CLEVELAND, Ohio – George Mason wrestlers wrapped up successful seasons at the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championships, held at Rocket Arena.
The Patriots delivered a strong showing on the national stage, sending four qualifiers to the tournament—the program's highest total in 25 years. Notably, all four advanced to the second day of competition.
In his third NCAA appearance, DJ McGee finished among the top 16 in the country for the second consecutive season. He posted a 2-2 record, matching his performance from the 2025 championships, and now holds a 5-6 career mark at the NCAA Championships.
McGee's run came to an end in the third round of consolations against ninth-seeded Daniel Cardenas, who built a 6-1 lead after the first period and secured a technical fall victory. Earlier, McGee advanced with an impressive 10-4 win over Wisconsin's Luke Mechler, recording three takedowns while limiting Mechler to four escape points.
Kaden Cassidy saw his tournament conclude in the second round of consolations against 14th-seeded Caleb Rathjen of Northern Iowa. Cassidy, a two-time NCAA qualifier, finished the season with a 17-5 record and earned his first NCAA Championship victory, going 1-2 on the week. He closes his collegiate career with a 68-27 record and as a three-time MAC Championship place-winner.
Cassidy struck first in his final bout with a first-period takedown and accumulated 1:35 of riding time. However, Rathjen responded with three takedowns in the second period to take a 9-4 lead and ultimately claimed a 10-5 decision.
At 174 pounds, Logan Messer battled Binghamton's Carter Baer into sudden victory before falling 4-1. Messer caps an outstanding senior campaign as a MAC Champion with a 27-8 record. He finishes his career with 102 wins, ranking seventh in program history.
Malachi DuVall concluded his NCAA run with a 1-2 record, falling in the second round of consolations to American's Caleb Campos, 9-2. Campos scored all of his points in the final period. The redshirt senior ends his season at 23-6 and reached a milestone 100th career victory, becoming just the ninth wrestler in program history to do so. DuVall is also a two-time NCAA qualifier.
George Mason NCAA Championship Results
149 – #22 Kaden Cassidy (1-2)
Champ Rd. – #4 Collin Gaj (Virginia Tech) dec. Cassidy, 9-4
Cons. Prelims – Cassidy def. Joseph Zargo (Wisconsin), Fall (4:23)
Cons. Rd. 2 – #14 Caleb Rathjen (Northern Iowa) dec. Cassidy, 10-5
157 – #18 DJ McGee (2-2)
Champ Rd. – #15 Cameron Catrabone (Michigan) dec. McGee, 5-0
Cons. Prelims – McGee def. Garrett McChesney (Edinboro), 6-3
Cons. Rd. 2 – McGee def. Luke Mechler (Wisconsin), 10-4
Cons. Rd. 3 – #9 Daniel Cardenas (Stanford) tech. fall McGee, 17-2
174 – #19 Logan Messer (1-2)
Champ Rd. – Messer def. #14 Moses Espinoza-Owens (SDSU), 6-3 (SV-1)
Champ Rd. – #3 Christopher Minto (Nebraska) major dec. Messer, 11-3
Cons. Rd. 2 – #13 Carter Baer (Binghamton) dec. Messer, 4-1
184 – #21 Malachi DuVall (1-2)
Champ Rd. – #12 Silas Allred (Nebraska) dec. DuVall, 3-1
Cons. Prelims – DuVall def. #24 Joe Curtis (Columbia), Fall (1:50)
Cons. Rd. 2 – #10 Caleb Campos (American) dec. DuVall, 9-2
# = NCAA Tournament Seed
