Nov. 6, 2008

FAIRFAX, Va. - After enjoying one of the most successful seasons in recent history in 2007-08, the George Mason wrestling team will attempt to build on that success this season with a group of talented newcomers joining established national stars like sophomore 197-pounder Cayle Byers, who enters the season ranked in the top-15 in three separate polls.

Last season, the Patriots finished the year with a 13-5 overall record and 5-3 mark in Colonial Athletic Association dual meets, while improving four spots to a fourth-place finish at the CAA Championships. The 13 wins were the most the program has reached since the 1991-92 season when the Patriots won their first of five CAA team titles. While the team doesn't have a senior on the roster and just three juniors, the team has a great deal of talent returning to the lineup, which will be blended with a number of talented newcomers.

Mason will have to replace three seniors that were integral to the team's success last season in Joe Coughlin, Randy Oates and Harry Zander. All three rank in the top-20 in school history in career wins, leaving openings at 133, 174 and 285 pounds. Oates qualified for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships during his senior season.

"Randy, Harry and Joe really improved throughout their career to the point where they were nationally competitive, taking on some of the best guys in the country," said George Mason wrestling head coach Mark Weader. "They really came up big for us in very tight dual meets, in terms of getting big wins and team points when we needed them. Losing their presence, as far as their work ethic in the wrestling room, we'll need some of the younger guys to step up and replace that."

The team will also have to replace Tyler Tisdell, a national qualifier in 2005-06, and Will Powars, who finished his career at Mason with 62 wins. Tisdell wrestled at 165 pounds last season, while Powars primarily wrestled at 141 pounds.

One veteran that returns to the lineup is 125-pound junior Brian Wright, who began his career at Mason in 2006-07 with a 12-6 overall record and a perfect 7-0 mark in dual meets. He followed up that outstanding debut by posting an 18-12 overall record and 5-2 record in CAA matches. He finished the season with a fourth-place finish at the CAA Championships. Pushing Wright for time on the mat is freshman Brian Benton, from Amsterdam High School in Gloversville, N.Y. Benton was a force throughout his high school career, posting a 253-20 overall record on his way to winning the state title during his senior year at 130 pounds.

Returning from injury to replace Coughlin at 133 pounds is Denny Herndon. Herndon started his freshman season strong, recording a 10-5 overall record with two falls at 125 pounds before suffering a leg injury that shelved him for the rest of the season. Herndon earned a medical redshirt as a result of the injury, retaining a full four years of eligibility. Rounding out the roster at 133 pounds is freshman Josh Mattocks, a native of Virginia Beach, Va., who holds the record for most career wins at Ocean Lakes High School.

Ryan Watson, who wrestled last season at 133 pounds, will return for his second season on the team, moving up a weight class to 141 pounds. Watson posted one win last season by fall. Also wrestling at 141 pounds is true freshman Maurice Fleming, a native of Pasadena, Md., who is expected to make an immediate impact. Fleming was a four-sport star at Northeast High School who particularly excelled in wrestling. He won three state titles and posted a 132-11 record during his four years as a member of the Eagles wrestling team. The three-time All-American was ranked as high as 10th in the nation during his senior year. While major contributions are expected from Fleming, he will be pushed for time by sophomore John Delgado, who won six matches, including two by fall, in his first season on the team. Freshman Justin Snyder, who joins the team from Liberty High School in Bealeton, Va., will also see time at 141 pounds. Snyder improved his win totals throughout all four years of his high school wrestling career, with a high of 39 during his senior season.

CAA All-Rookie selection Brandon Bucher returns for his sophomore season at 149 pounds. Bucher split time between 141 and 149 pounds as a freshman, earning a total of 12 wins, four technical falls and three major decisions between the two weight classes.

"Brandon finished off the season strong," Weader said. "He just needs to have a little more confidence this year. If he can gain that confidence, he can be very competitive and have a good year."

Freshman Jake Bohn will vie for time on the mat with Bucher this season. Bohn joins the team from East Kentwood High School in Kentwood, Mich., where he set the Michigan state record for career takedowns with 1,340. The four-time All-American and three-time state placewinner also set the national single-season record for takedowns with 526. Bohn appeared in the Sept. 9, 2008 issue of Sports Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd for his impressive accomplishments.

"Jake is a wrestling mat rat," Weader said. "He just loves to wrestle. He has wrestled year round for years. I think with a little more focus and concentration, particularly with his style, he can be very, very good."

