WHAT:  Dual Match at Lock Haven Eagles
WHEN:  Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.
WHERE:  Lock Haven, Pa. (Thomas Fieldhouse)
LIVE VIDEO

Fairfax, Va.— The George Mason wrestling team will be on the road this week for two matches against MAC opponents. The Patriots travel to Pennsylvania to take on Lock Haven (4-7, 1-1 MAC), on Thursday and Bloomsburg (4-9, 0-3) on Friday. 

The Patriots (9-6, 2-2 MAC) will look to get back in the win column after two straight setbacks. That task will be challenging in the first dual with Lock Haven, the MAC's top-ranked program.  The Bald Eagles defeated Bloomsburg, 35-9, in Mid-American Conference action on Sunday. Lock Haven has three ranked wrestlers; Anthony Noto (125) is listed at No. 8, Gable Strickland was ranked No. 29 at 133 and Henson was tabbed No. 13 at 141. 

Three Patriots are ranked by the NCAA Wrestling Coaches Rankings, #33 Nathan Higley (141), #21 DJ McGee (157), and heavyweight Chad Nix is ranked #32 in the most recent poll.

Record MAC Wrestlers of the Week: George Mason has won a record five MAC Wrestler of the Week honors this season. Redshirt sophomore Malachi DuVall (184) won back-to-back awards to begin the new year. Mason wrestler. DJ McGee claimed the weekly conference award twice this season, while Nathan Higley earned wrestler of the week in early December.

Season Series: Lock Haven won last year's match, 24-15, last February to improve to 16-0 against the Patriots. Mason have won four straight and own a 8-6 record against the Bloomsburg Huskies.

Lock Haven Notes
Noto, a returning All-American, is 10-1 on the season with five tech falls. He was fourth at last season's NCAA Division I Tournament.

Gable Strickland, a returning national-qualifier, is 20-9 on the season, and he's coming off a perfect 2-0 weekend.
 
Henson, a first-year Bald Eagle who was a national qualifier last season before transferring to The Haven, is 26-1 on the season. He has 11 tech falls on the season to date, one of the best marks in all of Division I, and he's riding a remarkable 24-match win streak.
 
Jan. MAC Rankings (Top 5):
Patriots
2nd -- Nathan Higley (141)
2nd -- DJ McGee (157)
2nd -- Chad Nix (285)
4th -- Evan Maag (165)
4th -- Malachi DuVall (184)

2023-24 MAC January Team Rankings 

1. Lock Haven (108.0) 
2. Central Michigan (105.0)
3. Ohio (103.0)
4. Cleveland State (100.5)
5. Rider (89.5)
6. George Mason (80.5)

MASON LINEUP
125 – JB Dragovich (RFr)
133 – Brandon Wittenberg (RJr)
141 – Nate Higley (RSo) & Dom Hargrove (RFr)
149 – Kaden Cassidy (RSo)
157 – DJ McGee (RFr)
165 – Evan Maag (RFr)
174 – Paul Pierce (RSr)
184 – Malachi DuVall (RSo)
197 – Ruben Karapetyan (Fr)
285 – Chad Nix (RSo) & Donovan Sprouse (So)

LOCK HAVEN
125: #10 R-Jr. Anthony Noto (Lima, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) 10-1
// OR 125: Fr. Logan Sallot (Erie, Pa./McDowell) 3-9
133: Jr. Gable Strickland (Benton, Pa./Benton) 20-9
141: #12 R-So. Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg, Pa./Waynesburg) 26-1
// OR 141: R-Sr. Zack Zeamer (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) 2-7
149: Jr. Nick Stonecheck (Alpharetta, Ga./Buford) 11-9
// OR 149: R-So. Ty Linsenbigler (Landisville, Pa./Hempfield) 13-7
157: Jr. Connor Eck (Bensalem, Pa./Bensalem) 23-14
// OR 157: R-So. DaShawn Farber (Bethlehem, Pa./Nazareth) 9-5
165: R-Fr. Eric Alderfer (Harleysville, Pa./Faith Christian Academy) 7-12
// OR 165: R-Fr. J.T. Hogan (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) 7-9
174: Jr. Tyler Stoltzfus (Mifflinburg, Pa./Saint Joseph's Academy) 3-4
184: R-Jr. Colin Fegley (Mahanoy, Pa./Mahanoy) 11-11
197: So. Brad Morrison (Landisburg, Pa./West Perry) 5-10
// OR 184: So. Cael Black (Warren, Pa./Eisenhower) 8-14
285: So. Ethan Miller (York, Pa./Central York) 5-15

Bloomsburg Lineup
125 Bronson Garber (Gr., Millersburg, Pa/Upper Dauphin (VMI)) 13-13 (38-47)
133 Major Lewis (Fr., Camp Hill, Pa./Trinity) 0-9 (0-9)
141
149 Cade Balestrini (Jr., Sunbury, Pa./Shikellamy) 13-13 (43-45)
157 William Morrow (So., Harleysville, Pa./North Penn) 10-14 (12-24)
165 Caden Dobbins (Fr., Dallastown, Pa./Dallastown) 13-9 (13-9)
174 Nolen Zeigler (Fr., Loysville, Pa./West Perry) 0-4 (0-4)
184 Tanner Culver (Gr., Hartland, Mich./Hartland) 3-15 (14-42) -OR- Matt Benedetti (Sr., Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) 0-2 (9-12) 
197 David Tuttle (Jr., Steubenville, Ohio/Steubenville) 2-4 (7-33)
285 Harrison Levans (Fr., Conshohocken, Pa./Germantown Academy) 0-3 (0-3) -OR- Tyler McCatharn (So., Washington, N.J./Warren Hills) 4-11 (8-17)