WRESTLING vs. Rider
WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 29 | 2 p.m.
WHERE: Recreation and Athletic Complex | Fairfax, Va.
LIVE STATS: Click here or follow @GMUWrestling on Twitter
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason wrestling team is back on the mat for its final conference dual of the regular season, hosting defending Eastern Wrestling League champion Rider on Sunday at the Recreation and Athletic Complex. The match is schedule to begin at 2 p.m.
Mason (5-9, 2-3 EWL) has dropped its last two duals, falling 24-10 at Clarion on Jan. 20 and 32-7 to Edinboro on Jan. 22. Last time out, the Patriots won just two of the 10 bouts against the Fighting Scots, who earned their 21st straight conference dual victory.
Mason sophomore
Tejon Anthony (15-8) trailed 3-2 in the third period in his match at 141 pounds, but scored a riding time point to even the match 3-3. Anthony then won the match with a takedown early in overtime for the 5-3 decision in sudden victory.
Senior
Matt Meadows (4-10) notched the Patriot's second win of the day against Edinboro with a 14-0 major decision at 197 pounds. Meadows led 3-0 after the first period, 4-0 after the second and put the bout away when he scored eight near fall points in the third.
Senior
Sahid Kargbo (21-2) enters the weekend with 21 wins on the season. He has earned bonus points in 12 of his 23 matches this season, with 10 of his wins by major decision and two by technical fall.
Kargbo is 4-1 against EWL conference opponents this season. His two losses have been to opponents who are currently ranked in the top-12 in the nation.
Mason fell to Rider 32-3 last season with the Broncs claiming nine of the 10 bouts in the match, including two in overtime at Alumni Gym in Lawrenceville, N.J.
Ibrahim Bunduka posted the lone win for Mason with a 6-4 decision at 125 pounds.
Mason Probable Starters:
125: R-Jr.
Ibrahim Bunduka (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) 11-2
133: Fr.
Lio Quezada (Winchester, Va./John Handley) 11-15
141: R-So.
Tejon Anthony (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech) 15-8
- or - Fr.
Logan Harvich (Chesapeake, Va./Cape Henry Collegiate) 4-6
149: R-Sr.
Sahid Kargbo (Alexandria, Va./Hayfield) 21-2
157: R-Fr.
Matthew Raines (Warrenton, Va./Fauquier) 9-13
165: Jr.
Ryan Forrest (Reston, Va./South Lakes) 1-2
174: Jr.
Daniel Mika (Fairfax, Va./Robinson) 4-11
184: R-So.
Austin Harrison (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech) 2-9
197: R-Sr.
Matt Meadows (Medino, Ohio/Cuyohoga Valley Christian Academy) 4-10
HWT: R-So.
Matthew Voss (Edgewood, Wa./Puyallup) 13-10
Scouting Rider:
Rider (8-1, 4-1 EWL) defeated Bloomsburg 32-6 on Friday at Nelson Field House in Bloomsburg, Pa. The Broncs won eight of the 10 bouts in the match to keep the Huskies winless in the conference with a 0-4 record.
The match began at 125 pounds and the teams split the first four bouts of the night, with Bloomsburg earning victories at 133 pounds and 149 pounds.
Broncs freshman Evan Fidelibus notched a 19-9 major decision at 141 pounds to improve his record to 19-10.
Rider junior Chad Walsh improved to 22-2 on the season with a pin over Bloomsburg freshman Reid Stanley. Half of his victories this season have been by fall and his 11 pins are the second-most in the nation.
Walsh, the 2016 EWL Wrestler of the Year, is currently ranked No. 5 in the nation at 165 pounds by TheOpenMat.com and seventh by Amateur Wrestling and FloWrestling.
He was named the Eastern Wrestling League Wrestler of the Week after wins against Edinboro and Cleveland State.
Senior Ryan Wolfe, who is 13-4 this season, enters the match against the Patriots ranked 14th in the nation by TheOpenMat.com.
Rider's lone dual loss of the season was a 22-10 setback against Edinboro on Jan. 20 at Alumni Gym in Lawrenceville, N.J. The Broncs won their first six duals of the season before suffering the loss to the Fighting Scots.
Rider has dominated opponents throughout the season, with seven of their eight wins by at least 14 match score points.
Rider defeated Penn 32-10 on Dec. 10, earned a 25-11 victory over Clarion on Jan. 12, downed Columbia 39-4 and West Virginia 28-6 on Jan.14, picked up a 32-9 win over Brown on Jan. 14 and clobbered Cleveland State 43-12 on Jan. 22.
The Broncs finished ninth out of 42 teams at the Midlands Championships held Dec. 29-30 at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois.
Mat Facts:
Rider head coach Gary Taylor is in his 39th season at the helm of the Broncs wrestling program. His 437 career victories are the most by any active coach in NCAA Division I and rank fourth all-time.
Taylor has a 437-247-4 dual meet record. He led the Broncs to their first EWL Championship last season and was named the 2016 Eastern Wrestling League Coach of the Year.
Taylor has led the Broncs to 14 conference championships in his career and for his effort, he's been named the East Coast Wrestling Association Coach of the Year seven times.
Under his guidance, six Rider wrestlers were NCAA qualifiers last season, with the Broncs finishing 24th at the NCAA Championships held at Madison Square Garden.
Taylor has produced 107 conference champions, including 11 over three years in EWL competition. He has had 169 wrestlers make it to the NCAA Championships, including 56 in the last 11 years.
Entering this season, 15 of Taylor's wrestlers have earned All-America honors.
Rider Probable Starters:
125: Jr. J.R Wert (Christiansburg, Va./Christiansburg) 10-6
133: So. Anthony Cefolo (Florham Park, N.J./Hanover Park) 15-8
141: Fr. Evan Fidelibus (Easton, Pa./Easton Area) 19-10
149: R-Fr. Gino Fluri (Blairstown, N.J./North Warren Regional) 8-13
- or - R-So. Jesse Rodgers (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) 11-13
157: R-Jr. B.J. Clagon (Toms River, N.J./Toms River H.S. South) 15-5
165: R-Jr. Chad Walsh (Cherry Hill, N.J./Camden Catholic) 22-2
174: R-Jr. Wayne Stinson (Wrightstown, N.J./North Burlington Regional) 14-9
- or - R-Fr. Dean Sherry (Brick, N.J./Brick Township) 13-3
184: R-So. Michale Fagg-Daves (Somerset, N.J./Franklin) 15-11
197: R-Sr. Ryan Wolfe (New Castle, Del./Caravel Academy) 13-4
HWT: R-Jr. Mauro Correnti (Delran, N.J./Holy Cross H.S.) 12-8
