Mar 24, 2026 By Jonathan Guth 4 min read

In what has been deemed the “Rose Bowl of High School Wrestling,” the 52nd edition of the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic will take place Saturday at Peters Township High School’s AHN Arena.

The names of the event may have changed, but the quality of wrestling hasn’t.

The Classic began as Pittsburgh Press Old Newsboy Wrestling Classic before being changed in 1993 to the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic. The title, Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, began in 2017 because of a partnership with the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

For those who follow Division I and wrestling at the domestic and international levels, chances are the athletes who compete in the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic will be seen at the NCAA, Olympic and World Championships, which was evident last Saturday in the finals of the NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling Championship.

National champions Sergio Vega and Landon Robideau of Oklahoma State; and Levi Haines and Josh Barr of Penn State are Classic alumni.

Vega and Robideau, who won NCAA gold as freshmen at 141 and 157 pounds, were victorious in last year’s Classic as members of the United States All-Star team.

Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez, who lost to Vega in the NCAA finals, helped Team USA to a 25-21 dual meet win in the 2022 Classic. Haines, who earned a national title at 174, competed for Team Pennsylvania in the 2022 Classic, and earned a 7-3 decision.

Barr wrestled for Team USA in the 2023 Classic, but lost to eventual teammate Rocco Welsh, who earned a 3-1 decision in sudden victory for Team Pennsylvania.

Welsh finished as runner-up in the NCAA final at 184 to Minnesota’s Max McEnelly, who earned a 4-3 triumph.

Princeton’s Marc-Anthony McGowan, who was second in the country at 125, competed in the 2023 Classic for Team USA, and won by decision, 3-0.

This year’s Classic will feature three dual meets, starting at 3 p.m. with the Pennsylvania Women facing the Oklahoma Women. The WPIAL All-Stars will meet the Oklahoma All-Stars at 4:15 before the main event caps off the night with the Pennsylvania All-Stars battling the United States All-Stars at 6.

The committee for the Classic sets up the action to bring the best from across the country in the main event.

“If we are doing our job as a committee, Team Pennsylvania will have their hands full,” said Classic co-director Phil Mary. “We are excited about the kids we have brought in from across the country, and we like the team we have from Pennsylvania, but if you look at the NCAAs, there are so many competitors that are Classic alumni, and you have two guys in Robideau and Vega who wrestled in last year’s Classic.”

Mary, who works with Kraig Nellis as co-director, is also eager for the first two dual meets.

“We are excited about the local kids that will be competing for the WPIAL All-Stars, but they will also have their hands full with Team Oklahoma,” Mary said. “Girls wrestling is continuing to get better and better, and we look forward to their dual meet.

“We take a great amount of pride in putting on the Classic, and it really starts when everyone starts coming in Thursday evening and Friday morning. We always have a banquet, and this year’s guest speaker is another alumni of the Classic in Nico Megaludis.”

Belle Vernon’s Elijah Brown (173-20) is the lone WPIAL wrestler to compete for Team Pennsylvania. The two-time PIAA Class 3A champion and Penn State commit will battle Kal-El Fluckiger of Chandler, Ariz., at 215.

Fluckiger, an Arizona State commit, won the Super 32 championship with a fall in the finals at 215. FloWrestling has Fluckiger ranked seventh nationally at 215, while Brown is No. 16 on Flo’s national list.

“I am super excited to wrestle in the Classic,” Brown said. “It may be an exhibition, but my coaches and I are going to prepare for this like we are for states. I think there will be less pressure since no medal is on the line, so I am excited to let it fly and get after it.”

Four local wrestlers are scheduled to compete for the WPIAL All-Stars in Beth-Center’s Malachi Peak (103-38), Canon-McMillan’s Collier Hartman (151-41), Frazier’s Jonah Erdely (127-25) and McGuffey’s Lucas Barr (177-36).

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit: http://www.pghwrestlingclassic.com and follow the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).