WRESTLING at Franklin & Marshall

WHEN:  Saturday, Feb. 11 | 6 p.m.                                         
WHERE:  Mayser Gym | Lancaster, Pa.
LIVE STATS:  Click here or follow @GMUWrestling on Twitter
LIVE VIDEO:  Click here FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason wrestling team travels to take on Franklin & Marshall at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Mayser Gym in Lancaster, Pa. 

Mason (5-11, 2-4 EWL) has dropped its last four duals, including three straight at home.  The Patriots fell 24-10 at Clarion on Jan. 20, 32-7 to Edinboro on Jan. 22, suffered a 24-18 setback to Rider on Jan. 29 and were defeated by Navy 26-13 on Wednesday. 

Last time out, the Patriots won three of the first four bouts against Navy to build a 10-3 match score lead.  Navy then won five straight matches, four with bonus points, to take a lead it would not give up.

"I thought we matched up pretty well for the most part," Mason assistant coach Canaan Bethea said.  "A couple of matches went down to the wire and they didn't go our way, but we know we're doing a lot of things right.  If we correct one or two things, those matches will go our way."

Junior Ibrahim Bunduka (17-3), who is 31st in the NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings, earned an 11-8 decision at 125 pounds to start the match against Navy.  He recorded five takedowns in the win.

Mason freshman Lio Quezada (13-15) scored seven points in the third period of his 9-1 major decision at 133 pounds.  Senior Sahid Kargbo (23-2), who is 24th in the NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings and 19th in RPI, notched a 5-4 decision against the Midshipmen at 149 pounds, with a riding time point the difference in the bout.

"It's important to start the way you want to perform throughout the match," Bethea said.  "It's good that our guys are starting off well.  We know we can do a lot of the right things and as long as we can match that with a strong finish, we know that we'll be good."

Sophomore Matthew Voss (15-10) once against finished the match on a positive note for the Patriots at heavyweight, picking up a 15-9 decision to earn his 15th win of the season.

Mason sophomore Tejon Anthony (16-9) enters the weekend 31st in the NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings and 30th in RPI.

"I would use the word perseverance," said Bethea.  "A lot of our guys have been down in matches and taken tough losses, but they've still found a way to push themselves.  If we continue the theme of perseverance throughout the year, we'll see really good things down the stretch."

Last season, Mason was defeated by Franklin & Marshall 21-17 in Fairfax, with each team winning five bouts.  The Patriots dropped three of the first four bouts of the match before mounting a comeback that fell just short.

Ryan Renkey, Patrick Davis and Daniel Mika each won by decision, Greg Flournoy won by technical fall and Voss notched a decision in sudden victory against the Diplomats.  Voss scored a takedown in the final seconds to force overtime before capping off the dual with a takedown to win.

The win by the Diplomats was the first over the Patriots in 10 years.  Mason had won three straight against Franklin & Marshall.

"These matches are crucial for bids to nationals and for seeding in the big conference and national tournaments," Bethea said.  "We want to put our best foot forward.  With every opponent you have to be ready and we have to match their intensity if we want to win."

Mason Probable Starters:

125: R-Jr. Ibrahim Bunduka (Alexandria, Va./T.C. Williams) 17-3
133: Fr. Lio Quezada (Winchester, Va./John Handley) 13-15
141: R-So. Tejon Anthony (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech) 16-9
- or -  Fr. Logan Harvich (Chesapeake, Va./Cape Henry Collegiate) 4-8
149: R-Sr. Sahid Kargbo (Alexandria, Va./Hayfield) 23-2
157: R-Fr. Matthew Raines (Warrenton, Va./Fauquier) 9-15
165: Jr. Daniel Mika (Fairfax, Va./Robinson) 4-13
174: R-Sr. Ryan Forrest (Reston, Va./South Lakes) 1-4
184: R-So. Austin Harrison (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech) 2-11
197: R-Sr. Matt Meadows (Medino, Ohio/Cuyohoga Valley Christian Academy) 4-12
HWT: R-So. Matthew Voss (Edgewood, Wa./Puyallup) 15-10

Scouting Franklin & Marshall:

Franklin & Marshall (3-7, 1-6 EIWA) dropped two Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association matches last Saturday.  The Diplomats were downed by Drexel by the final score of 40-6 and then suffered a 22-21 loss to Hofstra on Feb. 4 at Mayser Gym in Lancaster, Pa. 

Freshman Emmett LiCastri at 157 pounds and junior Anthony Mancini at 184 pounds each won both of their matches on the day.

The Diplomats lost eight of the 10 bouts against the Dragons, including four major decisions, two falls and two forfeits.  LiCastri at 157 pounds and junior Mancini at 184 pounds were the only two wrestlers to earn a win in the match for Franklin & Marshall.

In the one-point loss to Hofstra, the Diplomats won four of the first six bouts.  After Franklin & Marshall had forfeits at 197 and heavyweight, the Diplomats went into the final bout at 184 pounds down by four points.  Mancini won by decision, but fell short of the major decision that would have forced criteria.

The Diplomats recorded their lone home dual win of the season on Dec. 2 with a 30-19 victory over VMI.

Franklin & Marshall has dropped four of its last five duals overall.  The Diplomats fell 36-6 to Harvard and 36-4 to Brown on Jan. 21, and lost 40-6 to Drexel and 22-21 to Hofstra last weekend. 

The Diplomats secured their lone win in their last five duals with a 25-18 victory at Sacred Heart on Jan. 22.  
    
Mat Facts:

Franklin & Marshall is the only Division III school that competes in Division I wrestling.

The Diplomats compete in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA).  The oldest wrestling conference in the NCAA, the EIWA held its first championship tournament in 1905 with Columbia, Penn, Princeton and Yale participating.

There have been 32 different schools that have been members in the history of the conference. 

George Mason and Franklin & Marshall met for the first time in 1975 and the Diplomats currently hold a 10-9 advantage in the all-time series.

Franklin & Marshall Probable Starters:

125: Jr. Edgar Garcia (Lincoln University, Pa./Avon Grove) 6-16
133: R-So. Dan Martoccio (Holland, Pa./Council Rock) 17-14
141: Jr. Paddy Quinlan (Fayetteville, N.Y./ Fayetteville-Manlius) 19-15
149: Jr. Sam Butler (York, Pa./Central York) 8-18
157: Fr. Emmett LiCastri (Easton, Conn./Joel Barlow) 16-14
165: R-Sr. Robbie King (Bowmansville, Pa./Garden Spot) 17-11
174: Fr. Jimmy Stillerman (Blairstown, N.J./Blair Academy) 6-19
184: Jr. Anthony Mancini (Middletown, Del./Salesianum School) 21-11
197: So. Jack Argast (New York, N.Y./Poly Prep Country Day) 0-9
HWT: So. Corey Kerkesner (Fort Myers, Fla./Cypress Lake) 3-14