Terps Set for Big Ten Debut This Weekend

11/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling

By: Maryland Athletics

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland wrestling team begins its new chapter in the Big Ten with two road contests this weekend. The Terrapins (4-1, 0-0 Big Ten) will take on No. 17 Wisconsin in Madison Friday at 9 p.m. before a showdown with No. 7 Nebraska on Sunday at 2 p.m.

“We had a disappointment on Sunday, but you've got to have short memory,” head coach Kerry McCoy said. “Most of the crowds are a few thousand people. It's a bigger audience and a bigger stage. In the Big Ten, wrestling is a big deal. It's going to be nice to go out there and see it.”

Leading it off

• The Terps will look to rebound from a 17-16 home defeat to George Mason. The Terps and Patriots were tied on total team points at the completion of the dual, but Mason was awarded an extra team point based on an edge in the total match points tiebreaker (59-55).

• In his season debut, 184-pound Tony Gardner earned a major decision over Derek Dwyer. Gardner is the replacement in the starting lineup for 2014 NCAA runner-up Jimmy Sheptock.

• Rob Fitzgerald is a team-best 5-0 so far this season, earning bonus points in 4-of-5 matches.

Maryland probables

Maryland's Probable Starters
Wt.	Wrestler	Yr.	Hometown	W-L	MD	TF	Falls
125	Jhared Simmons	RFr.	Montgomery Village, Md.	2-0	1-0	0-0	0-0
125	Josh Polacek	RJr.	Johnstown, Pa.	3-0	0-0	0-0	1-0
133	Geoffrey Alexander	RJr.	Pittsburgh, Pa.	2-0	0-0	0-0	1-0
141	Shyheim Brown	So.	Harrisburg, Pa.	3-0	0-0	1-0	1-0
141	Frank Goodwin	Sr.	Gambrills, Md.	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-0
149	Ben Dorsay	Sr.	Virginia Beach, Va.	2-1	0-0	1-0	0-1
149	Shane Arechiga	RJr.	Silver Spring, Md.	1-1	0-0	0-0	0-0
157	Lou Mascola	RJr.	East Hanover, N.J.	1-0	0-0	0-0	0-0
157	Justin Alexander	RFr.	Pittsburgh, Pa.	4-0	0-0	0-0	1-0
165	Tyler Manion	Sr.	McDonald, Pa.	3-1	1-0	0-1	1-0
174	Josh Snook	So.	Bear, Del.	4-1	2-0	0-0	1-0
184	Tony Gardner	Sr.	Reisterstown, Md.	1-0	1-0	0-0	0-0
197	Rob Fitzgerald	Sr.	Downingtown, Pa.	5-0	2-0	0-0	2-0
285	Sean Twigg	RFr.	Glenelg, Md.	2-1	0-0	0-0	2-0
285	Ryan Kail	RFr.	Berlin, Md.	1-1	0-1	0-0	1-0

Scouting the Opposition

• No. 17 Wisconsin will make its season dual debut Friday night. The Badgers return nine starters from last year's squad that went 12-6 overall and finished 16th at the 2014 NCAA Championships

• Issac Jordan is a key cog for the Badgers at 165 pounds. A 2014 All-American at 157 pounds, Jordan placed third at the Big Ten Championships and finished with a 31-7 record.

• No. 7 Nebraska went 12-2 last season and finished 11th at the NCAA Championships. The Huskers are coached by Mark Manning, who is in his 14th year at the helm in Lincoln. 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs is on the Nebraska staff as an assistant coach.

• Returning All-Americans James Green and Robert Kokesh provide the Huskers with elite options at 157 and 174 pounds. Green, ranked second by Intermat and The Open Mat, was the No. 1 seed at the NCAA Championships last year. Green fell in the quarterfinals, but won three matches in wrestlebacks to finish third. Kokesh is also No. 2 in Intermat's poll. The senior placed fourth at the NCAA Championships last season. Both grapplers won Big Ten Championships in their respective weight classes.

B1G History

• The Terrapins have faced both Nebraska and Wisconsin under head coach Kerry McCoy.

• Led by Jimmy Sheptock and Christian Boley, the Terps edged No. 14 Nebraska, 18-17, at the Grapple at the Garden in 2012. Carl Buchholz pulled out a 3-2 tiebreaker round victory at heavyweight to put the Terps over the top.

• No. 7 Maryland got past No. 22 Wisconsin 21-18 in 2010. Hudson Taylor starred for the Terps with his pin at 197 pounds propelling the Terps to victory.

Terps ready for the b1gest Show in wrestling

• "That's kind of every wrestler's dream to wrestle in the Big Ten." - Geoffrey Alexander to umterps.com contributer Michael Errigo, who outlined the Terps' exciting move to the Big Ten in his latest piece.

