Oct. 9, 2009

NEWTON, Iowa - Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine released its 2009-10 Preseason National Rankings recently and included two members of the George Mason University wrestling team on the list. The Patriots featured ranked wrestlers at 174- and 197-pounds.

Two-time NCAA qualifier Cayle Byers enters the season ranked fifth in the nation at 197 pounds. At last year's NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Byers came within one win of earning All-America status. Byers won the CAA Championship at 197 pounds and finished the season ranked 10th by InterMat and 13th by Amateur Wrestling News. The Chugiak, Alaska native finished the season with a 30-7 record, five falls, three technical falls and four major decisions. Last season, Byers captured the Navy Classic and Nittany Lion Open Tournament titles and finished as the runner-up at 197 pounds at the Southern Scuffle.

Mendbagana Tovuujav enters his sophomore season ranked 11th in the nation at 174 pounds. Tovuujav made an immediate impact as a freshman last season, capturing the CAA Championship at 174 pounds on his way to earning Most Outstanding Wrestler honors at the conference tournament. With a 24-9 overall record, Tovuujav qualified for the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and earned a ranking of 18th in the nation in the final Amateur Wrestling News poll.

Byers and Tovuujav were also ranked in the WrestlingReport.com Preseason Poll. Byers was fourth at 197 pounds in that poll, while Tovuujav was ranked 13th at 174 pounds.

George Mason opens its 2009-10 wrestling season on Nov. 8 at the Hokie Open hosted by Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.