Fairfax, Va. -- The Mid-American Conference released its annual wrestling awards today and George Mason's Nathan Higley was voted Freshman of the Year.
 
The redshirt freshman is the first Patriot to win the conference accolade since Tony Howard earned the honor in 2001 when Mason was a member of the Colonial Athletic Association.
 
"As a freshman, Nate made history by becoming the first MAC finalist for our program," said Head Coach Frank Beasley. "He had a great season with the potential to have a great career at Mason. Nate wrestles an exciting style and is a crowd favorite. This is only the beginning for Nate."
 
Higley had a tremendous season topped by earning an automatic bid to represent the Patriots at the 2023 NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championships. Higley was one of five Mason wrestlers to win more than 20 matches, finishing with a 24-17 record, including a team-high 10 falls.
 
The Sullivan County, Pa. native helped Mason earn a sixth-place finish at the MAC Championship, the best in the four-year history as members of the MAC.
 
Unseeded at the MAC Championships, Higley finished runner-up at the tournament. He took down two ranked opponents en-route to the 149-pound MAC Championship final. He edged Ohio's Alec Hagan (No. 31), 6-5, in the opening round, followed by a fall against #18 Quinn Kinner from Rider.
 
Central Michigan's NCAA Qualifier #26 Johnny Lovett edged Higley, 7-5, in the final to win the championship.

The first-time NCAA Qualifier was seeded No. 26 in the NCAA Championship. Higley dropped his opening match to Northwestern's All-American Yahya Thomas. The Wildcat wrestler, who finished third at the 2021 NCAA Championship, earned a 12-3 major decision against the redshirt freshman.
 
In the consolation round, Oklahoma State's Vic Voinovich advanced with a 15-8 win over Higley.