BROWN DELIVERS

• Sophomore Shyheim Brown picked up where he left off from last season, dispatching three opponents at the Terrapin Duals.

• Brown had a breakout 2013-14 campaign at 141 pounds. The Pennsylvania native qualified for the NCAA Tournament and rose to as high as No. 8 in the nation.

REDSHIRT NO MORE

• After serving a redshirt season last year, Geoffrey Alexander reentered the Terps' lineup and went 2-0 at the Terrapin Duals.

• A two-time NCAA qualifier, Alexander dominated open competition at 133 pounds last season to the tune of a 25-2 recordand four open tournament titles. He is a consensus top-15 133-pounder entering the season.

• 157-pounder Lou Mascola also redshirted last season and made his debut back in the Maryland lineup against George Mason. Mascola earned a 4-1 decision over Greg Flournoy.

myers matters

• Spencer Myers, currently playing for the Maryland football team, will be an anchor in the Terps' lineup. An All-American, Myers has qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of his varsity seasons. He went 24-6 last year and is a two-time ACC Champion.

• Sean Twigg or Ryan Kail will handle the heavyweight load until Myers finishes his football commitments.

hall of fame status

• Head Coach Kerry McCoy was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2014 in July in Stillwater, Okla.

• A two-time national champion at Penn State, McCoy was also inducted into the NACDA/John McLendon Minority Scholarship Foundation Hall of Fame alongside University of Maryland Director of Athletics Kevin Anderson.

New Starters

• Multiple grapplers made their dual-match debut at the Terrapin Duals. Jhared Simmons (125), Daniel Sanchez (141), Justin Alexander (157), Arashdeep Gill (174/184). Rob Fitzgerald (197), Ryan Kail (285) and Sean Twigg (285) all saw action, going a combined 14-4. Simmons, Sanchez, Fitzgerald and Twigg all started against George Mason.

• Six (Simmons, Sanchez, Alexander, Gill, Kail and Twigg) are redshirt freshman.

OPENING STATEMENT

• Maryland wrestlers continued their strong performances at open tournaments, with Alfred Bannister earning a third place finish and Chanse Menendez a fourth place finish at the Jonathan Kaloust Bearcat Open in Binghamton, N.Y.

• Bannister, a highly touted recruit from LaPlata, fell to nationally ranked Todd Preston of Harvard before winning six matches to eventually finish third. “Baby J” captured four Maryland state titles as a prep.

• Menendez, a transfer from Nassau Community College, advanced to the semifinals before eventually falling in the third-place match.

• In previous open action, Bannister and Dawson Peck both notched fourth place finishes at the Clarion Open.

• A transfer from Chattanooga, Peck nabbed four wins in the heavyweight bracket before dropping his third place bout. Peck was an NCAA qualifer last season.

Strong Slate

• The Terps will take on 10 teams included in the preseason Intermat Dual Meet Division I Poll. Eight of those are Big Ten squads, with No. 1 Minnesota, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Iowa and No. 5 Penn State all visiting College Park for dual matches this season.

• The Terps will travel to No. 7 Nebraska, No. 11 Illinois, No. 14 Wisconsin. No. 15 Pittsburgh and No. 16 Northwestern.

• Nine of Maryland's opponents finished with the Terps in the top-20 of the 2014 NCAA Championships. Pittsburgh (22nd), Duke (29th), Rutgers (34th), Hofstra (t-40th), Navy (t-40th) and Harvard (58th) rounds out the NCAA team placings.

Enter Eiter

• Former Penn head coach Rob Eiter is in his first season as an assistant coach, joining fifth-year assistant Mike Catullo and volunteer assistant Josh Asper on the coaching staff.

• Eiter produced four All-Americans in his six years at the helm. Eiter also served the Quakers as an assistant for three seasons.

• A 1991 graduate of Arizona State, Eiter's glittering interational credentials are highlighted by an eigth-place finish at the 1996 Olympics Games in Atlanta. Eiter also was a standout international coach, guiding the 1999 United State women's team to a first-place finish at the World Championships.

MARYLAND MAT CHAT DEBUTS

• Maryland Mat Chat, the official podcast of the Maryland Wrestling team, debuted this week. Head coach Kerry McCoy was joined by veteran wrestling journalist Jason Bryant to review the Terrapin Duals, discuss the new additions to the coaching staff and preview Sunday's clash with George Mason.

Media Madness

• Head coach Kerry McCoy and select Maryland wrestlers faced the cameras at Maryland wrestling's first ever media day on Oct. 7.

• McCoy's discussed a wide variety of subjects at his press conference. His comments can be viewed below.

-Maryland-