LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – The Rider University wrestling team won 9-of-10 matches Sunday to cruise to a 32-3 Mid-American Conference (MAC) victory over George Mason in the Broncs' home opener at Alumni Gym. With the win, the Broncs improve their record at 2-1 (2-0 MAC), while the Patriots (0-1, 0-1 MAC) dropped their season opener.  

The Broncs won the first six matches to build a 21-0 lead. McKenzie Bell (Swedesboro, NJ/Kingsway) and Jesse Dellavecchia (Great River, NY/East Islip [Binghamton]) earned bonus points in the process, with Bell earning a major decision at 141 and Dellavecchia earning a tech fall at 157. Wyatt McCarthy (Newton, NJ/Newton), Jake Silverstein (Hauppauge, NY/Smithtown), Angel Garcia (Philadelphia, PA/Mariana Bracetti Academy) and George Walton (Franklin, NJ/Bound Brook [Old Dominion]) earned decisions at 141, 149, 165, 174 and 184 lbs., respectively.

George Mason got its lone decision at 197, before Ethan Laird (Waterford, PA/General McLane) restored order with a tech fall at 285 lbs. Jonathan Tropea (Harrington Park, NJ/Saint Joseph (Montvale)) then scored a major decision at 125 lbs. and Richie Koehler (Middletown, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) earned a decision at 133 lbs. to close out the Rider win.
 
Quotes & Notes
"I was pleased with our kids' performance. You look at the ones that didn't go your way or didn't go as well as you expect – like I want a better performance out of George Walton. I want a better performance out of Jake Silverstein, even though he ended up pouring it on at the end. And then obviously Matt Correnti. We need him to be better down the line and that's a match that he needs to figure out how to grind and find a way to win. So those are the things that we'll go back to drawing board and help those kids make the adjustments and hopefully they do better next time." – Rider Head Coach John Hangey

- Rider has controlled the all-time series with George Mason, 18-1. The lone GMU win came in 2007-08.
- Dellavecchia, Garcia and Laird each moved to 4-0 on the season with their wins.
- The Broncs are scheduled to return to action Feb. 7, when they travel to Lehigh at 2 p.m.
 
Rider 32, George Mason 3
141 – McKenzie Bell (Rider) MD AJ Poindexter (George Mason), 12-0; Rider leads, 4-0
149 – Wyatt McCarthy (Rider) DEC vs. Tyler Johnson (George Mason), 8-5; Rider leads, 7-0
157 – Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider) TF Daniel Segura (George Mason), 19-3 at 5:37; Rider leads, 12-0  
165 – Jake Silverstein (Rider) DEC Neil Schuster (George Mason), 12-7; Rider leads, 15-0
174 – Angel Garcia (Rider) DEC Paul Pierce (George Mason), 6-5; Rider leads, 18-0
184 – George Walton (Rider) DEC Eli Dickens (George Mason), 7-6; Rider leads, 21-0
197 – Austin Stith (George Mason) DEC Matt Correnti (Rider), 11-5; Rider leads, 21-3
285 – Ethan Laird (Rider) TF Ali Salem (George Mason), 17-1 at 6:08; Rider leads, 26-3
One-point deduction on Rider during 125 lbs. for badger; Rider leads, 25-3
125 – Jonathan Tropea (Rider) MD Josh Jones (George Mason), 12-3; Rider leads, 29-3
133 – Richie Koehler (Rider) DEC Anthony Glasl (George Mason), 10-4; Rider wins, 32-3

Extra:
125 – Tyler Klinsky (Rider) DEC Ben Monn (George Mason), 10-4
141 – McKenzie Bell (Rider) TF Tyler Johnson (George Mason), 16-0 at 4:55
165 – Michael Wilson (Rider) MD Tyler Kocak (George Mason), 8-0
174 – Eli Dickens (George Mason) DEC Shane Reitsma (Rider), 3-2
141 – Bryan Miraglia (Rider) DEC AJ Poindexter (George Mason), 3-0
149 – Travis Layton (Rider) DEC Alec English (George Mason), 11-4
125 – Josh Jones (George Mason) DEC Tyler Klinsky (Rider), 9-4
141 – McKenzie Bell (Rider) MD Shawn Nonaka (George Mason), 12-2
174 – Paul Pierce (George Mason) DEC Shane Reitsma (Rider), 8-4
133 – Richie Koehler (Rider) MD Patrick Schellpfeffer (George Mason), 12-1