March 21, 2008

ST. LOUIS - Senior Randy Oates and freshman Cayle Byers both made the trip to St. Louis, Mo. this weekend to compete at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in front of a packed house at the Scottrade Center. Oates wrapped up the tournament with an 0-2 mark at 174 pounds while Byers went 1-2 at the 197-pound weight class.

Byers, who received a wild card invitation to the NCAA Championships, got off to a great start at the tournament, winning his first match against the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga's Matt Koz by a final score of 3-1. In his next match, Byers went head-to-head against the fourth seed, Central Michigan's Wynn Michalak. Michalak pinned Byers in 2:30 to send the freshman to the consolation bracket. In the consolation bracket, Byers faced Boise State's Matt Casperson. Unfortunately for Byers, he was on the losing end of a 2-1 decision that eliminated him from the competition.

Appearing in the NCAA Championships for the first time in his four-year career after finishing as the runner-up at the CAA Championships, Oates opened up with a close match against Iowa State's Aron Scott. Despite holding his opponent at bay, Oates was unable to mount an offensive attack of his own, falling by a final score of 2-0 to Scott. After dropping his opening match, Oates wrestled in the consolation bracket against Virginia's Christopher Henrich. Henrich eliminated Oates from the tournament with a 10-6 decision.

During his four-year career at Mason, Oates earned a 76-57 overall record, tying him for 16th all-time in school history in career wins. Byers had a spectacular freshman season, compiling a 37-10 overall record. He was ranked 13th by InterMat and 15th by Amateur Wrestling News entering the tournament.

The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships conclude on Saturday, March 22 with the crowning of individual champions at each of the 10 weight classes. The top eight in each weight class earn All-America honors.