Stefana Jelacic vs Kendra Ryan | 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic Preview
Stefana Jelacic vs Kendra Ryan | 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic Preview
A full preview of the matchup between Stefana Jelacic and Kendra Ryan at the 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic.
The 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic presented by Nike Wrestling is Saturday, November 16, 2024, at 7:00 pm (ET) in Rec Hall at Penn State.
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This event can be viewed only on FloWrestling and will feature 10 highly ranked Division I folkstyle matchups along with five cross-divisional women’s freestyle matches.
110 Pounds: Kendra Ryan, North Central (NCAA) vs Stefana Jelacic, Lourdes (NAIA)
This could be the most entertaining match of the All-Star Classic — and it might not last six minutes.
Ryan and Jelacic are high-volume shooters who like to initiate action. That often leads to entertaining exchanges and lots of scoring.
Each has a uniquely different journey entering the match.
Ryan is part of a powerhouse North Central team — a Division III school in Naperville, Illinois — that won the 2023 National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships and finished second to Iowa by six points in 2024.
Last season’s national tournament didn’t end well for Ryan. She was up 2-0 at the break against Lock Haven’s Kaelani Shufeldt during their 109-pound semifinal match before getting pinned in the second. Ryan won her consolation semifinal but was pinned by Mount Olive’s Samantha Miller for third.
Her best performance was at the 2023 Senior Nationals. Ryan was pinned by Shufeldt in the quarters but wrestled back for third, notching a 12-1 win over Iowa’s eventual NCWWC champion Ava Bayless and a 4-4 revenge victory over Shufeldt in the consolation finals.
Shufeldt and Ryan are currently teammates at North Central and should push each other to an even higher level this season.
Jelacic imposed her will last season, dominating virtually everyone. She dropped a 3-2 match to Iowa’s Sterling Dias at the Missouri Valley Open but ran through the 101-pound bracket at the NAIA Championships. Jelacic had a fall and two techs before a 12-3 win over Providence’s returning finalist Erin Hikiji in the finals.
The Mesa, Arizona, native isn’t afraid to mix it up and is aggressive from the opening whistle. She is tough on top, making an opening takedown crucial.
Most wrestlers move up in weight but Jelacic has descended. She began her career at 116 before moving to 109 and 101 last season. The Lourdes star is moving up to 110 for the 2025 season where she will face tougher competition.
Match History: Ryan leads, 1-0
2021 Junior World Team Trials (consolation semis): Ryan teched Jelacic, 10-0
College Credentials
Kendra Ryan, SR
College: North Central (Naperville, Illinois)
Hometown: Fenton, Michigan
2024 - NCWWC 4th at 109
2023 - NCWWC 5th at 109
2022 - NCWWC 6th at 116
Ryan on competing in the 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic: “Wrestling in the All-Star Classic is a great opportunity to show my skills and hard work while wrestling alongside amazing athletes.”
Kendra Ryan teched Ava Bayless at the 2023 US Nationals
Stefana Jelacic, SR
College: Lourdes University (Sylvania, Ohio)
Hometown: Mesa, Arizona
2024 - NAIA 1st at 101
2023 - NAIA 7th at 109
2021 - NAIA 3rd at 116
Jelacic on competing in the 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic: "I'm really excited to compete at this new weight class and challenge myself. I've been lifting and feel really strong. I feel like no one will be able to keep up with me."
Most of Stefana Jelaci's matches ended early last season