CMU wrestling falls to George Mason by one point
Central Michigan University redshirt junior Jimmy Nugent yells after winninghis wrestling dual against George Mason University at McGuirk Arena on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. Nugent won his match 7-5. (CM-Life | Jasmine Brookins)
Central Michigan wrestling welcomed George Mason University to Mount Pleasant on Sunday in a close matchup. The duel was of the utmost importance for both teams, as both were close to the top spot of their respective divisions in the Mid-American Conference.
George Mason kicked off early coming out on top of the first match at 125 pounds. Ben Monn of George Mason scored 8-3 against Central Michigan’s Archer Anderson, to give GMU a 3-0 lead after the first bout.
Andrew Austin was next for the Chippewas, going up against Malachi Stratton. Austin took control and never looked back as he racked up a tech fall, winning by the score of 20-5. This gave the Chippewas a slim 5-3 lead.
The 141-pound duel was next. Tate Hisey from George Mason was dominant, scoring a major decision against Nick Blackburn of CMU
"I feel like we had some guys compete really well in terms of that stuff, and some guys had a really, really tough time," head coach Ben Bennett said. "Every match is different. Every guy's style is different. Their opponent's styles are different. So, I mean, I can go through all the matches and name things and give you I could give you a list of things that we got to improve on in the areas."
CMU appeared to be at a big disadvantage when it came to the next duel at 149 pounds, with nationally ranked 17th wrestler and undefeated Kaden Cassidy locking up with Central Michigan’s Jimmy Nugent.
Nugent, who came into this match unranked, gave the ranked Cassidy all he could handle. When the clock hit 0, Nugent was the one who prevailed.
“I mean, we're midway through the second semester in my senior year, and that's probably the best I felt this entire year on and off the mat," Nugent said. "You can't buy that. You can't find that. That's something I'll remember for a while for sure.”
The marquee matchup of the night was next, with two ranked wrestlers squaring off: number 23 Mason Shrader from CMU against number 21 DJ McGee. With a quiet 4-2 win, Shrader moved the Chippewas into an 11-7 lead in the overall duel.
Central Michigan would drop two of the next three matches, with one coming by major decision to tie the overall duel at 14 with two duels to go.
With all eyes locked on the last two matches, George Mason’s Jack Kelly looked to make a statement. That's when Kelly outsourced CMU's Luke Cochran 14-4 in the first period, winning by a major decision to give his team a massive four-point lead with one duel remaining.
CMU’s Bryan Caves returned the favor to George Mason in the final duel. Caves scored a major decision, answering the major from Kelly.
With the score tied after all ten duels, the officials went into the tiebreakers to see who would be awarded the extra point after going through four tie-breaking scenarios.
The point was awarded to George Mason, as they had scored the most near-falls with 13.
“I'm less worried about the outcome of the duel," Bennett said. "I know that's probably counterintuitive to think that. I felt like we had some guys, they competed the right way, put the right effort in the right attitude, and the right execution, and we had some matches where we just, we didn't have the right."
Central Michigan will be back in action on Feb. 20 as they take on Michigan State. The next home meet is Feb. 22, when they host the Wolverines of Michigan on senior night.
