COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Over the next three days, umterps.com will preview the 2016-17 wrestling season with the help of head coach Kerry McCoy. Part two breaks down the 149, 157 and 165-pound weight classes.

149 Pounds

Projected Starter: Shyheim Brown

McCoy's Take: “We have a few questions to answer at 149. We don't really know right now. Shyheim Brown is the incumbent, that guy on paper but he has some issues that we're trying to work through. Ryan Diehl has had some success at 149, so he could be a guy we turn to. And then Adam Whitesell is moving up from 141 to 149, so he's going to be another guy that we're going to be looking at in that position. There's a lot of potential changes and a lot of potential options in that weight class. So it's exciting to see who's going to rise, but overall we have guys that are going to be pushing themselves and helping our team get better.”

157 Pounds

Projected Starter: Justin Alexander

The Low Down: With Maryland's incumbent starter Lou Mascola lost to graduation, the 157-pound weight class will be open for a new look in 2016. Several wrestlers have the potential to emerge, which includes returning redshirt junior Justin Alexander. Alexander sports a career record of 34-22 and represented the the Terps at the 2015 Big Ten Championships at 165 pounds. The Pittsburgh, Pa. native has moved between 165 and 157 pounds throughout his time at Maryland, and will be in contention for the spot early on.

Sophomore Wade Hodges has bumped up from 149 pounds after a promising freshman season for the Terps. Hodges still has a redshirt season to use, and coach McCoy believes it may be a viable option for the Wauseon, Ohio native to continue his development. Redshirt freshman Danny Boychuck is coming off a solid 15-10 season in open tournament competition between 149 and 157 pounds, and will be knocking on the door for the starting gig. Fellow redshirt freshman

Jakob Restrepo was limited in his first collegiate season going 4-4, but will also be in the mix for UMD. Hunter Hulse and Jahi Jones will provide depth at the weight class, with several different scenarios possible in McCoy's eyes.                          

McCoy's Take: “We've got again a good problem to have. We have four or five guys that will be pushing for this position. Wade Hodges has moved from 149, he's going to be in the mix. Danny Boychuck had a really good redshirt year. Justin Alexander is returning to the team after he competed two years ago at the Big Ten Tournament at 165. Jakob Restrepo is a redshirt freshman coming off of a pretty good year last year a former New York State Champion. So a lot of options there. Some other guys who maybe aren't as heralded but are working hard. But I would expect to see one of those four guys come out on top. Wade does have a redshirt season so potentially we could have him redshirt and potentially have some of those other guys battle it out. It's just going to be a matter of time but we know we have some really good options there.”        

165 Pounds

Projected Starter: Josh Ugalde

The Low Down: With incumbent Brendan Burnham's expected rise to 174 pounds, 165 will be ripe for opportunity to an up-and-coming Terp this season. Redshirt freshman Josh Ugalde fits the mold, coming off a 16-win first year campaign with seven bonus point wins. The Bound Brook, N.J. native won the Messiah Open title, and also placed at the Wolfpack Open and Shorty Hitchcock Open.

Redshirt sophomore Patrick Gerish and redshirt freshman Garrett Griffith have both bumped up from 157 pounds, and could be in line for dual meet starts this season. Gerish went 14-8 overall last season, which included seven bonus point victories. Griffith will look to continue to gain experience after posting five wins during his redshirt season.

Freshman Spencer Woods has turned some heads early with his conditioning, as the two-time Alaska State Champion and former cross country runner gets set to embark on his first collegiate season. Fellow freshman Vincent DiFilippo will start his college career at 165, after amassing a 110-28 record as a two-time New Jersey state placer at St. Joseph's Regional.              

McCoy's Take: “Josh is just a good wrestler, especially from the top position. He's hard to take down. One of the biggest things we've worked with him is his mental capacity. Being strong mentally, believing in himself, his training and his preparation. He's been dinged up here and there so keeping him healthy is going to be a big part. But, he's been putting the effort in. He's straightened himself out and he's starting to believe in the things that we need to believe to be successful. So he's definitely put himself in position to be the guy, but there's a lot of young guys behind him pushing. Spencer [Woods] is putting a lot of work in. He's another guy who may grow. Coming from Alaska the meal options are little bit more limited. So being here in the DC area he's eating a lot more. He could potentially be putting some size on. Patrick Gerish is another guy, a third year guy that's been around and is moving up a weight class that's had some success. So it's going to be interesting to see how far Josh goes and how much those other guys behind him are going to push themselves to catch up or pass him.”