Championships to become NIU’s ninth All-American after qualifying for NCAAs in each of the past four seasons. He compiled a 92-26 career record for the Huskies and was named the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2020. Olejnik also posted an impressive 10-5 record against ranked wrestlers as a senior and owns 40 bonus-point victories in his career.

Hamiti, a junior, has posted All-America finishes in backto back seasons and was named the Big Ten Freshman Wrestler of the Year in 2022. The event will mark the fourth collegiate match-up between the two wrestlers, with Hamiti taking each of the previous three, including a 7-3 win in Tulsa at last year’s NCAA Championships.

Olejnik is the first Cowboy to compete in the All-Star Classic since Kaid Brock, Jacobe Smith and Derek White all wrestled at the event in 2018.