Maryland Wrestling Announces 2009-10 Schedule
6/17/2009 8:00:00 AM | Wrestling
June 17, 2009
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The 2009-10 University of Maryland wrestling schedule has been released and next season's slate features several exciting matchups as the Terrapins will compete in several high-profile national tournaments and take on some of the best teams in the nation in dual action.
Among some of the Terps' notable opponents are Cornell, Lehigh, Central Michigan, Penn, Purdue, Navy and American. Maryland is also scheduled to compete in the Body Bar Invitational, Northeast Duals, Penn State Open, Midlands Championships, NWCA National Duals and Wendy's Duals.
"This year's schedule is very competitive and will test us throughout the year," Maryland head coach Kerry McCoy said. "We have a lot of variety in our schedule. There is a good mix of teams we have seen before and teams we have not. We will compete with teams from almost every conference, which will be very good for our guys because they will be exposed to many different styles. We have the potential to do some great things this coming season and this schedule will force us to be sharp and focused throughout the entire season."
The unofficial start to the season is October 24 with the annual Red and Black Wrestle-Offs exhibition in Comcast Pavilion.
The Terps officially get going November 7 with a home tri-meet against Drexel and York College.
A challenging trip to upstate New York beckons two weeks after the opening tri-meet in College Park, as the Terps will face national power Cornell on the road on a Friday evening in Ithaca before coming back Saturday to compete in the Body Bar Invitational.
Things get no easier the following weekend with another trip to New York, this time to Troy, N.Y., for a trio of exciting matchups in the Northeast Duals. Maryland's three opponents include stalwarts Lehigh, Central Michigan and Northern Colorado.
Atlantic Coast Conference competition begins December 4 at North Carolina as the Terps will look to avenge last year's narrow loss to the Tar Heels and take the first step in winning the ACC regular-season crown.
Maryland returns home to Comcast Pavilion December 11 for a non-conference matchup with the University of Pennsylvania.
After a two-week holiday break, the Terps travel to Evanston, Ill., for the second straight year to compete in the Midlands Championships, one of the most prestigious college wrestling tournaments, at Northwestern University.
A return trip to the Midwest is scheduled for the following week, where Maryland will compete in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The opponents are undetermined at this point. The Terps will be in Ashland, Ohio, the following weekend for the Wendy's Duals, where Maryland will face Purdue, Kent State and Ashland.
Following its three-week trip to the Midwest, Maryland returns to the area for the final month to complete dual competition.
The annual highly-anticipated rivalry matchup between Maryland and Navy is set for January 22 in Annapolis. The Terps have taken the last two meetings from the Midshipmen in exciting fashion and will look to run their winning streak to three.
The Terps will need to recover quickly from the emotional matchup at Navy, as an ACC doubleheader is scheduled the next day at Comcast Pavilion. Maryland will face NC State at noon and Duke at 5 p.m.
George Mason hosts the Terps January 29 before the Terps return home to face Virginia Tech, last year's regular-season ACC champion, the following weekend in College Park.
Another local rival is on tap February 12 as American University visits College Park. Two days after the American tilt, Hofstra is in town for a challenging non-conference clash on Valentine's Day.
The regular season ends February 20 with a short trip south to Charlottesville, Va., to close the ACC season at Virginia.
Following the trip to Virginia, the Terps will have two weeks off before coming right back to Charlottesville for the ACC Championship, where Maryland will look to win its third straight conference title.
Maryland's NCAA qualifiers will travel to Omaha, Neb., March 18-20, as the Terps will look to build on last year's school record-tying 10th place national finish.
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