Jan. 17, 2013

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The 23rd-ranked Maryland wrestling team (9-4) welcomes Navy to Comcast Pavilion Saturday at 7 p.m. for the annual in-state matchup between the Terps and Midshipmen.

Saturday marks the 64th meeting between the Terps and Mids. The two squads have met every season since 1951. Saturday will also be Military Appreciation Night at Comcast Pavilion.

"Some of our fans and supporters will say this is the most important match of the year," said head coach Kerry McCoy. "It's definitely one of the most important non-conference matches. We unofficially call it the state championship of Maryland.

"I have known Coach [Bruce] Burnett forever. He coached me on a couple world teams and Olympic teams. Mike Letts is coaching there as well. It makes the rivalry that much sweeter if you win and that much more bitter if you lose.

Event Multimedia

Updates will be posted on the Maryland Wrestling Twitter feed and on the Maryland Wrestling Facebook page, so "Follow" and "Like" to get updates sent straight to you.

On Twitter, follow the action by searching hastag #MDvsNAVY.

Live stats will be available beginning at 7 p.m. through trackwrestling.com.

Local Flavor

Separated by a little over 28 miles, Maryland and Navy wrestle each year for bragging rights in the state of Maryland. This year, the dual will feature a significant Maryland presence on the mat as well.

The Terps' roster features 10 wrestlers from the state and Navy's roster features nine. Of the 10 on Maryland's roster, five may see action Saturday night, while three Maryland natives are scheduled to wrestle for the Midshipmen.

The feature matchup is at 174 where fifth-ranked Josh Asper, a Parkton, Md., native and four-time state champion at Hereford, is scheduled to face 13th-ranked Mat Miller, a Edgewood, Md., native and two-time state champion at The John Carroll School.

Mark Your Calendar

The 2013 ACC Championships return to Comcast Center for the first time since 2008 on Saturday, March 9. Maryland will be looking to win its third consecutive conference title and fifth in the past six years.

Last Time Out

The Terps swept a quad meet against Brown, Harvard and Stanford on Saturday. Maryland opened with a 22-14 win over the Crimson behind a pin from Geoffrey Alexander and major decision from Jimmy Sheptock.

Next, the Terps knocked off Stanford, 27-12. Sheptock and Josh Asper and Christian Boley picked up major decisions.

In the final dual, the Terps defeated Brown, 27-6. Maryland won eight of the matches against the Bears highlighted by Alexander's second pin of the day.

Next Up

Maryland opens its ACC dual schedule against No. 9 Virginia Tech. The Terps and Hokies are set for a 7 p.m. start on Friday, Jan. 25 at Comcast Pavilion.

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Scouting The Terps

The Terps rebounded from a loss at No. 20 Bloomsburg and picked up three wins last Saturday.

Jimmy Sheptock continues to be the most consistent performer for Maryland. The junior is unbeaten in duals this season (13-0) with a team-high 42 takedowns. At 197, Christian Boley has provided a solid compliment to Sheptock. Boley is 6-3 in duals this season with two pins in his last three matches.

Josh Asper's return at 174 forms a strong trio of wrestlers at the upper weights. Asper picked up two wins last weekend including a major decision.

After suffering three straight defeats, Geoffrey Alexander (133) bounced back last weekend with three victories including two by fall and now holds a 9-2 dual record.

At 141, Frank Goodwin has won three of his last four matches and has faced a difficult lineup of competitors this season. Of his 12 matches, five have been against nationally-ranked opponents including three that ranked in the top 10.

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

Scouting The Midshipmen

The Midshipmen enter the weekend following a 19-15 defeat to Lehigh on Saturday in Annapolis.

In the Mids' two duals, the squad has received wins each time at 141, 165 and 197. Peyton Walsh (165) earned a fall against the Mountain Hawks' Ben Hass. For Walsh, it was his fifth pin of the season, which ranks second on the squad behind Mat Miller (174).

Miller enters the dual ranked 13th nationally and leads the team with seven pins. All three of Miller's losses this season have come against nationally-ranked foes, most recently against Lehigh's Nathaniel Brown, who is ranked No. 10.

At 157, Bobby Barnhisel, leads the team in wins with 22 including seven technical falls. Last time out, Barnhisel dropped a 6-2 decision to third-ranked Joey Napoli of Lehigh.

