Mason (7-12, 2-4 EWL) started the match with a 6-0 lead when junior Ibrahim Bunduka (19-4), 31st in the NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings, won by forfeit at 125 pounds.
Sacred Heart (3-12, 0-6 EIWA) then picked up wins at 133 pounds and 141 pounds to take a 9-6 match score lead.
"I told them to try to score points today and they definitely went after it," Mason head coach Joe Russell said. "The fun part of the season in now starting and I'm excited they get to go to the conference championships in a couple of weeks."
Mason senior Sahid Kargbo (26-2), 24th in the NCAA Coaches Panel Rankings, put the Patriots back on track with a 22-10 major decision over Pioneers junior Alex Harnsberger at 149 pounds.
Kargbo built an 8-3 advantage early and held a 12-6 lead going into the third, where he scored 10 more points. His win put Mason back in front with a 10-9 match score lead.
"Coach Russell and I spoke and he told me to just go out and let the sparks fly," Kargbo said. "He told me to leave everything out there and go out and have fun. It was my last time competing in front of the home crowd so I wanted to make it something memorable."
Kargbo has won a career-high 26 matches this season. He's earned bonus points 14 times, with 11 of his victories by major decision, two by technical fall and one by fall.
"It's a bittersweet moment, I look back and it flew by," Kargbo said of senior day. "We were coach Russell's first recruit class, so that's why we have a special bond. I'm going to really miss competing for Mason and I'm ready to go on and do big things in the postseason."
Kargbo's win started a stretch where the Patriots won five of the final seven bouts of the dual.
Mason freshman Matthew Raines (11-16) led 2-1 after the first period against Sacred Heart senior Casey Mitchell. In the second period, Raines scored a takedown with just 30 second remaining to take a 5-4 lead into the third. He would hold on for a 6-4 decision as the Patriots increased the match score advantage to 13-9.
In a match that was close throughout, Sacred Heart cut the Mason lead to 13-12 with an 8-5 decision at 165 pounds.
At 174 pounds, Mason senior Ryan Forrest (4-4) was aggressive from the start in his bout against Pioneers junior Dom Celli. Forrest led 10-1 in the second period after a flurry that included a takedown and four near fall points. He notched a 15-3 major decision to increase the Patriots lead to 17-12.
The Pioneers wouldn't go away, recording a technical fall at 184 pounds to even the match score 17-17 and set the stage for a dramatic finish.
Mason senior Matt Meadows (5-14) scored with a pair of early takedowns against Sacred Heart junior Mark Boyle to take a 4-1 lead into the second period. From there, Meadows was able to stay out of trouble with great defense to earn a 5-2 decision and put the Patriots back in front 20-17.
The outcome of the match on Sunday was decided by the heavyweights.
Mason sophomore Matthew Voss (18-10) wasted little time against Sacred Heart junior John Harnell. Voss recorded his team-leading fifth pin of the season at 2:06 of the match to secure a 26-17 win for the Patriots.
"I love being the last to wrestle and I think I perform better when the stakes are high," Voss said. "We all compete for each other and I definitely go out there and wrestle for them, the senior's specifically today."
Mason seniors Patrick Davis, Ryan Forrest, Sahid Kargbo, Matt Meadows, Ryan Renkey and Andrew Thomas were honored during intermission.
"The seniors wrestled hard," Russell said. "It's nice to see them go out with a win. I'll miss them, there's no doubt about it. They're my first recruiting class and they chose George Mason and I'm very proud and happy to be their coach."
Mason will be back in action at the Eastern Wrestling League Championships on March 4 at Nelson Field House in Bloomsburg, Pa.
Results:
125 | Ibrahim Bunduka (Mason) by forfeit | 6-0 Mason
133 | Gerard Daly (SHU) decision over Lio Quezada (Mason), 12-8 | 6-3 Mason
141 | Paul Klee (SHU) fall over Tejon Anthony (Mason), :29 | 9-6 Sacred Heart
149 | Sahid Kargbo (Mason) major decision over Alex Harnsberger (SHU), 22-10 | 10-9 Mason
157 | Matthew Raines (Mason) decision over Casey Mitchell (SHU), 6-4 | 13-9 Mason
165 | Matt Fisher (SHU) decision over Daniel Mika (Mason), 8-5 | 13-12 Mason
174 | Ryan Forrest (Mason) major decision over Dom Celli (SHU), 15-3 | 17-12 Mason
184 | Elliott Antler (SHU) technical fall over Andrew Thomas (Mason), 22-7, 6:09 | 17-17
197 | Matt Meadows (Mason) decision over Mark Boyle (SHU), 5-2 | 20-17 Mason
HWT | Matthew Voss (Mason) fall over John Hartnell (SHU), 2:03 | 26-17 Mason
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now