In addition to Bucher and Bohn, the Patriots will also receive contributions from newcomers Josh Deel and Thomas Lacey at 149 pounds. Deel was a two-time state placewinner at Brooke Point High School in Stafford, Va., while Lacey was an All-Met selection by The Washington Post during his senior year at North Stafford High School in Stafford, Va.

The starter at 157 pounds will be Frankie McLaughlin, who was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team at the weight class after finishing his freshman season with 21 wins, one fall and six major decisions. He won the 157-pound title at The Citadel Open.

"Frankie is as talented as anybody on our team," Weader said. "He's working extremely hard right now and really coming along as the season approaches. I think he's going to be competitive with anybody in the country this year."

Another sophomore, Jimmy Kaden, is also expected to see time at 157 pounds. Last season, Kaden split time between 157 and 165 pounds but wrestled primarily at 157 pounds.

The competition for mat time at 165 pounds will be fierce. Junior Andrew Rock and sophomore Aaron Keeton both return to the mix, while newcomers Kramer Whitelaw and Ranyer Bravo hope to make their way into the lineup. Rock finished with eight wins and three falls last season, while Keeton wrapped up the year with six wins and two falls. Whitelaw joins the team from McDonogh School in Sparrows Point, Md., where he was ranked as high as 13th in the nation during his senior year on his way to winning the state championship. The three-time National Prep All-American finished his career with 149 wins and 68 falls for the Eagles. Bravo wrestled at nearby James Madison High School in Vienna, Va., where he was a two-time qualifier for the Virginia State Championships.

Freshman Mendbagana Tovuujav will push sophomores Greg Scott and Zach Ulm to see action at 174 pounds. Tovuujav is a native of Ulaanbaatar City, Mongolia, who wrestled at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, N.J. During his senior season, Tovuujav captured the National Prep Championship at 171 pounds, following a sixth-place finish as a sophomore and a third-place finish as a junior.

"Bagna has unbelievable upside," Weader commented. "He won the national prep championship last year and beat a number of highly ranked guys. He's only wrestled the collegiate American style for two years so he is still learning the nuances of the style. I expect him to improve greatly during this year and the next few years."

Of the returning wrestlers at the weight class, Scott split time between 165 and 174 pounds during his freshman year, finishing with six wins, two falls and two major decisions. Ulm wrapped up last season with five wins, one fall and one major decision.

Junior Bill Widener returns as the starter at 184 pounds. Widener made great strides during his sophomore season, increasing his win total to 18, with one fall and two major decisions. Joining Widener at the 184-pound weight class will be sophomore Jimmy Webb, who won three matches last year, including one technical fall and one major decision. Joining the team for the spring semester will be Mike Peterson, a transfer from Newberry College, who won six matches last season at 184 pounds. Peterson was a state champion at Seventy-First High School in Fayetteville, N.C.

The clear-cut choice at 197 pounds is sophomore Cayle Byers, who is coming off a phenomenal rookie campaign in which he led the team in wins, dual wins and CAA wins on his way to qualifying for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships at the weight class. Byers finished the season ranked in the top-15 in both the InterMat and Amateur Wrestling News final polls and was an Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie First-Team selection, a CAA All-Rookie Team selection and a VaSID First-Team All-Virginia selection. Based on last year's performance, Byers enters the season ranked in the Top-11 in three separate polls and has a legitimate shot of becoming an All-American in his second season on the team.

"Cayle had as good a freshman year as just about anybody has ever had in this program," Weader said. "I expect him to compete for a national championship this year. He has all the tools and the work ethic to do that. If he gets a little more confidence that he can beat anybody he lines up against, I think he's right there with anybody that he's going to wrestle this year."

Rounding out the lineup at the heavyweight class is freshman Hunter Manspile. The Roanoke, Va. native was a two-time state placewinner at Northside High School, who led the team in pins during his senior year with 24.

The 2008-09 wrestling season begins on Nov. 9 when the Patriots travel to Blacksburg, Va. to take on in-state rival Virginia Tech. Mason has a tough nonconference dual schedule with meets against Northern Iowa, Purdue, Maryland and Virginia, in addition to the grueling CAA schedule that features tough matchups with preseason favorite Old Dominion and seven-time defending conference champion Hofstra. For the seventh consecutive season, George Mason will host the CAA Duals at the Field House on Saturday, Jan. 17. The CAA Championships are scheduled for March 6-7 at Oscar Smith High School in Chesapeake, Va. The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships are slated for March 19-21 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.