WASHINGTON - The Thanksgiving week dual between American University wrestling and George Mason has been dubbed the "Turkey Tussle," and is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 21 in Bender Arena. It's the second of four straight home duals for the Eagles, who are 2-3 this season but still looking for their first home win.
Inside the Series
- American has a 12-3 lead against George Mason since 2006, but lost in each of the last two seasons. AU's most recent win was an 18-14 result on February 20, 2020.
What to Know about American
- The Eagles are 2-3 and have two wrestlers ranked in the various outlets, led by junior Jack Maida who is ranked 14th by Intermat and FloWrestling. Grad student Will Jarrell (HWT) is #33 on The College Wrestling Report.
- Maida is 8-0 at his new weight of 125 pounds, and has upset both #4 Eddie Ventresca of fifth-ranked Virginia Tech as well as #15 Braxton Brown of Maryland
- In a two-win day vs. Clarion and Millersville on Nov. 11, AU got wins in both duals from Leete (two pins at 133), freshman Cael McIntyre (141) and Jarrell (heavyweight)
- American is coming off a historic turnaround season in which the Eagles finished 8-12 in dual meets in 2022-23 and racked up seven more wins than in a 1-12 finish the year before.
- Maida qualified for the NCAA Championships as a sophomore last season after placing fifth at 133 lbs at the EIWA Championships. He earned a win at the national meet, pinning Jason Shaner of Oregon State in the consolation first round.
- Overall, AU had 54 pins last season season which was 18 more than the total of 36 pins in the 2021-22 season.
- Ranking third in NCAA Division I in total pins last season was Leete at 125 lbs, who returns for his junior season now at 133 lbs. Leete has also cracked the top 10 all-time at AU, currently ranking ninth with 21 career pins.
- Leete led AU with 22 total wins in 2022-23 followed by Maida at 21 wins and Caleb Campos with 18 wins. Campos has not been able to wrestle so far in 2023-24.
- The Eagles have four captains in 2023-24. Jarrell is serving in the role for third year in a row, grad student Connor Bourne is a captain for a second straight year, and AU has two new captains in Maida and redshirt junior Jack Nies.
Probable Starters for American
Probable Starters for George Mason
- 125 - Ben Monn (R-Jr.) or JB Dragovich (R-Fr.)
- 133 - Patrick Schellpfeffer (So.) or Shawn Nonaka (Jr.)
- 141 - #23 Nate Higley (R-So.) or Dom Hargrove (R-So.)
- 149 - Kaden Cassidy (R-So.)
- 157 - DJ McGee (R-Fr.)
- 165 - Evan Maag (R-Fr.)
- 174 - Sean Coughlin (So.) or Paul Pierce (Gr.)
- 184 - Malachi DuVall (R-So.)
- 197 - Ruben Karapetyan (Fr.)
- HWT - #31 Chad Nix (Jr.)
*Rankings from Intermat
2023-24 Wrestling Individual Match Ticket Pricing
- Adults: $8
- Youth (3-14) / Senior (65+): $5
- Groups/Teams in advance (10+ qty.): $3
- Military & Veterans: Free
Season Ticket Pass to All Regular Season Home Duals
- Get behind the team as one of our biggest and best supporters and cheer loud and proud for the AU Wrestling team in Bender Arena with friends, family, and colleagues by purchasing your season ticket pass to all 10 home duals! Click HERE to purchase your season tickets.
- Adult - $40 (General Admission Seating)
- Youth (17 and below) / Senior (65+) - $20 (General Admission Seating)
**NEW FOR 2023-24 SEASON - VIP Matside Floor Seating (Reserved) Season Tickets
- $250 per seat, includes a donation to the wrestling program and the following benefits
- VIP matside reserved seating for all home matches.
- Access to three Eagles Club pre-match hospitality events, which includes food and beverages and a pre-match preview from a member of the Eagles wrestling coaching staff.
- Hospitality to be offered at the home duals vs. Maryland, Virginia, and Queens University (Alumni Day).
- Priority to purchase tickets for EIWA and NCAA tickets.
- Under Armour wrestling sideline apparel item.
**VIP matside seating available while supplies last, and is only available by contacting the Athletic Ticket Office by emailing Clawed@american.edu or by calling (202) 885-2617.
Coach Borrelli's Season Ticket Give-Back Program – DONATE SEASON TICKETS
- Not in the DMV, but still want to support AU Wrestling? Purchase a season ticket to support the wrestling program and return any unwanted tickets back to the ticket office and we will donate your ticket(s) to a local youth wrestling club or organization.
- This program will allow the youth wrestlers of the DMV to experience high-quality Division-I wrestling in person.
- For questions on this community give-back program please email clawed@american.edu. Click HERE to purchase your donated season tickets.
Stay Connected
- For more information on AU Wrestling, follow the team on Twitter @AU_Wrestling, Instagram @au_wrestling and Facebook @AU.Wrestling.
- To receive email updates, home dual previews and special offers from AU Wrestling throughout the season, please fill out this interest form.
