Broadside Sports

Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

Overview:
The women’s basketball team looks to defend its home court on Sunday at 1 p.m. when the Patriots take on the heavily favored VCU Rams.

Entering Thursday night’s game against the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks, Mason had an 8-14 overall record and a 1-10 conference record.

The Rams stood atop the Colonial Athletic Association with a 9-2 record against conference opponents and are among the top teams with a 16-7 overall record.

Mason:
Prior to Sunday’s game against the Old Dominion Monarchs, the Patriots dropped its worst home loss of the season, falling to the Hofstra Pride 72-39 and shooting just 25.5 percent from the field. In its last two home games, Mason was held to below 40 points.

The team responded with a solid effort against the Delaware Blue Hens on the road.

Mason held the lead for most of the first half and part of the second half before relinquishing the lead late in the game.
Despite losing for the 10th time on the road, Mason displayed exceptional effort on offense, scoring at least 60 points for the first time since its 72-61 win over the Northeastern Huskies on Jan. 17.

The Patriots look for junior guard Brittany Eley to be its scoring factor. Eley scored 11 points in last year’s 67-43 loss to the Rams. This season, she scored in double-digits five times.

VCU:
Coming off a disappointing home loss to the James Madison Dukes, the Rams went into Norfolk and dominated on the defensive side, forcing 19 turnovers from the Monarchs.

The Rams shot 53.3 percent and outscored the Monarchs 42-30 in the second half en route to a 75-56 win. Forward D’Andra Moss is the Rams’ scoring leader this season with 17.5 points per game. She ranks sixth in the conference in scoring.

Guard Kita Waller leads the team with 56 steals and averages 14.5 points per game.

Both players recorded their 1,000th point in the game against ODU. The Rams have been stealth all season long, leading the CAA with 252 steals and being ranked second in scoring offense with 69.1 points per contest.

Fernanda Bartels, Staff Writer

Overview:
The men’s volleyball team comes back to its home court this weekend.

After playing against the Juniata Eagles and St. Francis Red Flash on the road, the Patriots have a busy weekend ahead against the Loyola Chicago Ramblers and Lewis Flyers. Mason last played the Ramblers and Flyers last March; the Patriots were downed by both teams in three sets.

Opposite hitter Kyle Gramit led the Patriots on both matches, having 15 kills against the Ramblers and 10 kills against the Flyers.
Mason played Loyola earlier on that season, and lost in five sets.

Despite the loss, the Patriots recorded a total of 24 blocks, falling one block short of only one block to match the school’s rally-scoring era record.

Mason:
Junior outside hitter Eric Lucas adapted well to the hitter position and has led the Patriot offense with 58 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Andrew Dentler is second in kills with 49. Starting freshman middle blocker Piotr Dabrowski and freshman setter Javier Perez have been making the difference on the court; Dabrowski is first on total blocks with 20, and Perez has a team high of 180 sets. The Patriots rank second in kills, assists, blocks and service aces in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. Sophomore outside hitter Joe Norton is fourth in hitting percentage in the EIVA. Dentler leads the EIVA rank in kills per game, averaging 4.55 per game.

Lewis:
The Flyers hold an overall record of 7-1. Ranked 15th in the nation, Lewis lost its only match to the ninth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions in four sets earlier in the season. Lewis won a pair of matches on the road against the Quincy Hawks and IPFW Mastodons; they will play the 13th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes before facing the Patriots on Friday.

The game against Quincy was the Flyers’ conference opener. The Flyers are led by senior outside hitter Nathan Klaas with 119 kills, followed by freshman opposite hitter Ian Karbiener with 102 kills.

Loyola:
The 12th-ranked Ramblers enter the weekend with an impressive 6-0 overall record, after beating Penn State in five games. Before playing Mason on Saturday, Loyola makes a trip to Huntingdon, Pa. to play Juniata. Sophomore outside hitter Mike Bunting leads Loyola with 80 kills, along with the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Offensive Player of the Week Kris Berzins, who recorded 65 kills and 10 service aces. Berzins also received Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I-II Men’s Volleyball National Player of the Week honors. Bunting received the same awards earlier this season.

John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor

It did not look very good for the men’s basketball team. No shots went their way, Old Dominion held a tight defense, and the only point that came in the first nine minutes was on a free throw from freshman forward Johnny Williams.

