Terps Travel to No. 19 Michigan
1/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Seniors Jimmy Sheptock and Christian Boley lead the Terps against their future Big Ten rival after capturing titles at the prestigious 51st Ken Kraft Midlands Tournament in Evanston, Ill. Junior Spencer Myers and sophomore Josh Snook also had successful tournaments, advancing to the semifinals and quarterfinals respectively.
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| Maryland's Probable Starters | |||||||
| Wt. | Wrestler | Yr. | Hometown | W-L | MD | TF | Falls |
| 125 | Billy Rappo | So. | Holland, Pa. | 11-7 | 0-0 | 4-0 | 2-1 |
| 125 | Paul O'Neill | So. | Bethesda, Md. | 5-4 | 0-1 | 2-0 | 0-2 |
| 133 | Tyler Goodwin | Fr. | Gambrills, Md. | 8-5 | 2-0 | 1-0 | 4-0 |
| 133 | Tony Farace | Fr. | Gambrills, Md. | 6-10 | 1-1 | 0-1 | 0-3 |
| 141 | Shyheim Brown | So. | Harrisburg, Pa. | 12-3 | 1-0 | 2-0 | 1-0 |
| 149 | Frank Goodwin | Sr. | Gambrills, Md. | 8-5 | 2-1 | 0-0 | 1-0 |
| 149 | Derrick Evanovich | Sr. | Virginia Beach, Va. | 4-7 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| 157 | Danny Orem | Sr. | Glen Burnie, Md. | 7-7 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-1 |
| 157 | Ben Dorsay | So. | Bear, Del. | 10-5 | 2-0 | 1-1 | 0-1 |
| 165 | Josh Snook | So. | McDonald, Pa. | 4-6 | 0-2 | 1-0 | 0-1 |
| 174 | Tony Gardner | Sr. | Reisterstown, Md. | 5-6 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 2-0 |
| 184 | Jimmy Sheptock | Sr. | Northampton, Pa. | 17-0 | 3-0 | 2-0 | 3-0 |
| 197 | Christian Boley | Sr. | Brockport, N.Y. | 14-1 | 1-1 | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| 285 | Spencer Myers | Jr. | Selinsgrove, Pa. | 15-1 | 0-0 | 3-0 | 3-0 |
Last Time Out
The Terps placed sixth at the Midlands Championships with a total team score of 68.5 points. The finish tied Maryland's all-time best at the event (2009).
Sheptock and Boley's Midlands' titles were also the Terps' first since 2009 when Alex Krom won the title at 141 pounds. Spencer Myers also scored big for the Terps, finishing sixth.
Sheptock won the title as the No. 2 seed in the 184-pound bracket. The senior wrestled a tight match with No. 1 seed Ethen Lofthouse of Iowa, with the match finishing 1-1 at the end of regulation. In the sudden death period, Sheptock was able to secure a takedown and the win after a single leg shot and a nice adjustment to the Hawkeye's counter.
Boley, also a No. 2 seed, nabbed the title at 197 pounds. The New York native faced Purdue's Braden Atwood in the final, and found himself in a 3-1 hole early the second period. In the middle of the stanza, Boley used an explosive move to notch a takedown and a near-fall. The two-time ACC Champion secured the 9-5 decision with a takedown in the third period.
Winning at Wilkes
While finding success at the Midlands, the Terps will also in action at the Wilkes Open in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Daniel Sanchez and Lou Mascola, both wrestling unattached, took home the titles at 141 and 157 pounds, respectively.
Sanchez ripped through his competition, never letting notching a fall and two majority decisions on his road to the title. Mascola defeated Mark Tessari of Hofstra, 11-5, in the final at 157.
Next Up
The Terps will travel to Annapolis to face Navy. Wrestling is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Scouting the Wolverines
Head coach Joe McFarland's squad enters Sunday's contest with a 3-2 record, including a win over then No. 12 Oregon State. The match against the Terps will be the Wolverines last nonconference date until they face Pittsburgh on Feb. 15.
Freshman heavyweight Adam Coon announced his arrival on the college scene with titles at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational and Midlands Championships. Ranked the nation's No. 2 recruit in last year's class by InterMat, Coon has established himself with wins over a number of top-10 opponents, including Maryland's Spencer Myers, and his 19-0 record is the best start by a true freshman in program history. The Coon/Myers matchup will be the most significant of the dual in terms of national ranking.
Coon is supplemented by a strong contingent of competitors in the middleweights. At 165 pounds, Dan Yates is ranked at the bottom of the top-10 by most polls and will provide a stern test to Maryland's Josh Snook. The Terps will also have to contend with Brian Murphy at 157 pounds and Eric Grajales at 149 pounds. Both are nationally ranked competitors.
Beating the Best
Jimmy Sheptock has defended his undefeated record against some of the best 184-pound wrestlers in the country over the early part of the season.
The senior's match against Lofthouse pitted the consensus No. 2 and No. 3 wrestlers, in some order, at 184 pounds behind Penn State's Ed Ruth. Cornell freshman Gabe Dean, who recently defeated Ruth at the Southern Scuffle, lost to Sheptock at the Grapple at the Garden.
Sheptock also knocked off consensus top-10 competitor Max Thomusseit of Pittsburgh in the Terps' dual with the Panthers
The Pennsylvania native also took down Penn's Lorenzo Thomas, a top-15 184 pounder, in November. Sheptock leads the Terps in wins with 19.
Highly Rated
| Terps in the Polls | ||||||||||
| NWCA/AWN | Intermat | WIN | Flowrestling | |||||||
| Team | NR | 16 | 18 | 18 | ||||||
| Shyheim Brown | 12 | NR | 19 | 15 | ||||||
| Jimmy Sheptock | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | ||||||
| Christian Boley | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | ||||||
| Spencer Myers | 4 | 7 | 11 |
11 |
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Hall of Fame Credentials
Maryland head coach Kerry McCoy was named to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame's class of 2014, as announced by the organization.
McCoy finished his college career at Penn State University with an overall record of 115-18. A three-time All-American, he won the NCAA Heavyweight Title in 1994 and 1997
Following his college career, McCoy starred for his United States, earning a sliver medal at the 2003 World Championships and winning five straight U.S Open Freestyle Championships from 2000-2004. McCoy twice represented the U.S. at the Olympic Games, finishing fifth in 2000 and seventh in 2004.
McCoy was named Maryland head coach in 2008 and has accumulated a 77-25-1 record over five years. A three-time ACC Coach of the Year, McCoy has won three ACC titles and coached seven All-Americans since he arrived in College Park.
“I'm truly honored and humbled by this,” McCoy said. “I've seen so many greats get into the hall and knowing my name will be listed with them is unbelievable. I'm so happy.”
All Star Status
Jimmy Sheptock began his season with an exhibition win over No. 6 Jake Swartz of Boise State in the featured 184-pound bout at the NWCA All-Star Classic at George Mason University.
An All-American last season, Sheptock will look to improve on his finish at the NCAA Championship last season and defend his ACC tittle. The senior is 8-0 in his campaign this season, with three dominating victories at the Terrapin Duals, a victory against Stanford and a tournament title at the Roadrunner Open. His final victory over of Kutztown put him over 100 victories for his Maryland career.
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Players Mentioned
