NEW YORK, N.Y. – The George Mason wrestling team completed its trip to the fifth annual Grapple at the Garden, falling to Buffalo and Hofstra on Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y.
Mason (0-3) dropped its opening dual 32-9 to Buffalo in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Bulls won the first two matches by fall to take a 12-0 lead. The Patriots then claimed the next three matches.
Sophomore Tejon Anthony (6-3) won his 141-pound match with a 9-4 decision, senior Sahid Kargbo (7-0) followed with a 4-2 sudden victory at 149 pounds and freshman Matthew Raines (4-6) won his 156-pound match with an 8-1 decision.
"Tejon and Sahid did a great job for our team today going 2-0 in the duals," Mason head coach Joe Russell said. "When momentum is going in the opposing team's favor, you have to have someone that turns it around and they did that twice today."
In the second dual of the day, Mason fell to Hofstra by the final score of 18-13.
The Pride posted victories at 125-pounds and 133-pounds by decision to take an early 6-0 lead before the Patriots rallied to win the next two matches. Anthony recorded a 15-3 major decision in his 141-pound matchup and Kargbo followed with a 6-2 decision at 149-pounds to give Mason a 7-6 lead in the dual.
"The Grapple at the Garden gives us a chance to showcase our hard work and brings together fans from all areas," Mason assistant coach Canaan Bethea said. "We were in a hole early and it was exciting to see how the guys battled back. They showed a lot of resilience and toughness."
Kargbo remains unbeaten this season with a 7-0 record, while Anthony improved to 6-3.
"Overall, I think we wrestled pretty well," Anthony said. "There's always things you can improve on. I knew what to expect and how to get myself ready to compete. I definitely know what the newcomers on the team are experiencing, because my first trip to Madison Square Garden was kind of overwhelming."
After Hosftra won matches at 157, 165 and 174, Mason junior Daniel Mika (3-2) notched a 5-2 decision in his 184-pound match to cut the Hofstra lead to 15-10.
Sophomore Matthew Voss (2-4), who had lost his match against Buffalo earlier in the day, finished strong with an 8-6 decision at 285-pounds.
"It's a great showcase for wrestling and Madison Square Garden does an excellent job," Russell said. "The support they are giving wrestling at all levels is great to see."
The Patriots return to action this weekend for their first conference matchups of the season with a pair of Eastern Wrestling League road duals. Mason faces Bloomsburg on Saturday, Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. and Lock Haven on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 12 p.m.
Buffalo (1-1) 32, George Mason (0-2) 9
125: Derek Spann (UB) by fall over Trevor Mello (Mason), 5:42
133: Bryan Lantry (UB) by fall over Lio Quezada (Mason), 6:10
141: Tejon Anthony (Mason) decision over Jason Estevez (UB) 9-4
149: Sahid Kargbo (Mason) sudden victory over Colt Cotton (UB) 4-2
157: Matthew Raines (Mason) decision over Kobe Garrehy (UB) 8-1
165: Derek Holcomb (UB) decision over Garrett Tingen (Mason) 5-2
174: Muhamed McBryde (UB) decision over Patrick Davis (Mason) 5-3
184: Brett Perry (UB) by fall over Austin Harrison (Mason), 4:46
197: Nate Rose (UB) technical fall over Andrew Thomas (Mason) 15-0
285: Jake Gunning (UB) decision over Matthew Voss (Mason) 6-3
Hofstra (1-1) 18, George Mason (0-3) 13
125: Jacob Martin (HU) decision over Quinton Tucker (Mason) 7-1
133: Vinny Vespa (HU) decision over Lio Quezada (Mason) 6-3
141 Tejon Anthony (Mason) major decision over Connor Burket (HU) 15-3
149 Sahid Kargbo (Mason) decision over Ryan Burkert (HU) 6-2
157 Jake Kaminsky (HU) decision over Matthew Raines (Mason) 11-5
165 Bobby Fehr (HU) decision over Garrett Tingen (Mason) 14-10
174 Sage Heller (HU) decision over Patrick Davis (Mason) 9-8
184 Daniel Mika (Mason) decision over Michael Oxley (HU) 5-2
197 Nezar Haddad (HU) decision over Matt Meadows (Mason) 5-3
285 Matthew Voss (Mason) decision over Omar Haddad 8-6