“Five of our first six shots I thought were really good . . . but when you miss an easy shot, it’s still a miss,” said Head Coach Jim Larranaga.

The Patriots were held to shooting only 44.4 percent from the field, while they shot 70 percent from the free throw line.
Shooting problems were not the only things plaguing the Patriots (16-10, 11-4), but the nine first-half turnovers gave the Monarchs (20-7, 12-3) point after point on the fastbreak. They came on dribbles, they came on passes.

Mason basically could not find a way to keep the ball, even giving it away on a shot-clock violation.

The Monarchs, on the other hand, made crisp passes, picked up their own rebounds and Mason’s as well.

“They have got a good team. They are good defensively, especially good when their rebounders are playing well,” said Larranaga of the Monarchs’ defense.

The Patriots finally hit a stride, matching the Monarchs’ scoring, with the help of some shooting fouls, but it came a bit late, as the game clock ended the first half before any scoring run could come.

There was no Mason star of the half, as junior guard Cam Long was the high-scorer of the half with a measly five points.

Unfortunately, the second half saw more of the sloppy ball handling that was evident in the first half, leading to a 19-point margin,
effectively handing the Monarchs the game.

It was evident that sophomore forward Mike Morrison had a problem with something. It may have been his own team or the Monarchs, but he took it out on everyone around him.

Only a few minutes into the second half, Morrison flailed under the basket and yelled at a referee. This earned him, and more importantly the team, two technical fouls.

Ejected and dejected, Morrison was escorted from the court to watch his team flounder for the last 15 minutes.

“[Mike] was frustrated and lost his composure for a moment,” said Larranaga of the play. “Mike already has tremendous emotion and energy, but we talk to the players all the time about channeling your energy in a positive direction.”

This sad sight brought the 19-point Monarch lead to a 23-point lead on four consecutive foul shots by senior forward Gerald Lee, making the score 48-25.

Sophomore guard Andre Cornelius fought until the end of the game, leading the team in scoring with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, with a 3-of-6 mark from outside the arc.

The occasional 3-pointer gave the Patriots brief life, but it was not enough to overcome the incredible deficit that they dug themselves into.

Mason still needs to be in the top four in the conference to gain the first-round bye, so they will need to fare well for the rest of the season to maintain, or raise, its third-place mark.

The game that will be looked at to decide the fate of Mason basketball, should they lose the tournament, will be the upcoming homecoming game against the College of Charleston Cougars, which will be televised on the ESPN family of networks as part of the ESPN BracketBuster event.

Mason’s next game is Tuesday night at the Patriot Center against the William & Mary Tribe at 7:00 p.m., the first of four games to close out the season.

John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor

In his junior year of high school, Rachaunn Ruffin was ranked nationally for the first time in his life. While most would simply find an award of this stature a simple recognition of their dedication, Ruffin took a very different perspective on the new recognition.

When he was young, Ruffin just played sports that involved running.
“I just like running,” said Ruffin of how he began his athletic life. “Every sport that I played, whether it be soccer, football or basketball, as long as I could run, I liked to play.”

He always had support from his family.
“My father made me realize that I have great potential and that I should never settle for ordinary, even if I win,” Ruffin said of his parents’ impact. “My mom taught me if I lose that there are still people that care about you. I got so obsessed with winning that I thought that if I lose, nobody would care. She taught me that it was okay to lose sometimes.”

He learned dedication from his high school football coaches. Specifically, they taught him how to be mentally sharp and that even when he was tired and in pain, he could push through any physical obstacles ahead.

Unfortunately, he began to push not only against physical barriers in his own body, but also against the pressure to constantly outperform his competition.

Ruffin began to take the new confidence and heightened performance in track to a dangerous level.

“In my junior year, when I was finally ranked nationally, and I had a national medal, I realized that I could be somebody,” said Ruffin on how he began down the dangerous track of letting his running get the best of him. “I never stopped working. I became obsessed with it.”

He did not quite see the difference between dedication and obsession.
“I pushed myself so hard until I rejected my mom, my father, my coach and even my girl — the people who care the most about me — because I wanted to win that bad,” said Ruffin. “I wanted to become known that badly. I realized that you have to relax or you are going to overdo it and not only cause pain to yourself but push others away. At the end of the day, they were still there for me.”

