Las Vegas

We were able to have 6 guys compete in Las Vegas. Jake Kettler wrestled in the US Open Greco-Roman Tournament. He placed 7th which qualified him for the final world team trials in June. The 5 other guys competed in the FILA Junior Nationals. We had no placers in Freestyle, although Sahid Kargbo, Matt Meadows and Corey Smith all won multiple matches. In Greco-Roman, Matt Meadows placed 7th and Sahid Kargbo placed 3rd. Both of them qualified for the Jr. World team trials. Thanks to the efforts of our wrestling club, we were able to pay for most of the athletes expenses to compete. We plan on sending everyone willing to train and compete to the University Nationals in late May.

On Sunday we will celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of this past season. We made improvements as individuals and as a team. It will be fun to share some good food, give out some awards and to hear the senior speeches. If you are free on Sunday, come join us at Brion’s Grill at 5pm.

It is hard to believe another year is coming to a close. The guys are one week away from final exams. Although it seems like some of their professors are ready to be done as well, because a bunch of guys will be doing final projects this week. I hope they have been diligent in their studies this semester and finish well. It is extremely important to the individuals, the team, and the program that our guys do well in the classroom.

We have tentatively accepted an offer to join a conference next season. We just need to get it approved and signed. I am excited to have a home. Watch for the announcement in the near future.

Jim Lehrer

Thanks to Matt Stull for inviting his Great Uncle Jim Lehrer to speak on campus. The event went great. Jim Lehrer was very entertaining. He shared some great stories and insight. Many good things happened as a result of the event. Our wrestling program made a step forward by aligning ourselves with the academic side of campus. The event was free to the public. People only had to RSVP. Too many people requested seats, so they stopped taking reservations. The President, Provost, College Dean and other administrators were in attendance. It was a good day.

We have also been receiving donations from the people who joined the Mason Pinners Club. Year number one was a success. The guys enjoyed trying to get pins a little bit more thanks to the generosity of the Mason Pinners Club members. This year’s Mason Pinners Club donors were: Dan and Patty Wotring, Kirk Volm, James Baillie, Joe Corbin, Bob and Debbie Flournoy, Ron and Lori Hembury, Ronald and Trish Hembury, William and Christine Hembury, Steve and Carol Kettler, Rob Koll, Chuck and Diane Moore, Pat and Janet Smith, Tom Carr, Sr., Greg Scott, Stephanie Scott, Paul Bowden, Tom Carr, John Delgado, Damion Hahn, Tommy Owen, Terry Willie, Bob Fredrick, Aaron Anderson and Dave Marble. Thanks to all of you for helping build George Mason Wrestling.

The team has been working hard this spring. They are running and lifting 4 days a week. We are also doing some individual skill instruction. Most of the guys have also joined our Olympic Regional Training Center. We run 4 days of Freestyle and Greco-Roman Practice for our RTC. We will have 6 guys compete next week at the 20 and under nationals in Las Vegas. We will have 2 other guys compete at the US Open. They will all wrestle for the Patriot Elite RTC.

We will complete our spring training cycle on May 3. We will have our team banquet on May 5. Then, the guys will be on their own until finals end on May 15. When finals are done, we hope to take most, if not all, of the team to the University Freestyle and Greco-Roman Nationals held at the University of Akron on May 23-26. Success comes with preparation. We are preparing.