March 17, 2011
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Two University of Maryland wrestlers won their first round matches Thursday morning at the 2011 NCAA Championships and advanced to the second round, which will be held Thursday evening.
Maryland's two seeded grapplers, Josh Asper and Mike Letts both defeated their first round opponents at 165 and 174 pounds, respectively, and advanced in the championship bracket of the tournament. Jon Kohler (141), Kyle John (157), Corey Peltier (184) and Spencer Myers (Heavyweight) dropped first-round decisions and will move to the consolation bracket Thursday night.
Asper, Maryland's highest-seeded wrestler (No. 4) grabbed the Terrapins' first victory on the day against Boise State's Kurt Swartz. The sophomore led 2-0 after the first period and owned a 2:37 riding-time advantage. The Parkton, Md., native added to his lead in the second with a three-point near fall and his second takedown. In the final period, Asper scored three consecutive takedowns and won 14-3 racking up nearly four minutes of riding time. In the second round, Asper will face Penn's Stephen Burak, whom Asper topped 14-5 on Nov. 27.
Letts immediately followed with a tight 4-2 decision over Penn's Scott Giffin. Letts, a fifth-year senior got on the board first with a takedown midway through the opening period, though Giffin picked up a late escape to cut the Maryland lead to 2-1. Letts quickly escaped Giffin's control in the second and held on to win 4-2. Letts will take on ninth-seeded Ethan Lofthouse of Iowa in the second round.
Peltier was Maryland's first wrestler on the day, as the 2011 ACC Champion took on 12th-seeded Grant Gambrall of Iowa in the 184-pound pigtail. Tied 2-2, Gambrall escaped Peltier's grasps late in the third to take the 3-2 victory.
Kohler suffered a similar fate as the senior captain lost 7-5 at the hands of Penn's Zack Kemmerer.
Against the second-seeded and top-ranked Steve Fittery of American, John fell 19-4.
In the final match of Thursday morning's session, Myers used a last-second escape to take his bout with Indiana's Ricardo Alcala to overtime, where Alcala eventually took down the true freshman, dropping him to the consolation bracket.
Thursday evening's second round action will resume at 6:30 p.m.
-ES-
