After junior Joe Coughlin won by forfeit to give the Patriots a quick 6-0 lead in the meet, the Keydets strung together four consecutive wins to take a 10-point lead at 16-6. VMI freshman Johnathan Pope started the streak by pinning Mason freshman Mostafa Ibrahim in 4:42 at 133 pounds to tie the match at six. Both Tyler Anthony and Sam Alvarenga earned decisions at the next two weight classes to put VMI ahead 12-6, and junior Tommy Cunningham closed out the winning streak with an 8-0 major decision victory against senior Robert Henry at 157 pounds.
Redshirt sophomore Tyler Tisdell put Mason back in the win column with a dominating 21-6 technical fall victory against Vince Cole at 165 pounds to pull the Patriots within five points of VMI. Oates followed up Tisdell's win with a pin fall victory against Dustin McCabe to give Mason a one-point lead at 17-16. The lead didn't last long; however, as VMI's Corry Murray defeated junior Matt Moyer to put the Keydets back on top 19-17.
With the Patriots down two, redshirt junior Harry Zander pinned Kyle Elgert in 1:14 at 197 pounds to give George Mason the lead for good, 23-19. Despite Mason dropping the final match when Leon Barrow recorded a 2-1 overtime victory at 285 pounds against senior Ryan Kittrick, the Patriots held on for the win, 23-22.
George Mason hits the mat again on Sunday, Jan. 14 at 1 p.m. against American in Washington, D.C. The Eagles are unranked but were listed in the others receiving votes category in the latest USA Today/Intermat/NWCA Division I Team Rankings. Individually, American has three ranked wrestlers, as freshman Mike Cannon is ranked 17th by Intermat/NWCA/NWMA at 165 pounds, junior Josh Glenn is currently ranked ninth at 197 pounds by Intermat/NWCA/NWMA and third by Amateur Wrestling News, and junior Adam LoPiccolo is ranked sixth at 285 pounds by Intermat/NWCA/NWMA and 11th by Amateur Wrestling News.
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