Central Michigan University Athletics
Sunday, February 15
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Noon
Central Michigan University
18
vs
19
George Mason
Photo by: Lauren Verellen
Wrestlers Fall to George Mason on Tie-Breaker
2/15/2026 4:11:00 PM | Wrestling
CMU finishes 3-3 in MAC duals, closes season next weekend with Michigan State, Michigan
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Close. Oh so close.
An even five-five split in matches, it came down to the fourth tie-breaker, near-fall points. That advantage in that category went to George Mason by a 13-8 count and as a result, the Patriots defeated Central Michigan at McGuirk Arena on Sunday in the Chippewas' final Mid-American Conference wrestling dual meet of the season.
CMU is 9-6 and finished 3-3 in MAC duals. George Mason improved to 7-6, 4-3. The Chippewas close the regular season next weekend with dual meets against Michigan State and No. 10 Michigan and then turn their attention to the March 6-7 MAC Championships in Buffalo.
The Chippewas got a technical fall win on Sunday from Andrew Austin (133) and a major decision win from Bryan Caves (285) along with decision wins from Jimmy Nugent (149), Mason Shrader (157) and Chandler Amaker (165).
The Patriots got decision wins at 125 and 184 and major decision wins at 141, 174, 197.
When the dust settled, it was an 18-18 tie with the Patriots earning the extra point for most near-fall points and a 19-18 victory.
"To be honest, I'm less worried about the outcome of the dual," CMU coach Ben Bennett said. "I know that's probably counterintuitive to think that, but I'm more concerned about the way we wrestle and the way we compete because if you compete the right way, typically you get the outcome you want.
"I felt like we had some guys who competed the right way with the right effort and the right attitude and we had some matches where we just we didn't have the right effort and execution. It's just getting those things right. I know if our guys are thinking the right way, we have a really good team. We've just got to get 10 guys on the same page on the same day. Sometimes it's hard to do."
It was a tight battle all the way.
Nugent, a redshirt junior, got a takedown with 29 seconds remaining in knocking off Kaden Cassidy, 7-5, and Shrader scored a takedown with under 40 seconds left to top DJ McGee.
Cassidy is ranked 17th nationally by InterMat and 19th by FloWrestling, and is ranked No. 2 in the MAC in the weight class. Nugent, who is unranked nationally and No. 7 in the MAC, improved to 18-9.
"Jimmy Nugent had a huge win there," Bennett said. "That's the top 20 guy in the country. I knew (Nugent) had that in him; he just hasn't been able to put it together this year. He went out there and wrestled a good match. And his attitude was great. His effort was great. He never quit."
Shrader is ranked 23rd/25th and third in the MAC, while McGee, the defending MAC champion at 157, is ranked 21st and 22nd nationally and No. 1 in the MAC.
After Amaker's win at 165, the Chippewas led the dual, 14-7.
But the Patriots won three consecutive matches, two of them by major decision, to seize an 18-14 lead.
"I feel like a couple of matches got away from us a little bit," Bennett said. "It got to us mentally, and you just can't let that happen."
Caves, who is ranked 30th by InterMat and third in the MAC, needed bonus points. He dominated freshman Herbert Billups en route to a major decision win to tie the dual, 18-18.
"Bryan wrestled his butt off and he did everything he could do," Bennett said. "It can't be one guy. It takes 10 guys to win a dual meet; 10 guys have to do their job with the right effort, the right attitude if you want to have success against a tough team, and (George Mason is) a tough team. They've got a lot of good wrestlers on their team, and they got a lot of veteran wrestlers on their team.
"Bryan did his part. He did what we asked him to do. He scored a lot of points. He got us bonus points."
George Mason 19, Central Michigan 18
125: Ben Monn (GM) dec. Archer Anderson, 8-3, GM 3, CMU 0
133: Andrew Austin (C) tech. fall Malachi Stratton, 20-5, CMU 5, GM 3
141: Tate Hisey (GM) major dec. Nick Blackburn, 10-2, GM 7, CMU 5
149: Jimmy Nugent (C) dec. No. 17/19 Kaden Cassidy, 7-5, CMU 8, GM 7
157: No. 23/25 Mason Shrader (C) dec. No. 21/22 DJ McGee, 4-2, CMU 11, GM 7
165: Chandler Amaker (C) dec. Drew Dickson, 7-3, CMU 14, GM 7
174: No. 32/32 Logan Messer (GM) major dec. Cody Brenner, 11-1, CMU 14, GM 11
184: No. 24/26 Malachi DuVall (GM) dec. Wyatt Ferguson, 1-0, CMU 14, GM 14
197: Jack Kelly (GM) major dec. Luke Cochran, 17-5, GM 18, CMU 14
285: Bryan Caves (C) major dec. Herbert Billups, CMU 18, GM 18
(Dual ends 18-18; George Mason awarded one team point on fourth tie-breaker criteria, most near-fall points, 13-8)
*Rankings by InterMat/FloWrestling
An even five-five split in matches, it came down to the fourth tie-breaker, near-fall points. That advantage in that category went to George Mason by a 13-8 count and as a result, the Patriots defeated Central Michigan at McGuirk Arena on Sunday in the Chippewas' final Mid-American Conference wrestling dual meet of the season.
