Terps Host Rider for Senior Day Finale

2/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling

By: Maryland Athletics

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Maryland men's wrestling team (5-12, 1-8 Big Ten) will compete in its final dual match of the season Saturday when the team welcomes Rider (10-9, 4-2 EWL) to the XFINITY Center Pavilion at 3:00 pm. The squad will honor eight members of the class of 2016 in a pre-match ceremony for senior day.

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thank you seniors!

The Maryland wrestling program will honor its eight graduating seniors in a pre-match ceremony on Saturday. Geoffrey Alexander, Shane Arechiga, Mark Colabucci, RJ De George, Derrick Evanovich, Tyler Manion, Lou Mascola and Josh Snook will be recognized for their contributions to the program during their time in College Park.
The group saw the Terps capture the 2012 ACC Championship, and has been a part of 48 dual match victories in five seasons at Maryland.

Setting the staGe

Maryland split its last pair of dual matches on February 14, dropping a 25-12 decision to Wisconsin before rebounding with a 31-9 win over George Mason.
Geoffrey Alexander was named the Solomon Eye Associates Terp of the Week on Monday after going 2-0 last Sunday which included a win over seventh ranked Ryan Taylor of Wisconsin. The redshirt senior nearly had the 2015 All-American pinned in the 1st period, but eventually grinded out an 8-6 upset victory over the Badger to remain unbeaten (6-0) in the Big Ten. Alexander also defeated George Mason's Ryan Renkey 11-8 in Maryland's Beauty and the Beast match in conjunction with Terps gymnastics. The Pittsburgh, Pa. native is now 11-1 overall on the season and a perfect 8-0 in dual matches.
Alexander jumped six spots in the latest InterMat Wrestling NCAA Division I Rankings, now tabbed as the No. 10 wrestler in his weight class nationwide. Alexander has been ranked every week since December 15 after he made his dual match season debut against Nebraska.
Lou Mascola got back to his winning ways against Wisconsin and George Mason, picking up two victories to improve to 15-7 on the season. His 11 dual match wins lead the team this season.
Maryland's youth was on display on February 6 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 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.
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
133: No. 10 Geoffrey Alexander
141: Alfred “Baby J” Bannister or Billy Rappo
149: Wade Hodges or Shane Arechiga or RJ De George
157: Lou Mascola
165: Brendan Burnham or Tyler Manion
174: Josh Snook or Derrick Evanovich
184: Jaron Smith or Mark Colabucci
197: Sean Twigg or Garrett Wesneski
285: Dawson Peck or Youssif Hemida

scouting rider

(Rider 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.
Rider will first have a road contest with Princeton tonight before making the trip to College Park to wrestle the Terps Saturday. The Broncos are 10-9 overall and 4-2 in the Eastenr Wrestling league.
No. 15 Chad Walsh (157) and No. 20 B.J. Clagon (149) are two of the top wrestlers for the Broncos, anchoring the middle weights this season. Walsh is a 2015 NCAA qualifier and second on the team in total wins (21) and dual wins (11). He has posted a team-best eight pins on the year. Clagon holds a 15-9 record and 7-5 mark in duals, and is fresh off a 6-0 decision win vs. Drexel's Kyle Krasavage on February 11. He was an All-American a season ago, placing fifth at the NCAA championships to become to first-ever Rider freshman to achieve All-America honors in any sport.
Walsh and Lou Mascola are primed to collide in the 157-pound bout, which will be the second meeting of the season between the two after going toe-to-toe at the Midlands Championships on December 29. Mascola led most of the match and was nearing a double digit lead on the Bronco grappler before Walsh reversed him for a pin at 6:21. Walsh would go on to take third in the field at the event.
Rider head coach Gary Taylor, now in his 38th season at Rider, picked up career win number 427 Thursday night when the Broncs defeated Hofstra on February 11. The 427 wins ties the legendary Bobby Douglas (Arizona State) for fourth on the all-time career list of Division I NCAA coaching victories.
Projected to wrestle for Rider: Zach Valcarce (125); Rob Deutsch (133); Paul Kirchner or Jimmy Morris (141); B.J. Clagon (149); Chad Walsh (157); Conor Brennan (165); Wayne Stinson or Curt Delia (174); Michale Fagg-Daves (184); Ryan Wolfe (197); Greg Velasco or Mauro Correnti (285)

Last meeting

This will be the first meeting between Maryland and Rider in a dual match format since December 8, 2007, when the Terps picked up a 39-4 victory in College Park. That Maryland team was ranked No. 23 in the country at the time, and featured wins from future All-Americans Hudson Taylor, Steven Bell and Mike Letts.

next up

The Terps will now shift their focus to championship season, which includes the National Collegiate Open in Geneva, OH on March 1. Maryland wrestling will then be in action at the Big Ten Tournament in Iowa City, Iowa March 5-6.

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