March 16, 2005

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland sophomore Charlie Pinto will open the NCAA Wrestling Championships on Thursday against third-seeded Josh Churella of Michigan. Pinto, the ACC champion at 141 pounds, is Maryland's lone representative at the national championships in St. Louis, Mo.

Pinto enters the tournament with a 25-9 record, including a 10-match winning streak. Churella, the Big Ten champ, comes into the tournament with a 19-1 record and ranked third in the country. He became just the second Wolverine to win a Big Ten title.

The top 12 wrestlers are seeded in each weight class, and the rest of the brackets are filled on a blind draw. The tournament is double elimination, and a wrestler must finish in the top eight to earn All-America status.

A live broadcast of the championships can be found at www.takedownradio.com. Live bracket updates can be found at www.thewrestlingmall.com.