WRESTLING at VMI
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 2 | 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Lexington, Va. | Cormack Hall
LIVE VIDEO: SoCon Digital Network
LIVE STATS: Trackwrestling
FAIRFAX, Va. – The George Mason wrestling team begins the 2018-19 season on the road, facing VMI on Friday at Cormack Hall in Lexington, Va. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
"We are excited to compete against VMI," Mason head coach
Frank Beasley said. "I think our team is making great progress and competing is a great way to display the improvements. We have a young team. There are several new faces in the lineup and we are excited for them to compete in their first matches at George Mason."
The Patriots will complete a busy opening weekend by taking part in the Hokie Open on Sunday, Nov. 4 at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Va.
"The Hokie Open is a very good early-season tournament," Beasley said. "We will see a great mix of competition as several All-Americans and NCAA National Qualifiers are already registered."
Hokie Open Brackets
The Mason roster features eight returners from last season, including NCAA qualifiers
Tejon Anthony (149) and
Matthew Voss (285).
Also returning are juniors
Justin Yorkdale (149) and
Ryan Yorkdale (157), along with sophomores
Talha Farooq (125),
Lio Quezada (141/149),
Eli Spencer (197) and
Philip Stolfi (174).
The Patriots have 14 newcomers on the roster, with 11 freshmen and three transfers entering their first season at Mason.
Mason finished with an overall record of 4-13 during the 2017-18 campaign.
The Patriots competed in the Green/Gold Wrestle-Offs on Oct. 20 at the George Mason Field House, with the gold team earning a 21-20 victory.
MASON PROBABLE STARTERS
125 | R-So.
Talha Farooq (Arlington, Va./Yorktown)
133 | Fr.
Mel Ortiz (New Milford, Conn./New Milford)
141 | R-So.
Lio Quezada (Winchester, Va./John Handley)
149 | R-Sr.
Tejon Anthony (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech)
157 | Fr.
Kolby Ho (Dubois, Pa./Dubois Area)
165 | R-Fr.
Cornelius Schuster (Westminster, Md./Mount Saint Joseph)
174 | R-So.
Philip Stolfi (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area)
184 | Fr.
Paul Pierce (Stafford, Va./Brooke Pointe)
197 | R-So.
Eli Spencer (Stuttgart, Germany/Stuttgart)
285 | R-Sr.
Matthew Voss (Edgewood, Wash./Puyallup)
SCOUTING VMI
The Keydets finished the 2017-18 season with an overall dual record of 2-11, including a mark of 2-5 against Southern Conference opponents.
Senior Hunter Starner (133) was second on the team in wins with a 13-11 record last season. He finished the season tied for first on the team with seven pins.
Sophomore Clifton Conway (125) had a 9-18 record last season and was selected to the SoCon All-Freshman Team.
Mason is 19-10 all-time against VMI. The Patriots have won each of the last six matches and 10 of the last 12 against the Keydets.
VMI PROBABLE STARTERS
125 | Fr. Derek Shockey (Lovettsville, Va./Woodgrove)
- or - So. Clifton Conway (Spotsylvania, Va./Courtland)
133 | R-Sr. Hunter Starner (Newport News, Va./Tabb)
141 | R-Jr. Dominic Gallo (Wantage, N.J./High Point Regional)
149 | Sr. Darren Ostrander (Groton, N.Y./Groton)
157 | Fr. Jerrod Hunziker (Fredericksburg, Va./Colonial Forge)
- or - So. Joseph Maclean (Franklin, Mass./Franklin)
165 | Fr. Luke Nicksic (Valparaiso, Ind./Andrean)
- or - Fr. Jakob Kennedy (Disputanta, Va./Prince George)
174 | R-Jr. Neal Richards (South Chesterfield, Va./Matoaca)
184 | Jr. Max Gallahan (Alexandria, Va./St. Stephen's and St. Agnes)
197 | Jr. Christopher Beck (Norfolk, Va./Norfolk Collegiate)
285 | Fr. Tre Momon (Lorton, Va./South County)
- or - Fr. Robbie Adelstein (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee)
MAT FACT
The Patriots defeated the Keydets 40-9 last season at the Recreation Athletic Complex on Senior Day.
Mason earned bonus points in seven of their eight wins in the match. The Patriots notched three falls, three technical falls and one major decision.
