ANNAPOLIS, Md. – George Mason senior Sahid Kargbo won all four of his matches on Saturday, winning the individual championship in the 149-pound weight class at the 39th annual Navy Classic held at Wesley Brown Field House at the United States Naval Academy.
Kargbo's quest for the title began when he recorded six takedowns and a near fall, cruising to a 17-7 major decision over Navy junior Corey Wilding in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, Kargbo notched four takedowns in a 10-2 major decision over Bucknell freshman Seth Hogue.
In the semifinals, Kargbo trailed 3-0 in the third period, but rallied with a two-point takedown in the third and another in overtime for an 8-6 decision over junior Ty Buckiso of The Citadel. Kargbo dominated in the final match with a 17-2 technical fall victory over Navy junior John Kenyon to earn the championship.
"He had a good day today with three wins that were real dominant, including the technical fall in the finals" Mason head coach Joe Russell said. "Anytime you can do that, it's very impressive. There's no doubt that Sahid can wrestle with anyone in the country."
Kargbo finished the day 4-0 and is now 5-0 on the season. It's the first title that Mason has won at the Navy Classic since 2010.
"It just comes down to everything that the coaches have been teaching since I've been here," Kargbo said after his victory. "It's all just believing in myself and in the process. Even last night, I knew that I was going to win this tournament today. Hopefully this will help turn the national scene and put eyes on George Mason."
In the 125-pound bracket, freshman Quinton Tucker fell behind in the round of 16 by the score of 8-1, but his furious comeback fell just short, with Binghamton sophomore Steve Bulzomi holding on for an 8-7 decision. Patriots freshman Trevor Mello lost by fall in his opening match, but would record a win later in the day. Tucker won two matches in the consolation round.
Freshman Lio Quezada trailed 9-5 in his 133-pound match against Bucknell freshman Joey Gould in the round of 16. Quezada would go on to score two points with a takedown, two more on a near fall and a riding time point in the third period to win a 10-9 decision.
Quezada then won three matches in the consolation round, including taking the fifth-place match with a 3-0 decision over Mason teammate Logan Harvich. Harvich finished the tournament with three match wins, including an 11-2 major decision in the round of 16.
Sophomore Tejon Anthony finished sixth in the 141-pound weight class after a 3-1 decision over Ohio University sophomore Noah Forrider. Patriot's freshman Matthew Raines picked up a major decision 14-2 in the round of 16 in the 157-pound bracket.
In the 174-pound weight class, senior Patrick Davis had a big day, winning a team-high five matches in the tournament. He recorded a 9-2 decision over Brown junior Galloway Thurston in the round of 32. Davis then allowed just four escape points in a 7-4 decision against Bucknell sophomore Nick Stephani to advance to the quarterfinals, where he dropped a hard-fought 12-8 decision to freshman Davin Skatzka of Indiana.
"We had a lot of wins in a lot of different weight classes today, so that was positive," Russell remarked. "I was also impressed with our attitude and effort. Those are the two important things that they can control. Good things happen when you wrestle hard and they'll see the rewards down the road."
The Patriots had 10 different wrestlers combine to win 26 matches during the tournament, which included 12 different schools.
In the 184-pound weight class, sophomore Austin Harrison fell by major decision 13-3 in the round of 16 and junior Daniel Mika lost a 3-1 decision in the round of 32. The two teammates would face each other in the consolation round, with Mika slipping past Harrison with a 5-4 decision.
"Those are difficult matches," said Russell. "To be honest, I try not to watch them. You don't have anyone sit in the corner because you don't want to get emotion involved for either guy. You just want them to go out and wrestle hard. Those are difficult, but it happens and when they blow the whistle you have to be ready to wrestle whoever it is in front of you."
In the heavyweight bracket, sophomore Matthew Voss notched an escape point and was awarded a point when his opponent was whistled for stalling, recording a 2-1 decision in the round of 16 to get past Navy sophomore Thomas Ott. Voss then dropped a 6-3 decision in the quarterfinals to Delaware Valley's Zach Roseberry, who would go on to win the heavyweight title.
"Matt had a tough day and had trouble getting his offense going," Russell said. "The college season is long, so you can't get too high or too low. I am confident that he's the kind of guy that's going to bounce back and just be stronger because of it."
Mason sophomore Gary Miltenberger saw his first action of the season in the heavyweight bracket, dropping a 12-1 major decision in the round of 16.
The Patriots finished ninth overall in the tournament with 66.5 points. Indiana won the tournament championship with a team score of 155.5, host Navy finished second with a score of 114.5 and Kent State was third with a score of 113.5.
"There are a lot of positives from today, so that makes you feel good," Russell said. "We need to remember to keep getting one percent better every day. This is good to get us ready for Grapple at the Garden with multiple matches in one day. There's a lot we can learn and a lot of improvements we can make because we've been to the Navy Classic."
The Patriots will next be in action when they face Buffalo and Hofstra at the Grapple at the Garden in New York on Sunday, Nov. 27 at Madison Square Garden.
