June 15, 2011
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - According to many in the collegiate wrestling community, the 2010-11 Maryland Terrapins were supposed to be in rebuilding mode. Having lost a trio of All-Americans in Steve Bell, Alex Krom and Hudson Taylor, few outside the program expected the Terps to contend for an Atlantic Coast Conference championship and top-20 national finish as they had in recent years.
Yet with a balanced roster of seasoned upperclassmen and intriguing newcomers, Maryland proved its skeptics wrong.
Maryland entered the fall outside the top 25, with a No. 33 preseason ranking according to Wrestling Insider News. Though there would be questions at several weight classes, the Terps did return 2010 NCAA qualifiers Joh Asper and Kyle John as well as two-time ACC champion Mike Letts and 2008 ACC Champion Jon Kohler.
After a promising Red & Black Wrestle-Offs, in which true freshmen Shane Gentry and Spencer Myers earned starting spots, Maryland hosted the Terrapin Duals and won all but one meet, a heartbreaking 21-18 defeat to Liberty.
The Terps rebounded at the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic, where they finished behind only ranked Oklahoma and Rutgers, and Asper was named the invitational's Most Outstanding Wrestler for his individual title run.
Asper and the Terrapins next earned wins against Penn and Northern Iowa before falling to Missouri at the Northeast Duals. Asper and Letts both finished 3-0 on the day.
After suffering only their third dual defeat at the hands of Hofstra, Kyle John led the Terps at the Midlands Championship, finishing second at 157 pounds as Maryland finished 13th of nearly 50 teams.
With a week off at the new year, the Terps then dominated a northeastern road trip by winning four duals by a combined score of 110-51 before returning home to College Park and topping in-state rival Navy 19-12.
Winning two of the previous three Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, the Terps again had something to prove heading into the conference portion of the schedule.
Despite losing a nail-biting decision to Virginia Tech, Maryland rebounded by winning its final six duals, including five within the ACC. In the Terps' six-match winning streak, they outscored their opponents by a combined 124 points.
Arguably the hottest team heading into the 2011 ACC Tournament, the Terps continued their hot streak by winning their third conference title in four years. Letts was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler for winning his third conference title after defeating top-seeded Chris Henrich of Virginia, 4-2. Kohler, Asper, Myers and junior Corey Peltier also earned ACC individual titles.
At the NCAA Championships in Philadelphia, Pa., Maryland was well represented with six Terrapins earning postseason bids. The Terps added a new trio of All-Americans after Asper, Letts and Myers all finished in the top eight to clinch national honors. With a total of 38.5 points, Maryland finished in 18th place, giving the Terps their third consecutive top-20 finish.
After the conclusion of the season, the Terps continued receiving accolades as Asper was named ACC Wrestler of the Year for the first time after finishing with a team-leading 35-5 record and clinching All-America status. Head Coach Kerry McCoy was voted ACC Coach of the Year for the second time in three years. On the All-ACC team, Asper was joined by fellow NCAA qualifiers Kohler, John, Letts, Peltier and Myers.
The awards kept coming, however, as John, a junior civil engineering major, was named the ACC Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year and teammates Dex Lederer, Peltier and Ruland were also named to the All-ACC Academic Team. John and Peltier were also both named to the NWCA All-America Academic team and the Terps, as a team, ranked 22nd overall in the NWCA academic rankings.
Entering the 2011-12 season, Maryland will lose senior starters Ruland, Kohler and Letts as well as a number of key 2011 team members. Yet the Terrapin wrestling team has demonstrated that it is capable of reloading on talent and finding new team leaders.
After all, 2011 was thought to just be a rebuilding year.
