George Mason Patriots (3-0, 1-0 MAC East) at Clarion Golden Eagles (0-1, 0-0 MAC East)
Sunday, November 17 // 2 p.m.
Clarion, Pa. // Tippin Gymnasium
 
Series History: Clarion has won the previous three matchups and six of the last seven meetings against George Mason. The last time the Golden Eagles hosted the Patriots was during the 2022-23 campaign, with a 25-12 victory.
 
Most Recent Meeting: Nov. 11, 2023 – Clarion 23, George Mason 12
 
The Golden Eagles won the final four matches of the dual and six of the ten matches overall to secure the victory in last year's matchup.

Kyle Schickel earned a major decision over Kaden Cassidy with a score of 11-0. Last year, Cassidy reached the quarterfinals at the MAC Championships before finishing in fifth place. Schickel has had success against the Patriots with a 2-0 career dual record including a first period pin in the 2022-23 matchup.

Senior John Worthing secured a major decision, defeating Sean Coughlin 8-0. In three dual meets against George Mason, Worthing is 3-0, with two decision victories and last year's major decision.

George Mason returns three 2024 MAC champions who earned automatic bids to the NCAA Championships.
 
Match Preview
The Patriots come to Tippin Gymnasium riding a three-match winning streak after a dominant performance at the Mason Duals. They defeated MAC opponent Bloomsburg, along with a pair of Division II opponents, Millersville and Williams College, by scores of 42-0, 54-0, and 37-6, respectively.
 
The Golden Eagles are looking for their first win of the season after narrowly falling to American by a 19-18 margin. John Worthing opened the dual season with a first-period pin using a half-nelson to turn his opponent. Austin Chapman looks to build on his strong start after defeating #25 William Jarrell by a 4-2 decision.
 
The match of the night could be at 157 pounds, where the projected matchup between Alejandro Herrera-Rondon and #15 DJ McGee takes place. In their previous encounter, McGee narrowly defeated Herrera-Rondon 4-2. In the preseason MAC rankings, McGee was ranked second and Herrera-Rondon came in at sixth.
 
The momentum in last year's match swung in favor of the Golden Eagles at 149 pounds when Kyle Schickel defeated Kaden Cassidy by an 11-0 major decision, giving Clarion its first lead. This year, the 149-pound match will again be critical, as both wrestlers opened the dual season with victories.
 
Other potential matchups against ranked opponents include a pair of reigning MAC champions at 165 pounds, with redshirt-junior John Altieri facing #24 Evan Haag, and at 184 pounds, where Adrian Gacek could face #24 Malachi DuVall.