Saturday's Probables:

125: Patrick Prada (15-6), Jericho Urmenita (10-10)
133: Colton Rasche (13-8)
141: Joe Locksmith (12-9), Alex Johnson (16-7)
149: Zach Basich (10-7), Ben Hunter (6-5), Trey Duncan (7-4)
157: Bobby Barnhisel (22-5), Bobby Burg (9-7)
165: Peyton Walsh (18-8), Matt Jackson (12-7)
174: #13 Mathew Miller (15-3), William Miller (16-8)
184: Mason Bailey (21-10), James Mannier (17-9)
197: Oscar Huntley (18-7)
285: Dan Miller (14-8), Brendan Kahle (7-10)

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

Series History

Saturday's matchup is the 64th meeting between Maryland and Navy. The Terps and Midshipmen have met every season since 1951.

Navy leads the all-time series 49-11-3, but the Terps have won four of the past five meetings including last season's 23-12 victory in Annapolis. Maryland and Navy last tangled in College Park on Jan. 22, 2011 with the Terps walking away with a 19-12 win.

Welcome Back

Josh Asper made a victorious return to the Terrapin lineup last weekend. The Parkton, Md., native, who had be out since the Northeast Duals (Nov. 24) due to injury, went 2-0 on Saturday including a major decision over Stanford's Thomas Kimbrell.

The two-time All-American is Maryland's all-time winningest active wrestler with 139 victories.

College Park Reunion

Mike Letts, a 2011 All-American, will make his return to College Park on Saturday as an assistant coach with Navy.

In his second season as an assistant at the Annapolis school, Letts captured three ACC titles at 174 pounds while at Maryland and completed his collegiate career with 131 wins.

Shooting For 100

With three wins on Saturday, head coach Kerry McCoy now stands two dual wins shy of 100 career victories (98). In five seasons in College Park, McCoy is 69-21-2. His .761 winning percentage is currently the highest of any Terrapin head coach in program history.

McCoy spent three seasons at Stanford prior to coming to Maryland and finished with a record of 29-19.

So Far So Good

Jimmy Sheptock has squared off in 26 career duals and each time has left the mat with a victory. After appearing in one dual in the 2010-11 season, the Northampton, Pa., native went 12-0 as a redshirt sophomore last season. This season, Sheptock is 13-0 with three major decisions, two pins and a technical fall.

Sheptock Fifth at Midlands

Jimmy Sheptock went 5-2 at the 50th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships to take fifth place at the prestigious tournament. The 184-pounder improved on his 2011 performance after finishing seventh last year.

Sheptock joined Steve Bell, Phil Brown, David Land,Mike Letts, Tom Reese andHudson Tayloras the only Maryland wrestlers to finish in the top eight twice at the Midlands Championships.

Top Of The Table

Following the Terps dual at Bloomsburg, 184-pound Jimmy Sheptock leads the team or is tied for the team lead in eight dual-meet categories.

Sheptock leads the Terps in: dual points scored (50), major decisions (3), technical falls (1), takedowns (42), two-point near falls (5), and bonus points scored (29).

He is tied for the team lead in three-point near falls (3) and reversals (2).

Title Town

Four Terrapins won individual titles at the Brockport/Oklahoma Classic: Josh Asper (174), Jimmy Sheptock (184).

For Asper, it was his third consecutive title at Brockport with his first two coming at 165 pounds. Boley has won the 197-pound title the past two years.

Hudson Taylor Award

After each home dual meet this season, the Maryland coaching staff will select a deserving wrestler(s) as the recipient of the Hudson Taylor Award. The award is given to the most outstanding Terrapin wrestler(s) in the meet.

On Saturday, Geoffrey Alexander and Share Arechiga shared the honor. Alexander went 3-0 with two pins, while Arechiga earned a vital major decision against Stanford wrestling up a weight class at 149.

For Alexander, it is the second time he has been honored. The sophomore received the award following Terrapin victories over Johns Hopkins and West Virginia to open the season.

Welcome To 174

Josh Asper made his debut at 174 pounds Saturday, Nov. 3 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.

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 faced No. 5 Illinois at the Northeast Duals along with No. 6 Ohio State and No. 14 Nebraska at the Grapple at the Garden. The Terps have also squared off against No. 17 Pittsburgh and No. 20 Bloomsburg.

In addition, Maryland defeated No. 22 Purdue and will take on No. 9 Virginia Tech, No. 11 Virginia, and potentially faces No. 7 Missouri and/or No. 15 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 at 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.

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.

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.

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.