WRESTLING at The Citadel
WHEN:  Friday, Nov. 3 | 6 p.m.
WHERE:   McAlister Field House | Charleston, S.C.
COVERAGE:  Live video | Follow @GMUWrestling on Twitter

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FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason wrestling team begins the 2017-18 season on the road, facing The Citadel on Friday at 6 p.m. at McAlister Field House in Charleston, S.C.

This season's roster includes two seniors, five juniors, five sophomores and 11 freshmen.

"I expect them to go out there and compete with a purpose," Mason head coach Frank Beasley said.  "Compete in an uncommon way.  I want to see them looking to score a lot of points.  The Citadel is a good opening match for us to test ourselves against competition from outside the conference."

Mason finished with an overall record of 7-12 during the 2016-17 campaign, including a mark of 2-4 against Eastern Wrestling League opponents.  The Patriots went 2-6 at home and 5-6 on the road last season.

"Everybody views pressure differently," Beasley said.  "Some would see being on the road as more pressure and some see being at home as pressure.  At the end of the day, it's all competition.  Hopefully by being on the road our first few matches we'll have a better product to open at home with a few extra weeks to develop."

The Patriots are led by senior Ibrahim Bunduka and juniors Tejon Anthony and Matthew Voss. 

Bunduka placed third at the 2017 EWL Championships and was a 2017 NCAA qualifier at 125 pounds.  He went 22-7 with six major decisions, three technical falls and one fall last season.  Bunduka ranked second on the team in wins and led the Patriots in technical falls.

Anthony ranked fourth on the team in wins with a record of 18-13 last season and placed second at the Navy Classic at 141 pounds.  He posted a record of 4-2 against EWL opponents, including a 3-0 record at home. 

Voss went 20-12 at heavyweight with one technical fall, one major decision and led the team with five falls last season.  He went 6-2 in road duals and finished with a 4-2 record against conference opponents.

The Patriots competed in the Green/Gold Wrestle-Offs last Saturday at the George Mason Field House, with team gold earning a 24-20 victory.

"I think it was a huge benefit because the team had a chance to go through our pre-match routine," said Beasley.  "They have a feel for exactly what that's going to be like.  They also had a view of what the day before a match is going to look like, so they can have their minds ready for it.  It was a good trial run."

MASON PROBABLE STARTERS

125 | RSr. Ibrahim Bunduka (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams)
133 | Fr. Jose Tapia (Santa Fe, NM/Capitol)
141 | RJr. Tejon Anthony (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech)
149 | RSo. Matthew Raines (Warrenton, Va./Fauquier)
157 | RFr. Creed Lumpp (Christiansburg, Va./Christiansburg)
165 | RJr. Brendan May (Springfield, Va./Paul VI Catholic)
174 | Fr. Levko Higgins (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area)
- or - Sr. Daniel Mika (Fairfax, Va./Robinson)
184 | RJr. Austin Harrison (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech)
197 | RFr. Devin Rolon (Delran, N.J./Delran)
- or - RFr.  Eli Spencer (Columbus, Ohio/Stuttgart)
HWT | RJr. Matthew Voss (Edgewood, WA/Puyallup)

SCOUTING THE CITADEL

The Citadel finished the 2016-17season with an overall dual record of 3-10, including 2-5 in the Southern Conference.  The Bulldogs finished sixth in the Southern Conference Championships.

Senior Ty Buckiso led the team in wins with a 24-17 record at 149 pounds last season.  He placed fourth in the SoCon Championships and was selected to the all-conference team.

Junior Sawyer Root was second on the team in wins with a 22-16 record last season at 197 pounds.  He placed second in the conference tournament and was also named to the all-conference team.

THE CITADEL PROBABLE STARTERS

125 | Jr. Patrick Kearney (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mason)
133 | Sr. Andrew Szalwinski (Lexington, S.C./Lexington)
141 | Fr. Ethan Phillips (Elgin, Ill./Chattahoochee)
149 | Sr. Ty Buckiso (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township)
157 | So. Rian Burris (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll)
- or - So. Douglas Gudenburr (Finleyville, Pa./Ringgold)
165 | Jr. Mark Mewhorter (Murrells Inlet, S.C./St. James)
174 | Fr. Matthew McGillick (Harrison City, Pa./Penn-Trattford)
184 | Sr. Chandler Sambets (Hanahan, S.C./Bishop England)
197 | Jr. Sawyer Root (Saint Cloud, Fla./Harmony)
HWT | So. Michael McAleavey (Venetia, Pa./Peters Township)

MAT FACT

Mason has an all-time dual record of 4-1 against The Citadel.  The Patriots first faced the Bulldogs on Jan. 22, 1983, with Mason earning a 34-15 victory in the match. 

The two teams haven't met in nearly seven years.  The Bulldogs defeated the Patriots 33-10 in the last meeting between the two teams on Nov. 13, 2010.