The 2025 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by Nike Wrestling will take place on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at 7:00 pm (ET) in Jersey Mike's Arena on the campus of Rutgers University.
This event can be viewed only on FloWrestling and will feature 10 highly ranked Division 1 folkstyle matchups, along with four cross-divisional women's freestyle matches and one D2 vs D3 men's match.
Nov 1, 5:00 PM CDT
The 174-pound match will take place between returning All-American #3 Simon Ruiz out of Cornell and 2-time round of 12 finisher # Lenny Pinto from Rutgers. This match will help set the stage for the season and will show which of these competitors might be ready to challenge for a national title. Check out the article below for a full preview and prediction of this incredible match between Ruiz and Pinto.
Simon Ruiz, Cornell
Ruiz's College Stats
- Pre-Season Rank: #3
- 27-7 Career College RecordÂ
- 2025 All-American (5th Place)
Lenny Pinto, Rutgers
Pinto's College Stats
- Pre-Season Rank: #7
- 71-24 Career College Record
- 3X NCAA Qualifier (Rd Of 12 in 2024 and 2025)
Breaking Down The Rivalry
- 2025 NCAA Tournament: Ruiz over Pinto, 2-1
- 2024 Cliff Keen Las Vegas; Ruiz over Pinto, 6-4
Who Wins At The All-Star Classic?
Ruiz and Pinto met twice last season in two close matches. Ruiz came out on top in both of those matches and even defeated Pinto in the round of 12 with All-American honors on the line. So this match might feel a little more personal for Pinto.
While both matches played out differently, they were decided in the same way - Ruiz's superior top wrestling. In their match at the CKLV, Ruiz and Pinto each exchanged takedowns and escapes in the first period. However, in the second period, Ruiz rode out Pinto for the entire two minutes. Then Ruiz easily escaped in the third and fended off every attack from Pinto to close out the match. In their match at NCAAs, neither wrestler was able to secure a takedown, but Ruiz rode out Pinto again in the second period and easily escaped in the third period. Ruiz did give up a stall point in the third but held on for the 2-1 victory.
For Pinto to win at the All-Star Classic, he'll have to either make big adjustments on bottom or win the neutral battle. From their past matchups, it's probably more likely that Pinto wins this match on his feet. However, Simon Ruiz should be considered the obvious favorite based on their past matchups and his performance this freestyle season. Ruiz placed third at the senior world team trials and also impressively defeated world medalist Vasyl Mykhailov. Ruiz is my pick to win the match against Pinto, but it should be highly competitive.Â
Prediction: Simon Ruiz over Lenny Pinto, 5-2.
2025 NWCA All-Star Classic Bout Order
Women's Matches
138 lbs - #1 Zaynah McBryde, Life vs  #1 Katie Lange, Grand Valley
145 lbs -  #1 Esther Kolawole, William Penn vs  #2 Reese Larramendy, Iowa
160 lbs -  #1 Latifah McBryde, Life  vs  #1 (145) Bella Mir, North Central
117 lbs -  #2 Salyna Shotwell vs  #1 Sage Mortimer, Grand Valley
D2 vs D3 Match
141lbs - #1 Mark Samuel, Roanoke vs #1 Khyvon Grace, West Liberty
NCAA D1 Men's Matches
149lbs - #5 Casey Swiderski, Oklahoma State vs #3 Lachlan McNeil, Michigan
174lbs - #3 Simon Ruiz, Cornell vs #8 Lenny Pinto, Rutgers
197lbs - #3 Joey Novak, Wyoming vs #4 Stephen Little, Little Rock
125lbs - #4 Eddie Ventresca, VA Tech vs #5 Sheldon Seymour, Lehigh
157lbs - #5 Ty Watters, West Virginia  vs #4  Daniel Cardenas,  Stanford
165lbs - #4 Hunter Garvin, Â Stanford vs #7 Max Brignola, Lehigh
184lbs - #4 Jaxon Smith, Maryland vs #7 Zack Ryder, Oklahoma State
285lbs - #3  Yonger Bastida , Iowa  State vs #4 Taye Ghadiali , Michigan
133lbs - #1 Lucas Byrd, Illinois vs #7 Dylan Shawver, Rutgers
141lbs - #7 Anthony Echemendia , Iowa State vs #1 Jesse Mendez, Ohio State
Â