The maturity that he grasped in things like schoolwork did not transfer to his athletic life. He had respect for the Mason administration, who pushed him to be a student first, then an athlete.
Ruffin has an easy grasp on his academics, but found that he filled most of his other time training.

“You don’t have time to digress . . . digressing is not an option,” Ruffin said of his motivation for training. “It’s expectations; even if [my coaches and teammates] don’t say it, I know they expect me not to digress, but to be the best I could be.”

His parents saw the unfortunate situation and had to take a step back to let him learn the danger of what he had allowed track to do to him.
Coming to the team, he saw how this season was truly “our year.” He realized his stature once again when the freshmen and the transfer athletes came and knew who he was.

It took his friends, his family, his girlfriend and some soul-searching to get out of the rut of obsession.
“When I’m in the off-season, I have a lot of time to myself,” Ruffin said of how he prepares. “When I’m at my father’s house . . . I do a lot of soul searching. You want to perfect your flaws and make layouts of what you need to improve on, not as an athlete, but as a person. Mentally, I want to be ready.”

His parents told him that even if he lost, people would still care for him and support him. Even his teammates began to shape him.
“Whether I see them come in first or last, when I see them practice, they inspire me,” said Ruffin of his teammates. “It makes me look at myself and ask if I’m working hard enough.”

Only a sophomore, Rachaunn Ruffin has plenty of time left to make his mark on Mason athletics, more than he has already done. There are plans for his future, academically and athletically.

Ruffin is not just focused on his future as an athlete, but also on how his studies in government can better himself, his country and his world.

“Track is a difficult sport to become pro in and, when you do become pro, the chances of making good money are slim-to-none,” said Ruffin “That’s why government is my major. In my lifetime, I have seen the real United States of America, the good and the bad, and I feel like I have a just cause to help people, somehow, some way.”

Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

When sophomore John Liebold first came to George Mason University, he found out that the school did not offer a roller hockey program. Liebold, who played the sport for the past 14 years, was not ready to give up on hockey.

“In my freshman year, we just started a pickup league team at The Box in Chantilly. It was about the six of us, and we just asked Mason to start a club and went to [the club sports coordinator] Bob Spousta and made it happen for our sophomore year,” said Liebold, club founder of the George Mason Roller Hockey Club.

The team, which started with six to seven people last year, has increased its membership to 17 players. The club recruited a player from Pennsylvania while the rest of the players were familiar with each other.
The club currently leads the Northern Conference in the Southeastern Collegiate Roller Hockey League (SECRHL) with an 11-1-0 record and 22 points.

Mason leads the conference in scoring offense and scoring defense with roughly 7.2 goals scored and 2.5 goals allowed per game.

Mason opened this season lighting the lamp in a 13-2 rout over the Florida International Golden Panthers.
Currently ranked 10th in the nation, Mason won its first 10 games in the 2009-10 season before falling 6-5 to the Division I N.C. State Wolfpack.

Despite surrendering a 5-2 lead to the Wolfpack, the team came back the next game and defeated the East Carolina Pirates 6-2.

In its inaugural season, Mason posted a 2-13-1 record and scored 58 goals while allowing 122 from the opponents. In just a year, the team has transformed into a high-scoring offense and goal-preventing defense.

“The key difference has been our coach, who has free time to come this year,” said Liebold. “Last season, we didn’t emphasize that he needed to be here. We like him to be there, but he has a tough schedule. Our coach has definitely helped us out a lot, strategizing our defense and making sure our lines are alright.”

This year, Liebold has taken over a leadership role, which has reduced his playing time to about two to three shifts, but his passion for roller hockey has stayed with him throughout. Liebold and senior forward Dan Brooks have pioneered the hockey club at Mason.

Liebold started playing hockey as an 8-year-old, and until he turned 12, Liebold gave up baseball to focus more on hockey. At Chantilly High School, Liebold played both roller and ice hockey. When he came to Mason, Liebold continued playing in adult leagues.

On the offensive side, freshman defenseman Andrew Lensing and freshman forward Cameron Lensing each lead the team with 18 goals, and Andrew, the team leader in points, is among the top five in the nation with five game-winning goals. Freshman defenseman Harrison Murdock has 15 goals entering the final stretch of the regular season, and freshman forward Mike Zyuzin, who scored five goals in this season’s opener, is ranked 20th in the league with 13 goals.

