"I felt like the team responded well to a short week of preparation and Corey Wilding really set the tone for the evening in the very first match with a consistent line to line, whistle to whistle effort," said Navy head coach Joel Sharratt. "We had the opportunity to see some non-traditional favorites in the lineup due to injuries and the guys need to understand why you have to prepare every day like you're the man in the arena. You might just be called upon to step up sooner than you think.
"It's one match at a time, but tonight was a good team victory against a much stronger George Mason team than we saw 12 months ago."
Navy jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead after sophomore Corey Wilding (Pittsburgh, Pa.) picked up an 11-4 win against George Mason's Blake Roulo at 149 pounds. Wilding appeared to have the major decision, but Roulo managed to break free with 38 seconds left in the match to cut into Wilding's lead and salvage a three-point loss instead of four.
George Mason, however, took its first and only lead in the match when redshirt senior Greg Flournoy took advantage of the Mids' youth at 157 pounds. Rookie Jonathan Carrera (Milton, Mass.) made just his second career dual appearance when he stepped to the mat against Flournoy who entered the match with a 22-6 record this season, including a 10-3 dual mark. Flournoy dominated the match and picked up a 9-0 major decision to give the Patriots a 4-3 advantage.
The Mids battled back to not only win the next four matches, but gave the team a commanding 23-4 lead by outscoring George Mason 20-0. First up on the docket was sophomore 165-pound Michael Coleman (Hudson, Ohio) who got the start after team captain John Keck (Wading River, N.Y.) was unable to go because of an injury sustained at the All-Academy Championship last weekend. Coleman earned the escape in the second period before securing the win in the third with a takedown and tacking on riding time for a 4-0 win against redshirt junior Pat Davis.
The trio of 19th-ranked sophomore Jadaen Bernstein (Glen Gardner, N.J.), 15th-ranked senior Mathew Miller (Edgewood, Md.) and senior Michael Woulfe (Oak Park, Ill.) has been nothing short of sensational this season, especially in dual action. The three are a combined 18-1 in dual matches and have outscored their opponents a whopping 86-3 in those bouts. Wednesday night's match would not disappoint as the three combined for 17 points.
"Bernstein, Miller and Woulfe continue to set a great example of finding ways to score big team points and they are so exciting for our fans and impose their will against our opponents," added Sharratt.
After a rather inactive first period that saw Bernstein take a 3-2 lead over GMU's Daniel Mika at 174 pounds, the 2015 NCAA qualifier built a 14-4 lead through two periods and earned the tech fall (25-9) with 41 seconds remaining in the match. Bernstein recorded nine takedowns and a two-point near fall en route to capturing his 28th victory of the season and mainting his flawless dual record at 7-0.
Miller, meanwhile, stepped up to the mat and for the third consecutive match, he pinned his foe in the opening period. Ranked No. 3 in the country in wins by fall (vs. DI opponents), Miller earned his 14th win this season by pinning George Mason redshirt freshman Austin Harrison just over a minute into the match (1:08).
Not to be outdone, 197-pound Woulfe built a 12-3 lead and scored a pair of 4-point near falls before he picked up his 16th win this season by fall, the nation's best mark. Woulfe earned the pin against Patriots freshman Cameron Houston in 2:39.
George Mason answered with a fall of its own at heavyweight with redshirt freshman Matt Voss pinning Navy sophomore Nick Mabry (New Braunfels, Texas) with just over two minutes to go in the match (4:52). The Patriots got to within nine points when redshirt sophomore Ibrahim Bunduka picked up his 16th win of the season in a 13-4 major decision over Navy sophomore 125-pound Brant Leadbeter (Owings, Md.).
Navy pushed its lead to 12 behind sophomore 133-pound Zack Davis' (Granger, Ind.) effort. Davis broke a 4-4 tie with an escape to start the third and was awarded a two-point near fall to push his lead to three. He gained nearly two minutes of riding time in the final period to earn the bonus point for the 8-4 victory and secure the team victory for the Midshipmen.
"Davis earned the match of the night. After getting off to a bit of a slow start, he battled for every point after the first flurry and ultimately established his pace."
The Patriots won the final bout of the night at 141 pounds with redshirt senior Vince Rodriguez posting a 14-5 major decision over Navy backup 141-pound sophomore John Kenyon (Lewiston, Idaho), who made his dual debut. Kenyon wrestled in place of an ailing Nicholas Gil (Crystal Lake, Ill.) who has had a solid rookie season with a 21-10 mark.
The Mids will have little time to relish the victory as they will be back on the mat Friday evening when they travel to Norfolk, Va. to face a talented Old Dominion squad. Action is slated for 7:30 pm at the Ted Constant Convocation Center and will be streamed live via Old Dominion's web site, odusports.com (paid subscription).
Results:
149 - Corey Wilding (N) dec Blake Roulo (GM) 11-4
157 - Greg Flournoy (GM) major Jonathan Carrera (N) 9-0
165 - Michael Coleman (N) dec Pat Davis (GM) 4-0
174 - #18 Jadaen Bernstein (N) tech fall Daniel Mika (GM) 25-9
184 - #15 Mathew Miller (N) fall Austin Harrison (GM) 1:08
197 - Michael Woulfe (N) fall Cameron Houston (GM) 2:39
285 - Matt Voss (GM) fall Nick Mabry (N) 4:52
125 - Ibrahim Bunduka (GM) major Brant Leadbeter (N) 13-4
133 - Zack Davis (N) dec Vince Rodriguez (GM) 8-4
141 - Tejon Anthony (GM) major John Kenyon (N) 14-5
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