FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason reshirt freshman Dj McGee was selected as the Co-East Wrestler of the Week, announced by the Mid-American Conference. He shares the honor with Lock Haven's Anthony Noto.
It's the second time the Stafford, Va. native claimed the weekly conference award this season, earning the honor on November 21. The recognition marks a record three for the Patriots this season in the MAC.
Nathan Higley earned wrestler of the week in early December.
McGee finished fourth at the 59th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, tying the second-best finish in program history at the prestigious tournament. The weekend was highlighted by his win over a returning MAC Champion and top-ranked wrestler in the conference, Johnny Lovett of Central Michigan, in the consolation semifinals.
Seeded ninth in the 157-pound bracket, McGee won his first three matches before falling to top-seed and two-time All-American Jacori Teemer from Arizona State University in sudden victory.
He began the tournament with bonus point wins, a fall (1:02) against Logan Swaw of the University of Illinois, and a major decision against Wisconsin's Cavin Model, 10-1. He followed that with a 4-2 decision against 8-seed Alex Hornfeck from West Virginia, 4-2.
In the wrestle back bracket, McGee earned decisions against Princeton's Rocco Camillaci, Harvard's James Harrington, and #26 Johnny Lovett from Central Michigan to earn a spot in the third-place match. Penn's Lucas Revano edged Mcgee in the third place match, 4-2. He finished with a 6-2 overall record in the event improving to 18-3 overall this season.
MAC WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK:
Co-East Wrestler of the Week
DJ MeGee, George Mason, R-Freshman, 157 lbs
Anthony Noto, Lock Haven, Sophomore, 125 lbs
Competing at the prestigious National Duals on Dec. 19 vs. elite competition, Lock Haven's Anthony Noto (Lima, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) led the way for the Bald Eagles and headlined the event. Ranked No. 2 in the nation at the time, his perfect 2-0 day included a win over then-ranked No. 1 Jakob Camacho as the day's opening dual with NC State featured the No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash at 125 pounds with Noto and Camacho featured. Noto added a dominant 10-3 victory vs. Ohio State's Vinny Kileary. Noto, a returning All-American, is now a perfect 8-0 on the season. He's also ranked No. 1 again after the strong performance at the Collegiate Duals.
West Wrestlers of the Week
Corbyn Munson, Central Michigan, Grad Student, 149 lbs
Central Michigan's Corbyn Munson went 5-2 to place fourth in the prestigious Midlands Championships. He tied for the best finish in the tournament among wrestlers from Mid-American Conference institutations. Seeded third at 149 pounds, Munson opened the tournament with four consecutive victories, the first of which came on a pin and the last of which came over SIU Edwardsville's Caleb Tyus, 6-3, in overtime. After falling into the consolation bracket, Munson rebounded with a 5-3 win, gaining the winning points on a takedown with 20 seconds remaining, to earn a berth in the third-place match where he fell to No. 2-seed Kannon Webster of Illinois, 6-2. Munson, who is ranked 14th nationally, improved to 14-4 and led the Chippewas to a sixth-place finish and ahead of the other four MAC teams in the 30-team field.
Next Up: The Patriots will be back on the mat with a neutral site match at St. Christopher's in Richmond against the University of Virginia at 3:00 pm.
