Illness sidelines St. John

University of Iowa's Derek St. John will  miss his chance to compete in a preseason all-star meet.

The school announced Friday that St. John has withdrawn from the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic set for Saturday at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. St. John had accepted an invitation to wrestle Boston University's Nestor Taffur in the 157-pound bout, but illness has prevented him from participating. He will be replaced by Lehigh's Joey Napoli, according to the NWCA.

The Hawkeyes' top-ranked 133-pounder Tony Ramos will still compete, facing Virginia Tech's Devin Carter in a co-main event at 141. Iowa State's Michael Moreno will wrestle Penn State's David Taylor at 165.

Below is the news release from the UI Sports Information Department:

Ramos set to compete at NWCA All-Star Classic, St. John withdraws from competition

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- University of Iowa senior Tony Ramos leaves for Fairfax, Va., today to compete at the NWCA All-Star Classic on Saturday.

Ramos will meet Virginia Tech's Devin Carter at 141 pounds. Ramos is the top ranked 133-pound wrestler in the country, and Carter is rated No. 3 at 141.

Hawkeye senior and defending NCAA champion Derek St. John was originally scheduled to compete, but has withdrawn due to illness.

The NWCA All-Star Classic is in its 48th season. This year's event, presented by the United States Marine Corps, is hosted by the Patriot Center on the campus of George Mason University.

Competition begins Saturday at 6:15 p.m. (CT). Flowrestling.com will provide a live webcast.