WASHINGTON - After completing the semester academically, the American University wrestling team will wrap up the 2022 calendar year with three duals on the road over a span of five days. The Eagles (2-4) will head to George Mason on Sunday, Dec. 18 (1 p.m.), Sacred Heart on Wednesday, Dec. 21 (1 p.m.) and Hofstra on Thursday, Dec. 22 (6 p.m.)
The dual at George Mason will be broadcast live on
ESPN+, the Sacred Heart dual will be on
NEC Front Row, and Hofstra will live stream through
YouTube.
What to Know About American
- AU is 2-3 in duals after earning just one win all of last year. The Eagles got wins over Duke and Bloomsburg on the opening day of the season, and have since lost to Maryland, Michigan State and Army.
- Three Eagles placed at the Navy Classic on Nov. 19. Heavyweight Will Jarrell and 125-pounder Maximilian Leete were both fifth, while freshman 165-pounder Caleb Campos placed seventh.
- Campos (165) and redshirt junior Connor Bourne (197) both pulled out dual wins vs. Army West Point, with Campos defeating the #28-ranked wrestler, Dalton Harkins.
- Out of 11 placewinners for AU at The Citadel Open on Nov. 13, the Eagles had two champions. Freshman Raymond Lopez went 4-0 in winning at 125 pounds, and sophomore Jack Maida was 4-0 on his way to victory at 133 pounds.
- Overall at The Citadel Open, American went 41-20 and was 8-3 in placing matches, including at heavyweight where two Eagles battled for third.
- The Eagles have a roster of 25 this season, with 18 of those student-athletes seeing solid time on the competition mat last season. That's a big change from last year when only seven had previous collegiate experience.
- American's captains for the 2022-23 season are Bourne, Jarrell, and redshirt senior Patrick Ryan.
- Five teams from Power 5 conferences are on the slate for the Eagles this year, including three that are repeat opponents from last season (Duke, Maryland and Virginia).
- Four opponents on the 2022-23 schedule were ranked in the NWCA Coaches Poll Top 25 at the end of the 2021-22 season — Michigan State (15th), Virginia Tech (7th), Penn (18th) and Central Michigan (21st). Virginia Tech (8th), Maryland (23rd) and Michigan State (24th) are all currently ranked as of the December 13th poll.
What to Know About the Opponents
- The only one of the three opponents with wrestlers nationally ranked is Hofstra, which has ranked wrestlers in the three heaviest weight classes.
- Senior Jacob Ferreira is No. 26 for Hofstra at 184 pounds, having gone 8-3 so far. Senior Trey Rogers is No. 25 at 197 pounds with a record of 8-3 as well, and senior Zachary Knighton-Ward is No. 29 at heavyweight with a record of 7-5.
- George Mason is 5-0 in duals so far, but with a schedule that has included matches against Division II and Division III teams. The one common opponent for Mason and AU was Bloomsburg, with AU winning 29-10 and Mason winning 28-15.
- On the flip side, Sacred Heart is winless at 0-5 so far but has faced No. 2 Iowa, No. 21 Rutgers, and Army. The Pioneers narrowly lost to EIWA foe LIU, 19-18.
- Hofstra will be wrestling in its first dual of the season when the Pride host American.
- The Eagles are 12-2 all-time against Mason, but lost 20-16 last season.
- AU has gone 3-1 against Sacred Heart but suffered that lone loss last year by the closest margin of 17-16 in the season opener.
- Hofstra has a 5-1 lead in the series against American and won 27-13 last season. Maximilian Leete, Jack Maida and Patrick Ryan all beat their opponents from Hofstra in 2021, while Leete and Maida also came out on top against Mason. Leete, Jack Nies, Connor Bourne and Isaac Righter all found success against Sacred Heart.
Stay Connected
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