“I’ve played with the Lensing twins since middle school, and they were in sixth or seventh grade,” said Liebold. “Our freshmen here already know [their] friends from high school that are coming here, and we somehow got our name out and we’ve had people in Pennsylvania who are still contacting us.”

Opponents have had difficulty putting the puck past Mason’s top-notch goaltender, freshman Jordan Pohl. In 10 games, Pohl holds a 9-1 record and has stopped 198 of the 214 shots taken.

He also registered one shutout for this season. The 18-year-old is one of the top goaltenders in the SECRHL, leading the league with a 1.92 goals against average (GAA) and a 92.5 save percentage. On a national scale, he is the leader in save percentage and ranks third in GAA.

In addition to the strong goaltending from Pohl, the defensive line has been a major part in the team’s ability to prevent the opponents from taking advantage of scoring opportunities.

“Based on our record, it was more about fun last year,” said Liebold. “We got the experience, but it’s a little different since we now have a decent team.”

“This year’s progress has been phenomenal. We picked up three or four of the best freshmen roller hockey players in the area; they made a tremendous difference on the team in defense, offense and [in the goal],” said Liebold.

The team will wrap up its regular season schedule on Feb. 20-21 in Chantilly.

“I really think it’s going to be a good program and I just hope that Mason realizes it,” said Liebold. “It’s going to be a big deal because we actually made this club legit for roller hockey and I would like to see it keep going.”

In just its second year of existence, the club looks to build off its immediate success and continues to expand.

For more information on the club, visit http://www.gmuhockey.com/roller.

John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor

On Saturday afternoon, the men’s basketball team (15-7, 10-1) topped the James Madison Dukes (10-12, 3-8) by a score of 70-68.

Mason’s 17 consecutive home wins against a conference opponent ties a school record that was set in 2001.

This win was the seventh straight for the Patriots. A few hours after the win, the Old Dominion Monarchs lost to the Northeastern Huskies, giving the Patriots sole possession of first place in the conference by a full game.

Junior guard Cam Long was on fire Friday, scoring 23 points in the contest. This was the sixth time this season that Long has scored at least 20 points in a contest.

No other Patriot scored double-digits in the game. Junior guard Isaiah Tate and senior forward Louis Birdsong both tallied nine points, and freshman forward Johnny Williams shot for a career-high eight points in the win.

The Patriots came into the game leading the Colonial Athletic Association in 3-point shooting at 40.1 percent.

Playing the Dukes, the Patriots could only manage a 23.5 mark. In shooting percentages, the Patriots fell to the Dukes in every category.

The Dukes shot 35.3 percent from the 3-point range. The Patriots could only manage 46.7 percent in 2-point shooting to the Dukes’ mark of 50 percent.

The Patriots only shot 62.5 percent in free throw shooting to the Dukes’ 72.7 percent, which included a 100 percent mark in the second half.

“I looked at the stat sheet…and we won? I am always amazed when the numbers don’t seem to add up. They don’t seem to make any sense,” said Head Coach Jim Larranaga.

Both teams traded runs in the first half; there were two tied scores and seven lead changes. Mason finally took a 27-25 lead with just over two minutes left in the first, a lead that the team would not forfeit for the rest of the game.

Long was the only Patriot who could find a way to score in the last 7:30 of the game, scoring 11 points in that span.

“Tonight, Cam Long stepped up like he’s been basically the whole conference race. He’s been sensational,” said Larranaga of Long’s higher level of play over the last few weeks.

The poor statistics caught up with the Patriots with 3:51 left in the first, as the lead shrunk from 12 points to four points on a run of Dukes’ drives and free throws.

Freshman forward Trevon Flores, standing at a height of six-foot-11-inches, made a 3-point shot with 52.1 seconds on the clock to shrink the lead to three points, making it a 69-66 game.

The Dukes finally got the ball back and, with 9.1 seconds left, Tate made a game-saving foul on Julius Wells’ shot from 3-point range.

“I was told they blew the whistle way before I even shot the ball, but I didn’t hear the whistle because it was so loud in there. I thought it was good,” said Wells of the play.

The shot was eventually good, but the referee called that there was no shot, sending Wells to the free throw line, where he made both shots, instead of making one and setting up for a the rebound and the put back.
“We didn’t talk about that at all; just make the free throw and give yourself the best shot,” said Wells on why he did not intentionally miss the second free throw.

