Avery, ranked second by InterMat at 184 lbs., and Matthews had been both out all year while recovering from knee surgeries. They provide a young Edinboro lineup with a great deal more experience. Avery, who earned All-American honors for the first time a year ago after finishing third at 184 lbs. at the NCAA Division I National Championships, was dominant in his return. He won by technical fall at 6:28 by a score of 23-7 over Luke Ludke. Adorned in gold shoes, he finished with eight takedowns in all.
Matthews had a much more difficult time while facing Greg Flournoy at 157 lbs. Flournoy was a returning NCAA qualifier after finishing second at the EWL Championships last year. Matthews opened up a 2-1 lead after one period with a takedown just 17 seconds into his first match of the year. He would ride out Flournoy in the second period, and following a third-period escape, added a takedown with 38 seconds remaning. He wrapped up the 6-1 decision with riding time to drop Flournoy to 21-6. Matthews was 9-0 a year ago and ranked in the top five before going down a month into the season.
George Mason would win two of the first three matches to take a 7-3 lead, but it was all Edinboro after that as the Fighting Scots ran off wins in the final seven bouts. Sean Russell improved to 20-5 with an 8-1 decision over Ibrahim Banduka (14-12) at 125 lbs.
Vince Rodriguez (16-6) won a 12-2 major decision over Anthony Rivera (6-8) at 133 lbs., and Tejon Anthony (15-7) followed with a 5-2 decision over Tyler Vath (7-10) at 141 lbs.
Patricio Lugo, ranked 20th by InterMat, continued his impressive freshman campaign with an 18-2 technical fall (6:35) over Konbeh Koroma (10-12) at 149 lbs. While improving to 23-3, Lugo jumped out to an 8-1 lead after one period, nearly pinning Koroma in the first minute before settling for four near-fall points. All told, he had three takedowns and added another four near-fall points in the third period.
Casey Fuller picked up his 20th win of the season with a 4-0 decision over Patrick Davis (9-10) at 165 lbs. Now 20-5, the redshirt senior was never seriously challenged after a takedown 11 seconds into the bout. He added an escape in the second and picked up a point for riding time.
Patrick Jennings won a 10-4 decision over Ryan Forrest (7-7) at 174 lbs. to improve to 18-11. The redshirt senior led 5-1 after two periods thanks to a pair of takedowns, then added two more takedowns in the final period.
Senior Vince Pickett registered the lone fall of the evening, as he needed just 1:43 to pin Cameron Houston (1-15). Pickett improved to 17-10 with his third fall of the season.
Redshirt freshman Billy Miller capped the evening with a 10-3 decision over Matt Voss (17-10) at heavyweight. Now 22-5, Miller had takedowns in each of the first two periods for a 4-2 lead, then pulled away with an escape and his third and fourth takedowns in the third period.
Edinboro returns to EWL action on Saturday, January 23, hosting Rider. That match is set to start at 1:00 p.m. at McComb Fieldhouse.
Results:
125 -- Sean Russell (EU) dec. Ibrahim Banduka (GMU) 8-1
133 - Vince Rodriguez (GMU) maj. dec. Anthony Rivera (EU) 12-2
141 - Tejon Anthony (GMU) dec. Tyler Vath (EU) 5-2
149 --#20 Patricio Lugo (EU) tech. fall Konbeh Koroma (GMU) 18-2 (6:35)
157 - Austin Matthews (EU) dec. Greg Flournoy (GMU) 6-1
165 - Casey Fuller (EU) dec. Patrick Davis (GMU) 4-0
174 - Patrick Jennings (EU) dec. Ryan Forrest (GMU) 10-4
184 - #2 Vic Avery (EU) tech. fall Luke Ludke (GMU) 23-7 (6:28)
197 -- Vince Pickett (EU) fall over Cameron Houston (GMU) 1:43
285 -- Billy Miller (EU) dec. Matt Voss (GMU) 10-3
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