COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Maryland men's wrestling team (4-11, 1-7 Big Ten) will host a pair of opponents for a back-to-back doubleheader this Sunday, February 14 at the XFINITY Center. The squad will first face Wisconsin (2-6, 1-5 Big Ten) at 11:30 am before holding its annual Beauty and the Beast match against George Mason (7-9, 3-2 EWL) at 2:00 pm.   

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beauty and the beast

•  Maryland gymnastics and wrestling teams will host their second annual Beauty and the Beast event on Sunday, February 14 at 2:00 pm. The teams will compete simultaneously on the XFINITY Center main floor with the gymnasts facing conference foe Rutgers and the wrestlers taking on George Mason. 
•  Maryland picked up a 21-18 victory over Harvard at last year's Beauty and the Beast match on January 9. All-American Spencer Myers was the difference for the Terps winning his first match of the season by decision to push the Terps over the edge.
•  Admission is free to Beauty and the Beast. After the event, fans can participate in an autograph session with the wrestlers and gymnasts. Fans are also encouraged to stick around for a special showing of Finding Nemo on the XFINITY Center videoboard. (Note: Maryland's match vs. Wisconsin at 11:30 am will be ticketed.) 

Setting the staGe 

• Maryland came up short its lone dual meet last weekend, falling to Navy 24-18 in Annapolis, Md. The Terps were originally scheduled to wrestle Wisconsin at home on Sunday, January 24, but the match was postponed due to winter storm Jonas.
•  Maryland tallied victories in two of the opening three matches, but No. 6/8 Michigan came on strong late to earn a 33-6 victory over the host Terrapins in their last dual match of February 5. Redshirt senior Geoffrey Alexander (133) and redshirt freshman Alfred Bannister (141) notched back-to-back wins to put the Terps ahead early, then the Wolverines took the next seven to move to 11-2 (6-1 Big Ten).  
• Maryland's youth was on display last Saturday at the Messiah Open, as freshmen Youssif Hemida (285), Josh Ugalde (174) and Danny Boychuck (157) captured tournament titles for the Terps. UMD wrestling had solid performances across the board, as the team winds down open tournament season for the 2015-16 campaign.
• Three Maryland wrestlers (Geoffrey Alexander, Lou Mascola & Dawson Peck) remained ranked in the second of four coaches' panel rankings for the 2015-16 season released by the NCAA on February 11. 
• Redshirt freshman Ryan Diehl and redshirt junior Shyheim Brown both posted undefeated records in the 149-pound weight class to highlight Maryland's day at the Shorty Hitchcock Invitational hosted by Millersville University on January 16.
• Diehl now sports a team-best 17 wins on the season for the Terps, one victory ahead of redshirt junior Billy Rapppo, who is 16-8 this season.
• Redshirt freshman Adam Whitesell has overtaken Dawson Peck for the team lead in falls this season, now with nine after a big day at the Messiah Open. Whitesell posted four pins at the event, including three to start his tournament on his way to a third place finish. Peck (8) and Diehl (7) round out the team's top three.
• Maryland wrestling secured the program's first head-to-head B1G victory as a member of the conference over Michigan State on January 10. The Terps won seven bouts, including the final three of the match to get the historic 26-10 win. Check out video from behind the scenes. 
• Alexander remains ranked top 20 in the latest InterMat Wrestling NCAA Division I Rankings, currently the No. 16 wrestler in his weight class nationwide. Alexander has been ranked every week since December 15 after he made his season debut against Nebraska.
• The Terps took 21^st in the field at the 53^rd Ken Kraft Midlands Championships hosted by Northwestern December 29-30.
• Redshirt-sophomore Dawson Peck (285) placed sixth in the field in the heavyweight division at the event, while capturing the Midlands Most Falls Award with a tournament-best four pins. Peck finished 5-3 overall at the two-day tournament, which featured some of the top wrestlers from around the country.
• Peck was just the second Terp to win the Midlands Most Falls Award, after Hudson Taylor also earned the honor in 2008 with four pins. Taylor finished seventh overall in the 197-pound weight class that year. 

