Dec. 4, 2007

FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University Athletics Department, along with wrestling head coach, Mark Weader, announced today the signing of Brian Benton to a National Letter of Intent. Benton will enroll at George Mason in the fall of 2008 and will immediately challenge for time on the mats at 133 pounds.

"Brian is a quality wrestler with tremendous upside," Weader said. "He has a style that will translate very well to collegiate wrestling. In addition to his wrestling skills, Brian is an outstanding student-athlete and is the type of person that we want to bring into our program."

Benton is a native of Amsterdam, N.Y. Through his junior season at Amsterdam High School, Benton has tallied an impressive 200-17 career record and is coming off a New York State Section II record 52-1 season in which he finished third at the New York State Division I Wrestling Championships at the 119-pound weight class. In 2006, he was nearly unbeatable as well, recording a mark of 49-4 and a fifth-place finish at the state tournament.

He is a four-time Section II Class B Champion and a two-time Sectional Champion. During his record-setting junior season, he also earned an Eastern States Tournament Championship and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the prestigious tournament.

The George Mason wrestling team's 2007-08 campaign is currently underway, with the team scheduled to host a tri-meet with both Drexel and American on Friday, Dec. 7 at the Fieldhouse. The wrestling action is slated to begin at 4 p.m. when the Patriots take on the Dragons in a Colonial Athletic Association dual.