COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland wrestling team makes its annual trip to the Grapple at the Garden Sunday at Madison Square Garden. The Terrapins (1-3, 0-1 Big Ten) will take on Illinois at 10 a.m., before facing Hofstra at noon.
Setting the staGe
• The Terrapins dropped their dual match at No. 2 Iowa, 36-9. Maryland won matches through redshirt freshman Alfred Bannister (141), redshirt senior Lou Mascola (157) and Brendan Burnham (165).
• The Terps return two NCAA qualifiers and five starters from last season's squad and add a top-20 recruiting class.
• Bannister defeated Iowa's Logan Ryan, 8-5, to notch his sixth win of the season. Bannister is coming off a 37-win redshirt campaign. He defeated ACC Champion Mikey Racciato of Pitt, 9-5, is his first match of the season.
• After a season that saw him qualify for his first NCAA Championships, Mascola is off to a 5-0 start punctuated by an 8-6 win over Iowa's Edwin Cooper Jr., last weekend. Mascola will have his toughest test to date against Illinois when he takes on reigning NCAA Champion Isaiah Martinez.
• Mascola's journey from unknown recruit to NCAA qualifier can be found here.
• Burnham delivered the Terps' biggest surprise in Iowa City when he took out Burke Paddock, 9-5. A true freshman, Burnham is expected to start this weekend.
• 133-pound Tyler Goodwin is 3-1 so far this season and checks in at No. 18 in the InterMat rankings. The redshirt sophomore's best win came against Dom Forys of Pittsburgh.
• Redshirt senior Josh Snook, who won 13 times last season, returns as the starter at 174 pounds.
• Sophomore Dawson Peck (285) qualified for the 2014 NCAA Championships as a competitor for Chattanooga before sitting out a transfer season last year in College Park. Peck won twice at the Terrapin Duals.
Scouting the Opposition
• Ilinois is ranked No. 12 in the InterMat dual match rankings. Isaiah Martinez, the defending national champion at 157 pounds, is on a 47-match winning streak. The Illini also feature ranked wrestlers in No. 11 Zane Richards (133), No. 19 Kyle Langenderfer (149), No. 16 Steven Rodrigues (165), No. 9 Zac Brunson (174), No. 18 Jeff Koepke (184) and No. 14 Brooks Black (285). The Illini defeated the Terps in Champaign last season.
• Hofstra defeated the Terrapins, 29-12, at this event last season. Jamel Hudson, ranked No. 16 by InterMat at 141 pounds, is 2-1 so far this season and was an NCAA qualifier last year. Michael Hughes (285) as been a force with two tournament titles and an 11-2 record so far this year.
Wrestling Season Preview
• Umterps.com previewed the 2015-16 wrestling season with head coach Kerry McCoy. The previews can be found here: 125-141, 149-174, 184-285.
McCoy Names 2015-16 Captains
• Maryland wrestling head coach Kerry McCoy named seniors Geoffrey Alexander and Lou Mascola, along with redshirt freshman Alfred Bannister, as captains for the 2015-16 season.
• Alexander was a captain two seasons ago. Mascola and Bannister are first-time captains.
Media Madness
• Head coach Kerry McCoy and select Maryland wrestlers faced the cameras at media day on Oct. 27
• McCoy discussed a wide variety of subjects at his press conference. His comments can be viewed below.
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