FAIRFAX, VA –  George Mason's DJ McGee led seven wrestlers that competed in the 60th Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Hoffmann Estates, Ill, Sunday and Monday.

McGee placed second in the 157 pound weight class at the 60th version of the prestigious non-conference wrestling tournament that featured 37 men's programs. McGee won four straight matches before facing familiar foe Johnny Lovett from Central Michigan, a wrestler McGee owned a 2-0 record against, including a win in the 2023 Ken Kraft Midlands tournament. Lovett edged McGee in the second overtime with riding time, 2-2. 

The redshirt sophomore became only the second George Mason Patriot to compete in the championship final. Donnie DeFilippis (141) finished second in the 2000 Midlands Championships.

It's the second straight year McGee has placed, earning a fourth-place finish at the 2023 Ken Kraft Midlands Championships.
  
At 165 pounds, Evan Maag won three matches before losing in the semifinals to Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) due to injury. The redshirt sophomore medical forfeited his match in the consolation bracket.

UP Next
George Mason will compete at the NWCA National duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Jan. 10-11.

RESULTS
125 Ben Monn (1-2)
Monn over Christia Tanefeu (Michigan), dec 3-0
Blake West (N. Ill) over Monn, dec 6-3
C. Vargo over Monn, MD 11-2
 
133 Charlie Bunting (0-2)
Mason Kernan (WVA) over Bunting, dec 4-1
S. Barnhart over Bunting, MFF
 
141Dominic Hargrove (0-2)
Jameson Garcia (Harvard) over Hargrove MD 13-4
J. Crumpler over Hargrove, Fall (6:43)
 
157 DJ McGee (4-1) - Second Place
McGee over Braden Stauffenberg (Mich. St.), Dec 8-2
McGee over Jason Mara (Stanford), dec 10-3
McGee over J. Harrington (Harvard), dec 8-6
McGee over Logan Rozynski (Lehigh), TB-1 2-1
Lovett (Cen. Mich) over McGee, TB-2 (RT), 202 - CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT
 
165 Evan Maag (3-2)
Maag over Chris Crawford (Indiana), dec 7-3
Maag over Ryan Ford (Rutgers), dec 10-7
Maag over Drayden Morton (Cal. Bap), MD 14-5
Maxx Mayfield (Northwestern) over Maag, injury (6:52) – Semifinal
D. Morton (Cal Bap) over Maag, MFF
 
174 Logan Messer (1-2)
Luca Augustine (Pitt) over Messer, MD 12-2
Messer over J. Evans, MD 11-1
C. Schmidt over Messer, dec 6-4
 
197 Tyler Kocak (1-2)
Rune Lawrence (WVA) over Kocak, MD 14-2
Kocak over C. Wood, SV-1 6-5
E. Bates over Kocak, MD 10-0