Terps Return Home to Battle No. 2 Buckeyes
1/3/2018 12:54:00 PM | Wrestling
at 
| Probables vs. Ohio State | ||
|---|---|---|
| Maryland | Weight | Ohio State |
| Brandon Cray | 125 | Brakan Mead OR No. 1 Nathan Tomasello |
| Jhared Simmons OR Danny Bertoni | 133 | No. 3 Luke Pletcher |
| Ryan Diehl OR Peter Tedesco | 141 | No. 6 Joey McKenna |
| Alfred Bannister | 149 | No. 5 Ke-Shawn Hayes |
| Justin Alexander | 157 | No. 6 Micah Jordan |
| Brendan Burnham | 165 | No. 11 Te'Shan Campbell |
| Josh Ugalde | 174 | No. 3 Bo Jordan |
| Niko Cappello | 184 | No. 2 Myles Martin |
| Mansur Abdul-Malik | 197 | No. 1 Kollin Moore |
| No. 10 Youssif Hemida | 285 | Kevin Snyder OR No. 1 Kyle Snyder |
| TERP SPOTLIGHT |
|---|
|
|
| opponent capsule | ||
|---|---|---|
| #2 OHIO STATE Series vs. Maryland: Ohio State leads 3-0 Last Time Out: Jan. 22, 2017 (Ohio State 30, Maryland 12) |
||
| Next Home Match |
|---|
 Maryland vs. No. 1 Penn StateSunday, Jan. 21 | 4 p.m. The Terps host the two-time defending National Champion Nittany Lions. Maryland Dairy will provide ice cream before the match and there will be an autograph signing with the team following the match. | TICKETS |
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The Maryland wrestling team (3-4, 0-4 B1G) will host No. 2 Ohio State (6-0, 1-0 B1G) to begin its 2018 slate on Friday. The Buckeyes, who are coming off a runner-up finish at the 2017 NCAA Championships, boast a lineup that features 10 wrestlers in the top 11 of the InterMat rankings.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
The undefeated Buckeyes come to College Park winners of nine of their last ten dual matches, dating back to the 2016-17 season. Their latest win came aganst Chattanooga, which they won 39-3. Ohio State has outscored its dual opponents by a score of 216-36 this season and has scored at least 26 points in each of its dual bouts.
Ohio State's lineup features Maryland-natives -- and brothers -- Kevin and Kyle Snyder. Kyle, who won a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, is one of the most decorated wrestlers in recent history. The Good Counsel High School graduate is the youngest Olympic and World Champion in United States history. He also is the two-time defending NCAA and Big Ten Champion at heavyweight. Snyder is also a three-time NCAA All-American.
Along with Snyder, the Buckeyes lineup features four wrestlers who placed in the top-5 of the 2017 Championships. Nathan Tomasello and Kollin Moore both captured third place finishes, while Micah Jordan and Myles Martin finished fourth and fifth respectively.
A LOOK AT THE TERPS
Maryland comes into its dual with Ohio State following a 13th-place finish at the Midlands Championships, a four-spot improvement from its 2016 finish. Along with Youssif Hemida, who placed third in the event, Ryan Diehl and Brendan Burnham had winning records in the prestigious event.
Maryland also has its most dual wins since the 2015-16 season, picking up two home wins over Campbell and George Mason, followed by a road victory at Stanford.
THE HEMIDA EFFECT
Junior heavyweight Youssif Hemida is in the midst of the most successful season of his career, most recently picking up a third place finish at the 55th Midlands Championships. Hemida knocked off No. 9 Billy Miller of Edinboro, and also picked up two wins by way of fall. He now has 15 wins on the season, which is good for most on the team.
Hemida's success this season also earned him Big Ten Wrestler of the Week on Nov. 21. He won the award after defeating No. 12 Nathan Butler in Maryland's upset win over Stanford and after winning the Road Runner Open. He has defeated five ranked wrestlers this season, including a fall over No. 19 Conan Jennings of Northwestern.
WRESTLERS OF THE WEEK
Maryland has earned the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week honor twice this season. Youssif Hemida earned the honor on Nov. 21, and Patrick Gerish followed by winning the award on Dec. 19.
Hemida became the first-ever Maryland wrestler to earn the distinction after his upset win over No. 12 Nathan Butler of Stanford and his Road Runner Open title.
Gerish earned the honor after winning the 165-pound bracket at the Cleveland State Open. The New Jersey-native posted a 5-0 record with four wins coming by way of fall.
NEXT TIME OUT
Maryland will continue its Big Ten slate with a dual at Nebraska on Sunday, Jan. 7 at 2 p.m. (CT).
-TERPS-