The Patriots received the ball and put the game away on a Long free throw to make the game 70-68. Ben Louis heaved up a desperate shot from near midcourt, but it missed far left.

The Patriots won for the 17th consecutive time against a CAA opponent dating back two seasons ago when the team dropped a buzzer beater to the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks. Mason also accomplished the feat from 1999 through 2001.

John Kleeb, Broadside Correspondent

The Hancock File
Favorite Food: Japanese
Favorite Place to eat on campus: Southside
Favorite Vacation Spot: The Beach
Favorite Movie: Book of Eli
Favorite TV: ESPN
Favorite Music: Billy Currington “Good Directions”

With six freshmen on George Mason University’s men’s basketball team, first-year forward Luke Hancock is one of the key players on the team’s young squad. Hancock is currently averaging 8.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

The Roanoke native was recently ranked 22nd on the Basketball Prospectus’ list of top 25 freshmen.
Hancock feels that it was good to receive the exposure at the national level and to be named on the same list with University of Kentucky point guard and potential first overall draft pick John Wall.

Since arriving at Mason, Coach Larranaga has made Hancock feel comfortable playing at home. The idea of playing at the Patriot Center sparked Hancock’s decision to attend Mason. Hancock was also recruited by Toledo, Bradley and Radford.

Hancock, who is majoring in finance, hopes to continue playing basketball after he graduates, but he intends to enter the business world as his fallback plan. He is interested in learning and understanding the function of money.

Off the court, Hancock enjoys having a laid-back lifestyle. In his free time, Hancock goes to the movies and hangs out with his friends and teammates.

Hancock originally played soccer, but when introduced to basketball, he wanted to stick to one sport.
Hancock recalls his first experience with basketball when he made the middle school basketball team. Hancock attended the Hargrove Military Academy and earned all-state honors at Hidden Valley High School before coming to Mason.

Even before the start of the season, Hancock hoped to receive regular playing time in his first year. Hancock immediately made his presence known on the court, scoring 11 points and grabbing four rebounds and four assists in his debut. After Mason defeated the Liberty Flames 76-72 that night, the team saw great potential in the young player.

As the season has progressed, Hancock has become a key player coming off the bench. In 20 games, Hancock only made one start. Hancock leads all freshmen on the team and bench players with 23 minutes per contest. Hancock is second on the team with a 51.3 percent field goal rate and has been a competent shooter from the line, making 75 percent of his free throws.

His remarkable vision has made him a good passer, ranking second on the team with 42 assists. Also, Hancock has the ability to shoot from long range. He made nine 3-pointers in 25 attempts.

Hancock is one of many players that has a certain pre-game routine. Before every game, Hancock desses a certain way, putting his jersey on last.

Mason is currently 13-7 overall with an impressive 8-1 conference record. The team recently came off a successful three-game road trip in which they had scored at least 80 points in each contest.

Staying composed on the road, playing as a team and being consistent will be important for the team as they try to win the Colonial Athletic Association this season.

For Hancock, the experience he is getting in his first year is crucial for his development down the road.

Cody Norman, Staff Writer

The men’s volleyball team hung with the Ohio State Buckeyes, ranked 13th in the nation, for much of the evening but was unable to capitalize late in the sets as they fell on Thursday evening at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The Buckeyes swept Mason in three sets, 30-24, 33-31, 31-29.

Junior outside hitter Eric Lucas led Mason in kills for the second consecutive match to open this season with a total of 16.

The loss drops Mason’s record to 1-1 on the season after defeating Lees-McRae at the RAC on Jan. 23.
Tied at 18, the Buckeyes scored the next three points after Grayson Overman recorded a solo block.

Mason eventually rallied to cut the lead to 23-21, but a couple of errors gave the Buckeyes a 26-21 lead. The Buckeyes took the set 30-24 and hit a set-high .400 in the first-third of the match. Mason, on the other hand, hit only .057.

Mason led for most of the second set, holding a 22-19 lead in the latter part of the set. After the Buckeyes came back to knot things up at 25, Mason regained the lead 27-25 and eventually had set point at 29-27.

A kill from John Klanac and a Mason error extended the set. The Buckeyes broke away from tie at 30-all to take three of the final four points.

