Nov. 8, 2012

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - After sweeping the Terrapin Duals on Sunday with wins over Johns Hopkins and West Virginia, the Maryland wrestling team is set to compete in the Brockport/Oklahoma Invitational Saturday in Brockport, N.Y. The tournament will begin at 10 a.m.

It is the 14th consecutive season Brockport has teamed up with Oklahoma to host the invitational. The Terps, Golden Eagles and Sooners will be joined by American, Army and Buffalo.

In the latest USA Today/NWCA/AWN Coaches Poll, Oklahoma is ranked 11th, Maryland is ranked 15th, and American received votes.

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Be sure to use hashtag #BrockInvite this weekend.

Last Time Out

Twelve different Terps registered wins Sunday afternoon as the Terps opened their regular season with a 40-6 defeat of Johns Hopkins and a 24-10 win over West Virginia at the Terrapin Duals at Comcast Center.

Next Up

After a week off, the Terps return to action at the Northeast Duals on Saturday, Nov. 24 in Troy, N.Y. Maryland will face Columbia at 9:30 a.m. followed by matches with Purdue and No. 6 Illinois at 11:25 a.m. and 1:40 p.m., respectively.

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Be sure to use hashtag #BrockInvite this weekend.

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Scouting The Terps

The Terps enter the weekend following a strong performance in the Terrapin Duals with a 40-6 defeat of Johns Hopkins and a 24-10 win over border-rival West Virginia.

Against Hopkins, the Terps racked up four falls. Geoffrey Alexander, Dallas Brown, Jimmy Sheptock and Ty Snook all picked up a pin and helped the Terps rack up 10 bonus points in the match.

Alexander was particularly impressive in both matches. After pinning Ray Yagloski of Hopkins, Alexander defeated No. 17 Colin Johnston of West Virginia. The sophomore finished the afternoon with a team-high four takedowns.

An impressive showing at the Knight Point Clarion Open has Tony Gardner leading the team in wins (5) and falls (2) after one week of competition.

In addition to Alexander, all of the ranked Terps had a successful weekend. Third-ranked Josh Asper (174) picked up a hard-fought 5-3 decision over WVU's Bubba Scheffel. Jimmy Sheptock, ranked 10th at 184, pinned Hopkins' Kyle Spangler and won a 4-1 decision against No. 20 Lance Bryson of West Virginia. At 197, 10th-ranked Christian Boley knocked off WVU's A.J. Vizcarrondo, 9-6.

2012-13 Preseason Preview
· Lower Weights: Plenty of Experience For Terps
· Middle Weights: Spots Up For Grabs
· Upper Weights: Title Contenders

Scouting The Field

After finishing third in the Brockport/Oklahoma Invitational two years ago, the Terps placed second behind only Oklahoma in 2011. The 11th-ranked Sooners will most likely provide the stiffest competition for the Terps.

The Sooners have five wrestlers currently in InterMat's rankings led by top-ranked Kendric Maple (141). The Lester brothers, Nick and Matt, are ranked ninth and 12th at 149 and 157, respectively. At 165, Bubby Graham is ranked eighth, and Cody Brewer is ranked 20th at 133.

At 174, Josh Asper could face a challenge from 11th-ranked John-Martin Cannon of Buffalo and 15th-ranked Cole Gracey of Army.

Buffalo also features 17th-ranked Mark Lewandowski at 165.

Poll Central

Follow the Terps and their opponents during the 2012-13 season via these national polls:
USA Today/NWCA/AWN Coaches Poll
InterMat
WIN Magazine
D1 College Rankings

Wolfpack Open

In addition to competing at the Brockport/Oklahoma Invitational, the Terps will send 12 wrestlers to the Wolfpack Open on Sunday. All of the wrestlers will be competing unattached.

Hudson Taylor Award

After each meet this season, the Maryland coaching staff will select one wrestler as the recipient of the Hudson Taylor Award. The award is given to the most outstanding Terrapin wrestler in the meet.

This past weekend, Geoffrey Alexander received the award following Johns Hopkins and West Virginia.

ACC Recognizes Alexander

Geoffrey Alexander earned Atlantic Coast Conference Co-Wrestler of the Week honors after posting a 2-0 record at the season-opening Terrapin Duals.

