Sophomore wrestler Sean Shea has been selected as the Connection Newspapers/George Mason University Athlete of the Week.

Shea, a resident of Bethlehem, PA, and a 1995 graduate of Bethlehem Catholic High School, had an outstanding weekend as he won each of his three matches to capture the 126-pound title at the Colonial Athletic Association Championships at American University's Bender Arena. The Patriots won their third straight CAA team title by breaking the tournament record for points for the third year in a row, scoring 101.5 points to easily outdistance second-place James Madison (72).

Shea joins teammates senior Rob Barlow, sophomore Jason Grant and freshman Kevin Brandon in qualifying for the NCAA Championships at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA, March 20-22. Shea, Grant (134) and Brandon (150) each won his weight class to automatically advance, while Barlow (167) finished second to earn his second straight "wild card" berth and his third consecutive trip to the national tournament.

Selected as the tournament's "Most Outstanding Wrestler," Shea won his first two matches by fall, pinning Virginia Tech's Levi Taylor in 34 seconds and pinning American's Dave Lombardy in 2:37 to reach the finals against defending CAA 126-pound champion Doug Detrick of James Madison. Shea scored an early takedown and nearly had Detrick pinned twice in the first period to grab an 8-0 lead, then maintained control of the match en route to a 15-1 victory and his second straight CAA title (he won at 118 last year).

Winning by fall is becoming habit for Shea. In compiling a 25-11 overall record this season, he has posted 16 falls, 12 in the first period. Shea had 13 falls, 11 in the first period, last season as he finished 18-11 and became the first George Mason freshman to qualify for the NCAA Championships and to be selected a Freshman All-American by Amateur Wrestling News.

"Sean made a commitment this season to becoming a more complete wrestler," said Patriots head coach Brian Shaffer, who has a 21-7 record in two seasons at the helm of the George Mason program. "In addition to always having the ability to put someone on his back, he has strengthened his fundamentals and become stronger and smarter on the mat. He has a tremendous competitive nature and handles pressure extremely well. In those pressure situations, like last weekend and at the NCAA Championships in two weeks, he lifts his abilities to a higher level."