WVU Wrestling’s Hall, Watters ‘Honored’ to Compete in NWCA All-Star Classic

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Coming off two very successful runs this past season, WVU wrestling’s Peyton Hall and Ty Watters were recognized for their performances by being selected to participate in the NWCA All-Star Classic on Saturday at Penn State University.

The prestigious event, which first began in 1967, places 20 of the top Division I wrestlers in the country against each other to see who can compete among the best of the best.

Hall and Watters are the 11th and 12th Mountaineers to be featured on the card of the annual showcase. It will be the third time that West Virginia has sent two wrestlers to compete at the event in the same year, joining 1991 and 1994.

“There will be a couple thousand people there watching 20 or so of the best Division I athletes,” West Virginia head coach Tim Flynn said. “I think to have two of them there, that’s especially big for our program.”

Hall is coming off his second career All-American nod with a seventh-place finish at the 2024 NCAA Championships. He became the ninth West Virginia wrestler to reach All-American status multiple times.

The fifth-year senior posted a 32-9 overall record at 165 pounds while leading the Mountaineers in wins.

Hall will take on Stanford’s Hunter Garvin in a rematch from the 2024 NCAA Championships. Garvin defeated Hall by a 14-4 major decision in Round 4 of the consolation bracket.

“It’s definitely going to be an awesome experience,” Hall said. “I’m honored to be able to be chosen. It’s even better that West Virginia has multiple guys there. I’m really glad that in my last year I’m able to represent the state and represent the school.”

Watters claimed the Big 12 Championship at 149 pounds before finishing fourth at the NCAA Championships and also earning All-American status.

He was just the third true freshman in West Virginia history to become All-American, and the first to do it at 149 pounds. Hall and Watters were the first Mountaineers duo be All-American in the same season since 2005.

Watters, who went 30-6 overall and topped the Mountaineers with 12 pins, is set to face Penn State’s Shayne Van Ness, a 2023 All-American.

“I’m super-grateful that I got selected,” Watters said. “I’m just so happy that I have the opportunity to go out and show what I can do. I think it’s a fun match where you can really get the crowd involved and be both a wrestler and an entertainer, which is something I really like.”

The event will be streamed live on FloWrestling.

For a related story, the WVU wrestling is poised for a strong season due to its veteran lineup.