The George Mason wrestling program has accepted an invitation to join the Eastern Wrestling League (EWL), announced today by assistant vice president/director of athletics Tom O'Connor. In March, O'Connor announced George Mason's move to the Atlantic 10 Conference effective July 2013. The A-10 sponsors 20 of Mason's 22 intercollegiate sports with exceptions in wrestling and men's volleyball, which will continue its membership in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.
“Our goal was to find a conference that best fits our program today and one that will help us build for success in the future,” said O'Connor. “Membership with the EWL accomplishes that, a nationally recognized conference with a rich wrestling tradition, giving our student-athletes the best avenue to success in the NCAA.”
“We are excited to join the EWL. The league has stood the test of time and has produced some great wrestlers,” commented head coach Joe Russell. “We will need to improve as a whole to be competitive in this league. The bar has been raised and we are going to make positive gains as a result. This is a good day for Mason Wrestling”.
A premiere conference, the EWL is a NCAA Division I wrestling-only conference founded in 1976 and includes Bloomsburg University, Clarion University, Cleveland State, Edinboro and Lock Haven. Rider University will also join the conference for the 2013-14 season.
In its 37 years of history, the EWL's member schools have finished in the top 20 at the NCAA Championships on 79 different occasions, produced more than 1,000 NCAA national qualifiers, over 230 All-Americans and captured 25 individual NCAA Championships. In 2012, the EWL finished among the nation's best with 10 wrestlers wrestling in the top 12 while gaining five All-American honors.
Wrestling began competition at Mason in 1972-73 as a member of the Virginia Collegiate Athletic Association (VCAA). The Patriots finished their first season 6-4, with three individual conference champions. In 1992, the Patriots first year of CAA competition, they posted a 6-0 conference record and emerged as the first CAA Champions. Mason earned five CAA Championships.
