Columbia 21 George Mason 16

Mason Wrestling Falls to Columbia, 21-16
Patriots unable to hold onto one-point lead heading into heavyweight class

Jan. 25, 2009

FAIRFAX, Va. - A pin at the heavyweight class by sophomore Ryan Flores lifted the Columbia Lions past the George Mason Patriots by a final score of 21-16 in nonconference dual wrestling action on Sunday evening at the Field House. The Patriots entered the final match of the meet clinging to a slim 16-15 lead following a decision by sophomore Cayle Byers at 197 pounds.
Trailing 15-13 in the team score, Byers put the Patriots ahead with a 3-2 win over Lou Miller. A first-period takedown by Byers proved to be the difference in the match. With the win, Byers' season record stands at 21-2. The Chugiak, Alaska native is ranked eighth in the nation in both the InterMat and Amateur Wrestling News polls.
Mason was unable to hold onto the one-point lead to beat Columbia as Flores, who is ranked 14th by InterMat and 15th by AWN, immediately went on the offensive in the heavyweight match, taking a quick 6-0 lead off of a takedown, a near fall and another takedown before pinning Mason sophomore Mike Peterson in 1:17.
After junior Brian Wright lost by a 4-1 decision to Kyle Gilchrist at 125 pounds to open the meet, freshman Denny Herndon put the Patriots on the board with an 11-5 decision over Andrew Grabfelder at 133 pounds. Herndon put on an impressive display in the first period of the match with three takedowns.
After a win by forfeit by John Delgado at 141 pounds gave the Patriots a 9-3 advantage, the Lions closed the gap with a 12-5 decision in favor of Matt Dunn at 149 pounds. Dunn scored nine of his 12 points in the final period to put away Mason sophomore Brandon Bucher.

_Trailing 9-6, Columbia knotted the team score with a 4-3 decision by Derek Sickles over Frankie McLaughlin IV at 157 pounds. The Lions took a 12-9 lead when Eren Civan took a 6-2 decision over Jimmy Kaden at 165 pounds.
The Lions' lead was short-lived; however, as the Patriots broke a three-match losing streak with a 22-8 major decision victory at 174 pounds by Mendbagana Tovuujav over Mike Wolfer. Tovuujav, No. 19 in the country according to AWN, was on the attack from the opening whistle with five takedowns in the first period and 10 total in the match. Wolfer didn't have a single takedown during the entire contest.
The lead changed hands once again at 184 pounds when Columbia's Kenji Porter earned a 1-0 victory over Mason sophomore Jimmy Webb. The only point of the match was scored in the second period. After choosing the down position to start the period, Porter earned one point for an escape.
The Patriots' dual record drops to 4-6-1 with the loss. Columbia's overall record stands at 2-8 on the season. The Lions also wrestled American University on Sunday afternoon in Washington, D.C., taking a 28-16 loss before heading to Fairfax to take on the Green and Gold.
George Mason wrestles again on Friday, Jan. 30 against the University of Virginia at Hopewell High School in Richmond, Va. at the 2009 VAWA Benefit Double Dual. The meet begins at 7 p.m.

Columbia 21 George Mason 16_
125: Kyle Gilchrist (Columbia) dec. Brian Wright (George Mason), 4-1_
133: Denny Herndon (George Mason) dec. Andrew Grabfelder (Columbia), 11-5_
141: John Delgado (George Mason) wins by forf._
149: Matt Dunn (Columbia) dec. Brandon Bucher (George Mason), 12-5_
157: Derek Sickles (Columbia) dec. Frankie McLaughlin IV (George Mason), 4-3_
165: Eren Civan (Columbia) dec. Jimmy Kaden (George Mason), 6-2_
174: Mendbagana Tovuujav (George Mason) maj. dec. Mike Wolfer (Columbia), 22-8_
184: Kenji Porter (Columbia) dec. Jimmy Webb (George Mason), 1-0_
197: Cayle Byers (George Mason) dec. Lou Miller (Columbia), 3-2_
285: Ryan Flores (Columbia) fall Mike Peterson (George Mason), 1:17