Maryland Probables 

• 125: Michael Beck or Jhared Simmons
• 133: No. 16 Geoffrey Alexander or Tyler Goodwin
• 141: Alfred “Baby J” Bannister or Billy Rappo
• 149: Wade Hodges or Ryan Diehl
• 157: Lou Mascola or Patrick Gerish
• 165: Brendan Burnham or Tyler Manion
• 174: Josh Snook or Derrick Evanovich
• 184: Jaron Smith or Mark Colabucci
• 197: Garrett Wesneski or Sean Twigg
• 285: Dawson Peck or Youssif Hemida

scouting Wisconsin

(Wisconsin Wrestling Home Page) (Roster) (Schedule) (Stats) 

• Wisconsin will first battle No. 7/10 Ohio State (9-3, 6-2 Big Ten) before traveling east to wrestle the Terps Sunday morning. While the Badgers are just 2-6 overall, they knocked off then-No. 12/12 Rutgers 18-15 in their last road matchup on February 5.
• The Terps were originally scheduled to host the Badgers on January 24, but the match was postponed due to winter storm Jonas.
• The 133-pound bout should make for one of the premiere matchups of the weekend, as Wisconsin boasts the current No. 7-ranked wrestler in the nation in redshirt junior Ryan Taylor. Taylor was a 2015 All-American and the Big Ten runner up at 133 pounds, and is 3-3 after missing time early on in the season. Fellow redshirt junior Issac Jordan holds the No. 3 spot nationwide in the 165-pound class, and remains undefeated (18-0) this season. Jordan is the reigning Big Ten Champion and captured 2015 All-American honors.
• Projected to wrestle for Wisconsin: Johnny Jimenez (125); No. 7 Ryan Taylor or Jens Lantz (133); Luke Rowh or Gabriel Grahek (141); Andrew Crone (149); TJ Ruschell (157); No. 3 Issac Jordan (165); Ricky Robertson (174); Ryan Christensen (184); Eric Peissig or Nic Veling (197); Brock Horwath (285).

SCOUTING george mason

(George Mason Wrestling Home Page) (Roster) (Schedule) (Stats) 

•  George Mason will have a busy weekend ahead, with two home duals scheduled for Saturday against Franklin & Marshall and Bucknell before making the short trip to College Park Sunday.
• The Patriots are coming off a 38-4 victory over Eastern Wrestling League opponent Bloomsburg on February 6.
• Redshirt freshman Tejon Anthony (141) moved to 18-8 on the year and had an impressive performance against Bloomsburg, winning by technical fall, 18-3. Redshirt senior captain Greg Flournoy(157) continued his winning ways pushing his overall record to (24-6), winning by decision 5-3 vs. Bloomsburg. Flournoy is Mason's lone 2015 NCAA qualifier on this year's squad.
• Projected to wrestle for George Mason: Ibrahim Bunduka or Bill Prochniewski (125); Vince Rodriguez or Ryan Renkey (133); Tejon Anthony (141); Blake Roulo (149); Greg Flournoy (157); Patrick Davis (165); Ryan Forrest or Daniel Mika or Jesse Fulk (174); Luke Ludke or Austin Harrison (184); Cameron Houston (197); Matthew Voss or Gary Miltenberger (285).

Last meeting

• Wisconsin came out ahead 28-12 when the teams met last season in Madison for Maryland's inaugural Big Ten match.  
• The Terps have had the upperhand on George Mason in recent history, winning eight straight duals from the 2006-2007 season until the 2014-2015 season. The Patriots picked up a win in the team's last meeting, topping Maryland last year 17-16 in College Park. 

next up

• The Terps will wrap up their 2015-16 dual match slate on Saturday, February 20 when the team host Rider in College Park at 3:00 pm. The team will honor its five seniors in a pre-match ceremony for senior day.

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