FAIRFAX, Va. - George Mason will wrestle in front of its home crowd for the first time this season when the Patriots take to the mats in the Fieldhouse on Friday to host a tri-meet involving both American and Drexel. The wrestling action begins at 4 p.m. with a CAA dual between Mason and Drexel. Drexel and American will wrestle following that meet, and a dual between the Eagles and the Patriots will close out the day's action.

Mason has been led by a pair of freshman wrestlers early in the season, with Frankie McLaughlin (157 pounds) and Cayle Byers (197 pounds) ranking first and second on the team in overall wins. McLaughlin has won 16 matches already this season, while Byers has 13 victories. Both have a perfect 3-0 record in dual matches, helping the Patriots to a 2-1 team record in dual meets.

The CAA rewarded Byers for his early-season success on Tuesday, naming him the CAA Co-Rookie of the Week award winner, along with Anwar Goeres of Binghamton. Included among his 13 wins are a fall and two major decisions. The Chugiak, Alaska native has earned two tournament titles at 197 pounds, winning the championship at The Citadel Open and the Navy Classic. Byers finished as the runner-up at the Pembroke Classic, where he lost his lone match of the season, a close 3-2 decision in the championship bout to Dan Tulley.

American, with an 0-5 record in dual meets this season, travels to nearby Fairfax with three ranked wrestlers on its squad. Redshirt sophomore Mike Cannon is ranked No. 9 by InterMat and No. 10 by Amateur Wrestling News at 165 pounds, sophomore Kyle Borshoff is ranked 20th by Amateur Wrestling News at 141 pounds and redshirt senior Josh Glenn holds the top spot in the Amateur Wrestling News poll at 197 pounds. Both Cannon and Borshoff will see action at tomorrow's meet. However, Glenn, the reigning national champion at 197 pounds, has yet to wrestle this season and will not see action on Friday.

Drexel has split a pair of dual meets this season and comes to town with two nationally ranked wrestlers. Senior Ryan Hluschak is ranked No. 8 by InterMat and No. 4 by Amateur Wrestling News at 157 pounds, while Steve Mytych cracked the top-20 in the latest Amateur Wrestling News poll with a ranking of No. 19 at 125 pounds. Tomorrow's dual will be the first conference meet of the season for both teams.

Tickets to Friday's meet will cost $5 for adults and $2 for senior citizens and youth. All full-time enrolled students at George Mason University will be admitted free with a valid Mason student ID.