Cavaliers roll to 26-6 win against George Mason

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The Cavaliers turned in a strong performance up and down the lineup, as Virginia posted a 26-6 victory over previously unbeaten George Mason in the RWC Arms Classic at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond on Saturday.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The dual began at 165 pounds and No. 14 Justin McCoy kicked things off with a bonus-point victory as he posted a major decision over Drew Dickson. It was the first of two bonus-point victories on the afternoon for the Cavaliers (3-1). Following McCoy’s victory, the Cavaliers won four of the first five weight classes with No. 18 Neil Antrassian taking a decision at 184 before Michael Battista posted a major decision at 197 pounds. Ethan Weatherspoon then picked up a decision at heavyweight to give UVA the 14-3 lead before the lineup flipped back to 125.

George Mason (8-1) picked up the next bout before Virginia closed things out with four consecutive wins from Garrett Grice (133), Dylan Cedeno (141), No. 29 Jarod Verkleeren (149) and Denton Spencer (157).

197 | Michael Battista with the big takedown to take control of things in his match against GMU.#GoHoos | #TheVirginiaWay pic.twitter.com/O2EzRg2gWR

— Virginia Wrestling (@UVAWrestling) January 7, 2023

NOTES ON THE DUAL

• With the win, Virginia improves to 11-4 all-time against George Mason.
• The dual was the first for the Cavaliers at St. Christopher’s School since the 2015-16 season vs. VMI (1/8/16).
• With his win, Michael Battista moves to 18-5 on the season to lead all Cavaliers in total wins this season.
• Neil Antrassian picked up his 16th win of the year, while Jarod Verkleeren picked up his 14th win and Justin McCoy picked up his 12th victory of the year.
• Freshmen Garrett Grice and Kyle Montaperto saw action in their second dual matches of the season.

FROM HEAD COACH STEVE GARLAND
“That was a really tough team we competed against today with a great coaching staff. I really respect what they are doing up there. That said, I’m proud of the guys for the way the competed today and for finding a way to win some close battles. The big story of the day was our three leaders: Justin McCoy, Michael Battista and Neil Antrassian. They really looked good and set the tone for the match.”

VIRGINIA 26, GEORGE MASON 6
165: No. 14 Justin McCoy major dec. Drew Dickson (GMU), 13-3 – UVA 4, GMU 0
174: Jeremy Seymour (GMU) dec. Vic Marcelli, 4-3 – UVA 4, GMU 3
184: No. 18 Neil Antrassian dec. Malachi DuVall (GMU), 10-5 – UVA 7, GMU 3
197: Michael Battista major dec. Jon List (GMU) , 14-5 – UVA 11, GMU 3
285: Ethan Weatherspoon dec. Tyler Kocak (GMU), 6-3 – UVA 14, GMU 3
125: Markel Baker (GMU) dec. Kyle Montaperto, 6-2 – UVA 14, GMU 6
133: Garrett Grice dec. Josh Jones (GMU), 4-3 – UVA 17, GMU 6
141: Dylan Cedeno dec. Anthony Glasl (GMU), 6-0 – UVA 20, GMU 6
149: No. 29 Jarod Verkleeren dec. Nate Higley (GMU), 2-1 – UVA 23, GMU 6
157: Denton Spencer dec. Loranzo Rajaonarivelo (GMU), 9-3 – UVA 26, GMU 6

UP NEXT
Virginia goes back out on the road next weekend to compete at the Virginia Duals in Hampton. The Cavaliers open up competition on Friday with a pair of matchups against Ohio and Navy. The Virginia Duals will be wrestled at the Hampton Coliseum.