Alexander is a first-time recipient. The sophomore from Pittsburgh, Pa., kicked off Sunday with a pin of Johns Hopkins Ray Yagloski 1:59 into the match as the No. 15 Terps defeated the Blue Jays, 40-6.

In his second match of the afternoon against 17th-ranked Colin Johnston of West Virginia, Alexander grinded out a 7-5 decision to help the Terps defeat the Mountaineers, 24-10.

This week, Alexander shares the honor with Duke's Conner Hartmann, who won the 197-pound title at the Hokie Open.

Welcome To 174

Josh Asper made his debut at 174 pounds Saturday night at the NWCA All-Star Classic. The Parkton, Md., native was pitted against two-time All-American Jordan Blanton of Illinois, who began the season ranked No. 2.

Asper made a statement. After three periods could not separate the two wrestlers, Asper scored a takedown in overtime to win 3-1.

With the win, Asper remained undefeated in the annual showcase. He is 3-0 and has appeared in this event more than any other Maryland wrestler in program history.

Success at Clarion

The Terps sent 12 wrestlers to the Knight Point Clarion Open on Sunday. Shyheim Brown and Tony Gardner walked away with fourth place finishes.

At 141, Brown went 4-2 with all four wins by decision. Brown advanced to the semifinals before falling to Chris Mecate of Old Dominion. The freshman bounced back with a 10-4 decision over Jake Keller of Pittsburgh in the wrestleback semifinal.

At 184, Gardner went 5-2 with two pins. Gardner advanced to the quarterfinals with a pin of Navy's Colton Vantoff 1:02 into the match before losing to Lorenzo Thomas. In the wrestleback, Gardner picked up two wins by decision and a pin.

Schedule The Best

Maryland's 2012-13 schedule features several of the nation's elite. The Terps face 12 teams that were among the top 30 at the NCAA Championships including two top-10 programs in Ohio State and Illinois.

The Terps face No. 6 Illinois on Nov. 24 at the Northeast Duals and No. 5 Ohio State on Dec. 16 at Madison Square Garden.

In addition, Maryland takes on No. 9 Nebraska, No. 12 Virginia Tech, No. 16 Virginia, No. 18 Pittsburgh, and potentially faces No. 7 Missouri and/or No. 19 Wyoming at the NWCA National Duals.

Movin' On Up

During the offseason, several wrestlers made the move to a higher weight class.

Lou Mascola defeated Danny Orem during the Red & Black Wrestle-Offs to earn the starting nod at 149. Mascola wrestled at 141 last season and finished with a record of 10-12.

Ben Dorsay, who started for the Terps last season at 149, makes the jump to 157 this season. Dorsay is expected to redshirt this year.

After placing sixth at the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive season in 2012, Josh Asper climbs to 174. Asper has compiled a record of 63-9 over the past two seasons.

At 184, Jimmy Sheptock slides up from 174 where he went 27-6 last season en route to his first ACC Championship.

Ty Snook moves up from 184 to 197 following a 14-15 campaign in 2012 where he will compete with Christian Boley.

In The Hunt

The Terps placed seven wrestlers in the finals of last season's ACC Championships. Six of the seven wrestlers return for Maryland including three conference champions.

Christian Boley and Jimmy Sheptock will be looking for their second ACC title in as many seasons. Josh Asper will be looking to regain the crown after losing in the 165-pound final.

Geoffrey Alexander and Shane Gentry will both be looking for their first titles after falling in last season's championship round.

Grapple at the Garden

The Terps schedule includes a trip to Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Dec. 16. It is the first-ever collegiate wrestling event to be held at the world famous arena.

Maryland will take on two Big Ten powerhouses in No. 5 Ohio State and No. 9 Nebraska.

Head Coach Kerry McCoy

Beginning his fifth season at Maryland, head coach Kerry McCoy has compiled a record of 60-17-2, which is the highest winning percentage in program history (.772). McCoy, a three-time ACC Coach of the Year honoree, led the Terps to their second consecutive ACC crown in 2012. McCoy's accomplishments are numerous and include:

-22 All-Atlantic Coast Conference honorees
-15 ACC Champions
-Six All-Americans
-Three ACC Championships
-Three top-20 finishes at the NCAA Championships
-Two ACC Wrestler of the Year honorees
-Two ACC Tournament MVP honorees

Media Information

Terps on the Web: For up-to-date game stories, statistics, schedules and results, and other Maryland athletic department information, please log-on to REPLACE_ME on the Internet.