Feb. 16, 2008

FAIRFAX, Va. - When the George Mason wrestling team hosts the Delaware State Hornets on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Fieldhouse, the Patriots will be seeking their 13th win of the season. Earning that 13th win would give Mason its highest victory total since the 1991-92 season, when the team went 13-0-1 and captured the first of its five CAA Championships.

Mason enters Sunday's meet full of confidence, after defeating both Liberty and UNC Greensboro by a point in Lynchburg, Va. on Feb. 5. On Friday, Mason wrestled Duquesne and dominated the Dukes, taking the last five matches to win convincingly, 35-6, on the road. The Patriots have been rewarded for their recent success, capturing the past two CAA Rookie of the Week awards, with 157-pounder Frankie McLaughlin winning two weeks ago, and 197-pounder Cayle Byers, currently ranked 12th by InterMat and 20th by Amateur Wrestling News, winning for the second time last week.

It's been a tough 2007-08 campaign for Delaware State. The Hornets enter Sunday's meet with a 1-12-1 overall record and are coming off a 39-12 thrashing at the hands of VMI on Wednesday in Lexington, Va. George Mason earned two victories over Delaware State last season, winning once by a result of a team forfeit and another by a final margin of 26-15.

Tickets to Sunday's meet will cost $5 for adults and $2 for youth and senior citizens. All full-time enrolled students at George Mason University will be admitted free with a valid Mason student ID.