COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland wrestling team hosts fellow Big Ten newcomer No. 22 Rutgers this Sunday at noon in the XFINITY Center Pavilion. The contest will serve as the Terps' annual Pin Cancer match.
Leading it off
• Maryland will take on No. 22 Rutgers at the XFINITY Center Pavilion Sunday.
• The Terps defeated Harvard Friday night in Maryland inaugural Beauty and the Beast event. With the dual tied 18-18, Spencer Myers defeated David Ng by decision to give Maryland the win.
• On Sunday, Maryland lost to Navy (20-18) and No. 11 Lehigh (35-3).
• Maryland notched its second straight top-10 finish at the Midlands Championships, finishing 8th (51.5). The Terps boasted four placers: Josh Snook (4th, 174), Dawson Peck (5th, 285) Lou Mascola (6th, 157) and Shyheim Brown (8th, 141). Peck was wrestling unattached and his score was not added to the team total.
Maryland probables
| Maryland's Probable Starters |
| Wt. |
Wrestler |
Yr. |
Hometown |
W-L |
MD |
TF |
Falls |
| 125 |
Josh Polacek |
RJr. |
Johnstown, Pa. |
6-7 |
0-1 |
0-0 |
1-1 |
| 133 |
Geoffrey Alexander |
RJr. |
Pittsburgh, Pa. |
12-3 |
2-1 |
1-0 |
1-0 |
| 141 |
Shyheim Brown |
So. |
Harrisburg, Pa. |
16-6 |
0-1 |
4-0 |
2-0 |
| 141 |
Frank Goodwin |
Sr. |
Gambrills, Md. |
8-5 |
1-1 |
0-0 |
0-2 |
| 149 |
Ben Dorsay |
Sr. |
Virginia Beach, Va. |
2-5 |
0-1 |
0-0 |
0-1 |
| 157 |
Lou Mascola |
RJr. |
East Hanover, N.J. |
10-9 |
3-2 |
1-0 |
1-1 |
| 165 |
Tyler Manion |
Sr. |
McDonald, Pa. |
3-10 |
1-3 |
0-0 |
0-4 |
| 174 |
Josh Snook |
So. |
Bear, Del. |
10-9 |
3-1 |
0-0 |
1-2 |
| 184 |
Tony Gardner |
Sr. |
Reisterstown, Md. |
1-8 |
1-3 |
0-2 |
0-1 |
| 197 |
Rob Fitzgerald |
Sr. |
Downingtown, Pa. |
8-10 |
3-1 |
0-0 |
2-2 |
| 285 |
Sean Twigg |
RFr. |
Glenelg, Md. |
4-8 |
0-0 |
0-1 |
3-1 |
| 285 |
Spencer Myers |
Sr. |
Selinsgrove, Pa. |
2-0 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
0-0 |
Scouting the Opposition
• No. 22 Rutgers got off to a school record 9-0 start before dropping duals to No. 1 Iowa, No. 11 Illinois and No. 2 Minnesota. The Scarlet Knights will face No. 5 Penn State at home Friday before traveling to College Park.
• Anthony Ashnault is the highest ranked Rutgers grappler, checking in at No. 8 in TOM's rankings. No. 17 Scott DelVecchio (133), No. 18 Anthony Perrotti (157), No. 15 Phil Bakuckas (174), No. 18 Andrew Campolattano and No. 13 Billy Smith (285) provide balance to a strong Scarlet Knight lineup.
• Scott Goodale is in his eighth season as head coach. Goodale has led the Scarlet Knights to two top-25 finishes at the NCAA Championships and produced 36 NCAA Championships bids. He holds a record of 111-38-1 at Rutgers.
Alexander the great
• Redshirt junior Geoffrey Alexander (133) moved to 10th in TheOpenMat.com's individual rankings following his win over returning All-American No. 9 Mason Beckman
• Alexander leads Maryland in dual wins (10), dual points scored (39) and dual bonus points (21).
BROWN DELIVERS
• Sophomore Shyheim Brown is 17th in TOM's individual rankings. Brown is second on the team in dual points scored (29) and leads the team in technical falls (4).
• Brown had a breakout campaign last season at 141 pounds. The Pennsylvania native qualified for the NCAA Tournament and rose to as high as No. 8 in the nation.
myers matters
•Senior heavyweight Spencer Myers returned to the Terps' lineup and notched two wins against Harvard and Navy. An All-American, Myers has qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of his non-redshirt seasons. He went 24-6 last year and is a two-time ACC Champion.
• Myers missed the opening part of the season while competing for the Maryland football team. He played in all 13 games at defensive end and notched 18 tackles.
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.
• McCoy was honored before the Terps' dual with Penn State on Dec. 11.
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. Fitzgerald has started every match for the Terps this season.
• Six (Simmons, Sanchez, Alexander, Gill, Kail and Twigg) are redshirt freshman.
OPENING STATEMENT
• Freshman Alfred Bannister leads the Terps in wins (26) after his standout performances at a number of open competitions this season. He most recently won the F&M Open. The 141-pounder captured the Wolfpack Open title and finished third at the Bearcat Open and fourth at the Clarion Open.
• Five Terps placed at the Nittany Lion Open, led by Tyler Goodwin's third place finish at 133 pounds. Adam Whitesell finished eighth behind Goodwin while Derrick Evanovich (157, 4th), Toby Hague (157, 7th) and Garrett Wesneski (197, 8th) also placed.
• Wesneski also won a title at the TCNJ Open. Dawson Peck (285) and Shyheim Brown (141) also took home first-place honors.
Strong Slate
• The Terps have faced four ranked opponents this season; No. 17 Wisconsin, No. 12 Nebraska, No. 9 Pittsburgh, No. 5 Penn State and No. 10 Lehigh.
• Nine of Maryland's 2014-15 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 as head coach at Penn. 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 Episode 5
• Head coach Kerry McCoy joins veteren wrestling journalist Jason Bryant to discuss the Terps' success at the Midlands and the team's upcoming schedule on this edition of Maryland Mat Chat.
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-