The George Mason High School wrestling team kicked off its 2012-13 season last Wednesday with a tri-meet at The Potomac School.

The Mustangs faced-off against Saint Albans Academy to kick-off the meet. Junior Jack Stricker got the evening started off right by dominating his opponent in a 6-1 decision followed by a strong showing by freshman standout Hunter Sulc, who earned his first varsity win by a score of 9-2. The team also earned six-point victories by returning juniors Connor Rhodes, Jake Acosta, and Sarah Gompper. Despite giving up six forfeits, the Mustangs were able to tie the match up going into the final bout, which Mason lost 3-1 to drop the dual as a team, 33-30.

The second match-up saw the Mustangs take on Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference wrestling powerhouse Potomac School. The Mason team wrestled well but was outmatched by Potomac’s deep lineup, which was anchored by four wrestlers ranked in the top 10 in the state. The two highlights of the match came in the 145- and 220-pound weight classes, in which Sulc and Rhodes each put in strong performances to go 2-0 on the evening. In the end, Mason won three of the eight contested matches and fell to the Panthers by a score of 56-18.

“I saw a lot of good things out there tonight,” Head Coach Bryan Harris said. “Our veterans wrestled well and all of our young guys are coming along more quickly than we could hope. We’re looking a lot better individually than we did at this time last season.”

The wrestling team’s next competition will be the Northern Virginia Classic this Friday and Saturday at Fairfax High School.