Mason trailed 5-1 in the early going of the third set, but after falling behind 20-17, Mason went on a 4-0 run to take a lead. At 23-all, Lucas recorded two kills and freshman middle blocker Piotr Dabrowski smashed an ace to give the team a 26-23 lead.

However, the Buckeyes did not back down, taking the next two points to cut the Mason lead to one.Both teams traded points back and forth until the Buckeyes finally pulled away.

Klanac and Shawn Sangrey both notched double-digit kills for Ohio State and Mike Berzins led all players with 10 digs.

Mason will return to the RAC for a home matchup against Springfield College at 7 p.m. on Feb. 5.

Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

Overview:
Entering Sunday’s game against the Northeastern Huskies, the women’s basketball team had an 8-11 overall record, winning only once in seven contests against the conference opponents. The Hofstra Pride are 11-9 and 4-4 in the conference. The two teams will square off on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Patriot Center.

Mason:
The Patriots dropped its first home game against a conference opponent on Jan. 24 in a 69-55 loss to the William & Mary Tribe after winning its first conference game against the Northeastern Huskies the week prior to that.

During the press conference after the loss to the Tribe, Head Coach Jeri Porter mentioned the team’s “lack of an interior game.” The Tribe out-rebounded the Patriots 54-35. Mason will face the tall task of going against the Pride’s two big players in forward Shante Evans and center Jess Fuller.

Hofstra:
Evans leads the Pride in scoring and rebounding with 13.3 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game. Fuller provides a strong body in the post, recording 9.6 PPG and 7.3 RPG. Fuller is also the Colonial Athletic Association’s leading shooter. While trying to remain in the upper half of the ladder, the team looks to strengthen its position come postseason.

John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor

Maryland 35, George Mason 6
125: Pat Strizki (Maryland) dec. Brian Wright (Mason), 8-4
133: Steve Bell (Maryland) major dec. Denny Herndon (Mason), 12-4
141: Matt Bogusz (Maryland) major dec. Jaaziah Bethea (Mason), 12-3
149: Jon Kohler (Maryland) dec. Brandon Butcher (Mason), 11-9
157: Kyle John (Maryland) dec. Aaron Keeton (Mason), 11-5
165: Josh Asper (Maryland) major dec. Ty Knepp (Mason), 15-4
174: Mendbagana Tovuujav (Mason) fall Owen Smith (Maryland), 4:30
184: Corey Peltier (Maryland) dec. Andrew Rock (Mason), 10-3
197: Hudson Taylor (Maryland) wins by forf.
285: Pat Gilmore (Maryland) tech. fall Hunter Masnpile (Mason), 15-0 (5:58)

The Maryland Terrapins (16-4), ranked 11th in the nation, defeated the George Mason Patriots (3-8) by a final score of 35-6.

Sophomore Mendbagana Tovuujav extended his amazing winning streak to nine matches. However, these were the only points scored by the Patriots all night.

The first two matches saw quick covers by the Maryland wrestlers, sophomore Pat Strizki and senior Steve Bell.

Sophomore Denny Herndon came off a leg injury from his freshman season and is now beginning to perform a bit better on the leg.

“Steve Bell is one of the best kids in the country, an All-American. Brian [Wright] did a good job for us, he just needs to be a little more focused and ready to go,” said Coach Mark Weader.

Patriot freshman Ty Knepp was on the losing end of his match, but he played two weight classes out of his normal position. Knepp usually plays in the 149 class, but lost this match in the 165 class.

“Ty has bumped up two weight classes, he is filling in for [injured] Frankie McLaughlin, one of our best guys,” said Weader on how Knepp has filled in.

Tovuujav’s match gave the Patriots the only points on the board, winning six points by a fall of Maryland sophomore Owen Smith in 4:30. This was his 25th win on the season and ninth win by fall.

Tovuujav, ranked 22nd in the nation by WrestlingReport.com, won consecutive Wrestler of the Week honors from the Colonial Athletic Association.

In another match, Tovuujav upset the 10th-ranked wrestler in the country, Missouri sophomore Dorian Henderson.

“He’s one of the top in the country. He’s intense and has wrestled well,” said Weader of Tovuujav’s success this year.

The injury bug took its final toll on the Patriots when, because of injuries, they could not send anyone to the matt in the 197-pound weight class.

The Patriots hope to turn their season around when they travel to Charlottesville to take on the 19th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers on Feb. 6.