Wrestling Hosts UNC, No. 16 Illinois On Saturday
1/12/2007 7:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Jan. 12, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland wrestling team hosts ACC opponent North Carolina and No. 15 Illinois on Saturday, January 13 at the Comcast Pavilion. The Terrapins will take on the Tar Heels in the conference opener for both squads at 12:00 p.m. and then the Terps and Illini will battle at 4:00 p.m. UNC and Illinois will wrestle following the first match. Due to the men's basketball game at 2:00 p.m. at Comcast, all parking and entrance information from Wednesday night's dual remains in effect for Saturday.
Fans attending the wrestling match will be able to park free of charge in Lot 1 around Ludwig Field. The Department of Transportation Services will run a shuttle from the lot to Comcast Center beginning at 6:00 p.m. Lot 1 is located directly off of Campus Drive in front of Ludwig. Spectators can also park in the Regents Drive Garage for $5.
Fans must enter Comcast Center on the north side closest to route 193 and directly behind the Terrapin Softball Complex. No access will be permitted to other areas of Comcast Center without a men's basketball ticket.
The Terps have won eight of their last 10 duals dating back to November 11 but lost to No. 25 Navy on Wednesday night, 25-12. Senior Jason Kiessling, sophomore Alex Krom, and redshirt freshman Hudson Taylor all came way with wins for Maryland in the evening. Taylor turned in the most impressive performance of the night with a pin of his opponent at 197 in 61 seconds.
The Tar Heels, receiving votes in this week's USA Today/InterMat/NWCA poll, enter the day at 3-3 in dual meets and on a three-match winning streak. Their three losses came in the ACC/Big Ten Clash in November as they lost to Purdue, No. 8 Northwestern, and No. 17 Wisconsin. UNC's three wins came last Saturday at the Lone Star Duals when it beat Utah Valley State, Boise State, and Northern Colorado. The Heels also placed ninth at the Southern Scuffle. Evan Sola is Carolina's highest ranked wrestler at No. 8 with a 7-1 record at 133. No. 12 Keegan Mueller is 19-4 at 165 and No. 9 Spencer Nadolsky is 15-4 at heavyweight.
Illinois enters ranked No. 16 in the country. The Illini are 2-0 in dual action, beating Central Missouri State and Findlay by a combined 86-6 in Champaign on December 9. They have also competed in the Missouri Open, the UNI Open, and the Midland Championships where they finished sixth. Seven of Ilinois' 10 starters are ranked in the top 20 entering the weekend led by Mike Poeta at 157 pounds who is No. 1 in the country at a perfect 11-0. Gabe Flores at 125 and Cassio Pero at 141 are also in the top 10 at No. 8.
Following Saturday's action, the wrestling team will not return home for over a month until February 16 and 17 when they will take on Virginia and George Mason, respectively.
Probable Starters - Maryland:
125 - James Knox
133 - Jon Kohler
141 - No. 13 Alex Krom
149 - Andrew Schlaffer
157 - Mike McGill
165 - No. 20 Jason Kiessling
174 - No. 10 Mike Letts
184 - Eli Black
197 - No. 16 Hudson Taylor
HWT - Jerry Afari
North Carolina:
125 - Drew Forshey
133 - No. 8 Evan Sola
141 - Mike Rappo
149 - Vincent Ramirez
157 - Ben Fiacco
165 - No. 12 Keegan Mueller
174 - Alex Maciag
184 - Robert McCarthy
197 - David Dashiell or Dennis Drury
HWT - No. 9 Spencer Nadolsky
Illinois:
125 - No. 8 Gabe Flores
133 - No. 18 Jimmy Kennedy
141 - No. 8 Cassio Pero
149 - No. 13 Troy Tirapelle
157 - No. 1 Mike Poeta
165 - No. 14 Roger Smith-Bergsrud
174 - Nick Guida or Matt Winterhalter
184 - No. 15 John Dergo
197 - Patrick Bond
HWT - John Wise
