Fairfax, Va. – Hosting the MAC Wrestling Championship for the first time, George Mason finished sixth and two Patriots, Peter Pappas and Nathan Higley, punched their tickets to the NCAA Championship.
 
The sixth-place finish is the best in the four-year history as members of the MAC. The Patriots finished 11^th the past two seasons in the 13-team conference.
 
The Patriots had six place-winners, including a fourth-place finish by freshman Markel Baker at 125 pounds.  Malachi DuVall finished fifth, while both Logan Messer (174) and Anthony Glasl (141) finished sixth.
 
Lock Haven (112.5) defended its MAC title edging out Central Michigan (110). Clarion (92), Ohio (87.5), and Rider (86) finished ahead of Mason (83).
 
Grad student Peter Pappas made history as the first Patriots wrestler to earn a MAC Championship in the four-year history as members of the MAC. Prior to joining the MAC, Tejon Anthony was the last Patriots' wrestler to win a conference championship as part of the Eastern Wrestling League in 2019.
 
The Plainview, N.Y. native defeated NCAA Qualifier Ashton Eyler 3-1 in sudden victory. The 157-pounder avenged an earlier regular season 6-3 loss to the ranked Lock Haven wrestler on Feb. 11. Pappas ranked #25 in the NCAA Coaches poll improves to 22-3.
 
Pappas had already punched a ticket to the 2023 NCAA tournament with a semifinal win against top seeded Corbyn Munson from Central Michigan on Saturday.
 
Nate Higley (149) took down two ranked opponents en route to the championship final, #18 Quinn Kinner from Rider and #21 Ryan Bugos from Edinboro before meeting Central Michigan's #26 Johnny Lovett in the championship match on Saturday. The two-time NCAA Qualifier edged Higley, 7-5 to win the championship.
 
A product of Sullivan County, Pa., Higley punched his ticket to the NCAA tournament on Saturday. He is 24-15 on the season.
 
In his inaugural MAC Championship, Markel Baker finished fourth at 125 pounds. The native of Freeport, Illinois, Baker finished with a team-high 27 wins (27-12). In the third-place match, Northern Illinois Blake West earned a riding time point to win, 2-1 over Baker.
 
Malachi DuVall finished in fifth place with a 4-2 record in the championship. Earned a major decision and two falls in the three wins. The fifth-place match was a medical forfeit.
 
Anthony Glasl (141) and Logan Messer (174) each finished in sixth place.
 
Glasl defeated Buffalo's Jack Marlow, 10-4, to begin today's consolation round 2. In the consolation seminfinal, Glasl was edged, 3-0, by Javon Jones from Northern Illinois. Cleveland State's Caleb Rea earned a major decision over the Brockway, Pa. product, 8-0 in the fifth-place match.
 
Sophomore Logan Messer dropped the consolation semifinal to Ohio's Sal Perrine in sudden victory, 6-4. Michael Wilson (Rider) earned a 5-2 decision in the fifth-place match.
 
MASON MATCHES
125 | Fr. Markel Baker | Fourth Place Season: 27-12
First round bye
Baker dec No. 5 pre-seed Blake West (NOIL), 6-2
Championship semifinals: Anthony Noto (LH) dec. Baker, 4-3
Consolation semifinal – Baker dec Ben Aranda (Cle. St.), 8-2
3^rd Place match – Blake West (NOIL) dec Baker, 2-1

133 | R-Fr. Patrick Schellpfeffer | Season: 5-14
Vincent Perez (CMU) MD Schellpfeffer, 12-4
Consolation Rd. 1 - Lucion Brink (NOIL) dec Schellpfeffer, 9-3

141 | R-Fr. Anthony Glasl | Sixth Place | Season: 17-15
Josh Mason (Bloom) dec Glasl, 5-4 (riding time)
Consolation Rd. 1 – Glasl dec Kyran Hagan (Ohio), 6-5 SV
Consolation Rd. 2 – Glasl dec Jack Marlow (Buf), 10-4
Consolation Semifinal – Javon Jones (NOIL) dec Glasl, 2-0
5^th Place – Caleb Rea (Cle. St.) dec Glasl, 3-0

149 | R-Fr. Nathan Higley | Second Place | Season: 24-15
Higley dec. Alec Hagan (Ohio), 6-5
Higley fall #18 Quinn Kinner (Rider), (5:00)
Championship semifinals Higley fall #18 Ryan Burgos (Edinboro), (4:23)
Championship vs. #25 Johnny Lovett (Cent. Mich) dec Higley, 7-5

157 | GS Peter Pappas | MAC Champion | Season: 23-3 | Career: 63-35
Pappas dec Caine Tyus (SIEU), 7-4
Pappas dec No. 4 pre-seed Michael Pettite (Buffalo), SV 6-4
Championship semifinals Pappas dec Corbyn Munson (Cent. Mich), 5-3
Championship – vs. Pappas dec Ashton Eyler (Lock Haven), SV 3-1
 
165 | R-So. Drew Dickson Season: 15-17 | Career: 22-27
Tracy Hubbard (CMU) dec Dickson, 9-2
Consolation Rd. 1 - Cameron Pine (Clarion) dec. Dickson, 10-4

174 | So. Logan Messer | Sixth Place | Season: 25-8 | Career: 52-17
Messer MD Mason Karpinski (Kent), 10-2
Messer dec No. 5 pre-seed Michael Wilson (Rider), 7-4
Championship semifinal Alex Cramer (Cent) fall Messer, (6:37)
Consolation semifinal Sal Perrine (Ohio) dec Messer, 6-4 SV 1
5^th Place Match – Michael Wilson (Rider)
 
184 | R-Fr. Malachi DuVall | Fifth Place | Season: 23-9
DuVall MD Tyler Bates (Kent), 15-1
Championship Qtr -- No. 5 pre-seed DeAndre Nassar (CSU) dec DuVall, 5-3
Consolation Rd. 1 – DuVall fall Sergio Villalobos (SIUE) (1:16)
Consolation Rd. 2 – DuVall fall Benjamin Cusman (Cent. Mich), (3:58)
Consolation semifinals – Colin Fegley (Lock Haven) dec DuVall, 4-2
5^th Place match – DuVall won by Med Forfeit Giuseppe Hoose (Buf)

197 | So. Jonathan List Season: 16-17| Career: 25-25
Ryan Yarnell (SIUE) dec List, 4-0
Consolation Rd. 1 - Anthony Perrine (CSU) fall List, (1:02)

285 | Fr. Donovan Sprouse Season: 7-16  
Sprouse dec No. 8 pre-seed Nicholas Lodato (Edinboro), 4-2 SV
No. 1 pre seed Colton McKiernan (SIEU) MD Sprouse, 10-0
Consolation Rd. 1 – Jacob Cover (Kent) dec Sprouse, 2-0