Mark Weader Position: Head Coach Experience: 9th Year (3rd as head coach)

Mark Weader, the top assistant for the George Mason wrestling team from 1999-2005 and a former Patriot star, was named the full-time head coach after leading the team to an 8-7 overall record and 6-4 mark in the CAA as the interim head coach during the 2005-06 season. In his second season as a head coach in 2006-07, Weader guided the Patriots to a 9-10 overall record and 5-4 mark in the CAA. This year will mark his ninth season overall in collegiate coaching and his third as a head coach.

In his first season as a head coach, Weader led the Patriots to their second consecutive season with a record above .500. Under Weader's guidance, redshirt freshman Tyler Tisdell finished as the runner-up at 165 pounds at the CAA Championships and advanced to the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla.

As an assistant to former head coach Brian Shaffer for six seasons, Weader helped develop 12 NCAA qualifiers, including 2001 CAA Wrestler of the Year Donnie DeFilippis, and helped coach five CAA individual champions from 2000-2005. He was also on the staff of Mason's 2001 CAA championship squad.

Weader, 31, completed his George Mason career in 1998-99 as he compiled a 17-11 overall record, won the Colonial Athletic Association championship at 157 pounds and advanced for the first time to the NCAA Championships. The tri-captain placed second twice at 142 pounds at the CAA Championships, and he won the Virginia Division I Intercollegiate Championship in 1998. A four-year starter for the Patriots after transferring from Clemson University, Weader finished his career with an overall record of 75-40, ranking in the top-20 all-time in victories at Mason.

A native of Danville, Pa., and a 1994 graduate of Danville High School, Weader twice qualified for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Championships and placed fourth as a senior. He compiled an impressive 103-31-2 record in his prep career. He graduated from George Mason in May of 1999 with a B.S. degree in communication.

Weader and his wife, the former Shannon Jones, married May 14, 2005. Jones played soccer for George Mason's women's team from 1996-98. The couple resides in Fairfax, Va. with their son, Benjamin.

Weader's Wrestling Career Stats at George Mason
1998-99: 17-11 157 pounds
1997-98: 18-9 142 pounds
1996-97: 14-7 142/150 pounds
1995-96: 23-11 142 pounds