CMU is 9-6 and finished 3-3 in MAC duals. George Mason improved to 7-6, 4-3. The Chippewas close the regular season next weekend with dual meets against Michigan State and No. 10 Michigan and then turn their attention to the March 6-7 MAC Championships in Buffalo.
The Chippewas got a technical fall win on Sunday from Andrew Austin (133) and a major decision win from Bryan Caves (285) along with decision wins from Jimmy Nugent (149), Mason Shrader (157) and Chandler Amaker (165).
The Patriots got decision wins at 125 and 184 and major decision wins at 141, 174, 197.
When the dust settled, it was an 18-18 tie with the Patriots earning the extra point for most near-fall points and a 19-18 victory.
"To be honest, I'm less worried about the outcome of the dual," CMU coach Ben Bennett said. "I know that's probably counterintuitive to think that, but I'm more concerned about the way we wrestle and the way we compete because if you compete the right way, typically you get the outcome you want.
"I felt like we had some guys who competed the right way with the right effort and the right attitude and we had some matches where we just we didn't have the right effort and execution. It's just getting those things right. I know if our guys are thinking the right way, we have a really good team. We've just got to get 10 guys on the same page on the same day. Sometimes it's hard to do."
It was a tight battle all the way.
Nugent, a redshirt junior, got a takedown with 29 seconds remaining in knocking off Kaden Cassidy, 7-5, and Shrader scored a takedown with under 40 seconds left to top DJ McGee.
Cassidy is ranked 17th nationally by InterMat and 19th by FloWrestling, and is ranked No. 2 in the MAC in the weight class. Nugent, who is unranked nationally and No. 7 in the MAC, improved to 18-9.
"Jimmy Nugent had a huge win there," Bennett said. "That's the top 20 guy in the country. I knew (Nugent) had that in him; he just hasn't been able to put it together this year. He went out there and wrestled a good match. And his attitude was great. His effort was great. He never quit."
Shrader is ranked 23rd/25th and third in the MAC, while McGee, the defending MAC champion at 157, is ranked 21st and 22nd nationally and No. 1 in the MAC.
After Amaker's win at 165, the Chippewas led the dual, 14-7.
But the Patriots won three consecutive matches, two of them by major decision, to seize an 18-14 lead.
"I feel like a couple of matches got away from us a little bit," Bennett said. "It got to us mentally, and you just can't let that happen."
Caves, who is ranked 30th by InterMat and third in the MAC, needed bonus points. He dominated freshman Herbert Billups en route to a major decision win to tie the dual, 18-18.
"Bryan wrestled his butt off and he did everything he could do," Bennett said. "It can't be one guy. It takes 10 guys to win a dual meet; 10 guys have to do their job with the right effort, the right attitude if you want to have success against a tough team, and (George Mason is) a tough team. They've got a lot of good wrestlers on their team, and they got a lot of veteran wrestlers on their team.
"Bryan did his part. He did what we asked him to do. He scored a lot of points. He got us bonus points."
George Mason 19, Central Michigan 18
125: Ben Monn (GM) dec. Archer Anderson, 8-3, GM 3, CMU 0
133: Andrew Austin (C) tech. fall Malachi Stratton, 20-5, CMU 5, GM 3
141: Tate Hisey (GM) major dec. Nick Blackburn, 10-2, GM 7, CMU 5
149: Jimmy Nugent (C) dec. No. 17/19 Kaden Cassidy, 7-5, CMU 8, GM 7
157: No. 23/25 Mason Shrader (C) dec. No. 21/22 DJ McGee, 4-2, CMU 11, GM 7
165: Chandler Amaker (C) dec. Drew Dickson, 7-3, CMU 14, GM 7
174: No. 32/32 Logan Messer (GM) major dec. Cody Brenner, 11-1, CMU 14, GM 11
184: No. 24/26 Malachi DuVall (GM) dec. Wyatt Ferguson, 1-0, CMU 14, GM 14
197: Jack Kelly (GM) major dec. Luke Cochran, 17-5, GM 18, CMU 14
285: Bryan Caves (C) major dec. Herbert Billups, CMU 18, GM 18
(Dual ends 18-18; George Mason awarded one team point on fourth tie-breaker criteria, most near-fall points, 13-8)
*Rankings by InterMat/FloWrestling
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