February 9, 1999

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Cal. St. Bakersfield (No. 12, Amateur News Wrestling), led by four champions, captured the second annual Congressional Cup that featured 17 nationally-ranked wrestlers. Maryland finished seventh of eight teams as redshirt freshman Brandon York (Gaithersburg, Md.) was the only Terp to reach the finals. He was the runner-up in the 133-pound division. Cal St., which also posted three other finalists, finished with a team total of 97 points. The Roadrunners were led by senior heavyweight Stephen Neal (No. 1, AWN), who continued his 72-bout win streak by taking the 285-pound title. ACC rival Virginia finished fourth.

BUSY WEEK AHEAD FOR TERPS AS THEY TRAVEL TO AMERICAN AND DUKE
Last season, the Terps ended their season hosting both Duke and American during the final weekend of the regular season. Against the Blue Devils, Maryland recorded its first ACC win as Joe Guzzio (Greensboro, N.C.) and Ted Harlan (Glenmore, Pa.) each had critical wins to secure the victory. Against the Eagles on the following afternoon, the Terps opened by winning the first five matches to take a commanding 22-0 lead. With their backs to the wall, the American wrestlers battled back to win the second half of the dual meet to force a tie.

MIDSEASON WRESTLING REPORT
If you were to ask any college wrestling coach how they thought they could fare in the ACC after losing three solid seniors, redshirting two letterwinners and starting five first-year wrestlers, he would not be too optimistic. Maryland head coach John McHugh looked at the season in a positive way, hoping that a lot of the younger wrestlers could gain some valuable experience. At 133, Brandon York cracked the national rankings in just his first month of active collegiate wrestling, while sophomore Joe Guzzio has placed at three tournaments. Other rising grapplers include redshirt freshmen Bill Moore and Rob Booth, who have participated in dual matches, and freshmen Jake Stork (team-high 10 falls), Bryan Robinovitz (runner-up at Millersville) and Sal Aquia (six starts). With Josh Weidman and Mark Mansueto returning next fall, the host Terps will be primed for the ACC Tournament.

MARYLAND COACH JOHN McHUGH
Marylands John McHugh (Maryland 59) is in his 21st season at the helm of the Terrapin wrestling program. During his tenure, he has twice been named ACC Coach of the Year (1990 and 1993) and received a Lifetime Service Award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. As a Terp wrestler, McHugh was a two-time ACC champion and a three-time NCAA qualifier. In his time in College Park, McHugh has coached seven All-Americans and 19 ACC champions.

1998-99 MARYLAND TERRAPIN STARTERS

                                    Overall         Duals
Name              Wgt.  Yr.    W   L   Pct.  Pins   W   L    Tournament Placings (Top 5)
Joe Guzzio        125   So.   18  11  .621    8     3   3    E. Stroudsburg (5th), 
                                                             Millersville (1st), CC (4th)
Brandon York      133   R-Fr. 18   3  .857    2     4   2    Coppin (1st), Penn St. (1st), 
                                                             Millersville (1st), CC (2nd)
Bryan Robinovitz  141   Fr.   11  12  .478    1     2   4    Millersville (2nd)      
Ted Harlan        149   Sr.   17   9  .654    2     4   2    Wilkes (3rd), Millersville (2nd)
Jake Stork        157   Fr.   23  14  .622   10     2   3    Coppin (2nd), Millersville (5th)
Sal Aquia         165   Fr.   12  13  .480    2     1   5    Millersville (3rd)      
Chad Masemer      174   So.    2   8  .200    0     1   5    None.           
Bill Moore        184   R-Fr.  9  12  .429    1     2   4    None.
Mike Tomanio      197   Jr.   13  12  .520    0     3   3    Coppin (3rd); Millersville 3rd)    
Jule Dolci        Hwt.  Jr.    2   7  .222    0     0   2    None.

Guzzio d. Willie Harris   F3:39
Aaron Chandler d. Dolci     4-3

Stork d. Bill Morris        8-6