Wrestling

Kelly, Nugent Earn MAC Wrestler of the Week Honors

East Division Wrestler of the Week
Jack Kelly, 197 lbs., George Mason
Ranked 10th in the MAC entering the weekend, Kelly delivered two statement upsets — knocking off the No. 8 and No. 5 wrestlers in the conference — to propel George Mason to conference wins over Clarion and Central Michigan. The victory over Central Michigan marked GMU’s first-ever dual meet win over CMU!

On Friday against Clarion, the dual began at 125 pounds, and by the time the teams reached 197, Mason held a 20–12 lead. Clarion was favored in the final two bouts, putting the pressure squarely on the Patriots. Kelly faced eighth-ranked Wiant in a pivotal match and rose to the moment. In the second period, he secured a huge fall at 3:45, clinching the dual and sealing the team victory.

Sunday presented a similar high-stakes scenario against Central Michigan. The dual was tied 14–14 with only 197 and heavyweight remaining, and CMU was favored in both weights. At 197, Kelly squared off against fifth-ranked Cochran, while the heavyweight matchup featured Mason’s 12th-ranked Billups against CMU’s third-ranked Caves.

Kelly came out aggressively from the opening whistle and controlled the action throughout, earning a dominant 17–5 major decision. His win gave Mason the lead and set the stage for a historic dual victory — completing a clutch weekend performance that proved decisive in both team wins.
 
 
West Division Wrestler of the Week
Jimmy Nugent, 149 lbs., Central Michigan
Central Michigan wrestler Jimmy Nugent posted a pair of big victories in MAC dual meets over the weekend, the first a 5-3 win over Nathan Roth in helping the Chippewas to a win at Kent State. Nugent’s second victory of the weekend was a dramatic 7-5 win over Kaden Cassidy of George Mason, who is ranked 17th nationally by InterMat, 19th by FloWrestling, and second in the MAC. Nugent, who is ranked seventh in the MAC, got an escape and then a takedown in the final minute in posting the come-from-behind victory and hand Cassidy (15-1) his first loss of the season. With his two wins, Nugent improved to 18-9 on the season.