A couple of All-American heavies are ready to rumble in Jersey's Mike's Arena on Saturday, November 1, at the NWCA All-Star Classic!

Iowa State's Yonger Bastida and Michigan's Taye Ghadiali are slated to face off in a battle of senior heavyweights to help kick off the 2025-26 NCAA D1 season!

Season Breakdown

Yonger Bastida

Preseason Rank: #3

2024-25: medical redshirt

2023-24: Round of 12 at NCAAs at 285lbs

2022-23: Round of 16 at NCAAs at 197lbs

2021-22: 5th at NCAAs at 197lbs

2020-21: Did not start at 197lbs

Taye Ghadiali

Preseason Rank: #4

2024-25: Medical redshirt (transferred to Michigan in the offseason)

2023-24: 8th at NCAAs at 285lbs

2022-23: Round of 24 at NCAAs at 285lbs

2021-22: Round of 24 at NCAAs at 285lbs

2020-21: Round of 32 at NCAAs at 285lbs

2019-20: Redshirt at 197lbs

Matchup Breakdown

This matchup will provide perhaps the most insight of all the NWCA All-Star Classic bouts, as neither Bastida nor Ghadiali wrestled much last season. In fact, they both took medical redshirts after only competing in a few bouts. 

Bastida won two matches in duals, including a pivotal bout over Hawkeye rival Ben Kueter, before having to shut down for the season in late December. Ghadiali also wrestled his last bout of the season in December after going 4-2 in the fall. Those losses were to All-Americans Gable Steveson and Isaac Trumble. 

So this will be the first time in almost a year that either wrestler has been in a competitive match. Additionally, we've never seen this matchup before, as Bastida and Ghadiali did not meet in the 2023-24 season, which was the only time they shared a weight class for an entire collegiate season. 

How will they fare this season after so much time convalescing off the mat? That's the insight we all hope to glean from the action in Jersey Mike's Arena!

Hear Yonger Bastida preview his bout with Ghadiali in a longer interview about the upcoming season and his entire wrestling career:

Hear how Taye Ghadiali wants to seek out the best competition as he continues his wrestling career in Ann Arbor:

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 -  #1 Salyna Shotwell, Life 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,  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