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Junior Jordan Blanton will face Stanford's Nick Amuchastegui at the 45th NWCA All-Star Classic on Nov. 21.
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Oct. 25, 2010
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - These two competitors in the 2010 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by the Marines started their careers in different directions.
Illinois' Jordan Blanton wrestled his first season at 184 pounds before earning All-America honors at 174 last season, while Stanford's Nick Amuchastegui wrestled his first two seasons at 165 pounds. On November 21 at Selland Arena in Fresno, Calif., the two will meet at 174 pounds.
Both are returning All-Americans making their first appearance in the 45th edition of the All-Star Classic. Blanton, a junior from Richmond, Ill., finished fifth last season at 174 pounds and went 25-9 en route to a spot on the podium at the 2010 NCAA Division I Championships. He out-performed his No. 10 seed at the NCAA Championships two weeks after out-performing his No. 5 seed by finishing third at the Big Ten Championships.
Blanton is the 14th wrestler from Illinois to compete in the event and the first since Jimmy Kennedy's victory over Jayson Ness of Minnesota at 133 pounds in the 2008 event.
Amuchastegui's home town also mirrors his abilities. He's from Talent, Oregon. Last year, Amuchastegui came into the 2010 NCAA Division I Championships unseeded but ultimately finished fourth at 165 pounds. In high school, Amuchastegui was a state champion as a junior.
Moving up to a new weight class, he's looking to improve on his 35-6 mark from last season and looks to become only Stanford's third multi-time All-American in school history.
He's the third Cardinal wrestler to appear in the main event portion of the All-Star Classic. Matt Gentry in 2004 and Tanner Gardner in 2006 were in the event, with Gentry winning over Jake Percival of Ohio in a high-scoring 13-10 victory at 157 pounds.
The two have never met in collegiate competition.
The 45th Annual NWCA All-Star Classic Presented by The Marines will be held at the Selland Arena in Fresno, Calif., on Sunday, November 21, 2010. The doors open at 2:00 p.m. The All-Star Classic follows a weekend of fundraising events.
For more information about the tournament, purchasing tickets and the fundraising events, visit the NWCA's event page here.
To donate to the effort to save collegiate wrestling programs, click here.
