COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Returning 16 wrestlers who appeared in dual matches in the 2017-18 season, the Maryland wrestling program will begin its upcoming season this Sunday, participating in the Princeton Tiger Open. Head coach Kerry McCoy enters his 11th season at the helm in College Park, and will look to build upon two-consecutive seasons with three Big Ten placers and NCAA Championship qualifiers. 

Coming into the season ranked by The Open Mat, InterMat and WIN Magazine -- as well as receiving votes in the NWCA Coaches Poll -- Maryland will look to blend a group of veterans with a strong freshman class that is expected to make an immediate impact on the mat. 

Leading the way for the Terrapins this season will be senior heavyweight Youssif Hemida, who became the program's 20th All-American after placing eighth at the NCAA Championships in March. Hemida will look to build on a season that saw him win 30 matches, including seven over ranked opponents. The NWCA Academic All-American also led the team both dual and Big Ten victories. 

Alongside Hemida will be Alfred Bannister and Ryan Diehl, who, like Hemida, have placed at the Big Ten Championships and qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of the last two seasons. Bannister, who is commonly known as "Baby J", tallied 23 wins last season, including nine by way of fall. The redshirt senior has been a force at 149 pounds in his career, and will look to build on consecutive NCAA Championship appearances. Diehl will look to continue the success he found in the 2017-18 season where he tallied eight dual wins and three conference dual victories. The highlight victory of his season came in upset fashion, pinning ninth-seeded Nick Lee of Penn State in the opening round of the NCAA Championships. 

To learn more about the rest of Maryland's roster, please see our weight class breakdown below. 

125 POUNDS

Leading off at 125 pounds is Brandon Cray, who emerged as the starter last season following an impressive redshirt campaign. The New Jersey-native was a force for the Terrapins, tallying eight dual wins on the season. His season was headlined by an 8-7 decision over No. 9 Connor Schram of Stanford, which propelled the Terrapins to an upset victory over the Cardinal. That win came in the middle of a five-match winning streak and was followed by back-to-back pins at the Road Runner Open. With a full varsity season under his belt, Cray is primed to take a step forward in the 2018-19 season. 

Two highly-touted freshmen are also expected to compete at 125 pounds this season. Jarod Kosman, the 20th-ranked wrestler at 113 pounds coming out of Fitch High School will look to contribute after capping off his high school career with a state championship.

Joining Kosman is Maryland-native King Sandoval, who comes to Maryland from St. Mary's Ryken High School. Sandoval was a four-time National Prep All-American, three-time Maryland state champion and a three-time Washington Post All-Met First Team selection. He totaled 233 wins in high school, with 144 coming by way of fall. 

133 POUNDS

With primary starter Jhared Simmons graduated, Maryland has a lot of competition at 133 pounds. Freshman Orion Anderson, a standout high school wrestler from New York is expected to be in the mix after a high school career that featured 185 wins and just eight losses. Joining Anderson are fellow freshmen Cody Swigart and Decklan Fischer -- two Marylanders who each placed twice at the state tournament in high school. Swigart ended his high school career with 125 victories, while Fischer left Snow Hill High School with the most wins in program history (148). 

141 POUNDS

Along with Diehl at 141 pounds, there will be a handful of Terrapins looking to compete in the weight class. 

After spending his freshman season at 133 pounds, Danny Bertoni will bump up to 141 for his sophomore campaign. Bertoni saw some varsity action last season, wrestling at the Midlands Championships and in Maryland's dual matches at Nebraska and Navy. 

Also getting in the mix at 141 will be Quinn Devaney and Tahron Sheffield. Sheffield comes to Maryland by way of Keystone College, where he finished last season with the third-most victories on the roster. He hails from New Jersey, finishing his high school career with 97 wins and a fourth-place state freestyle finish while attending St. Benedict's Prep. Finally, SUNY Oswego transfer Anthony Sountis will also wrestle at 141 pounds. Sountis found a lot of success during his year at Oswego and will be a strong competitor for the Terrapins. 

149 POUNDS

A trio of wrestlers join Bannister in the 149-pound class. After redshirting last season, Hunter Baxter and Garrett Burnham will each compete at 149 pounds this season. Baxter tallied 15 wins during his redshirt season, while also finishing fourth in the ESU Open, Mat Town Open and Messiah Open. 

Burnham found 13 wins last season, including a team-high seven by way of major decision. 

Michael Doetsch is also expected to wrestle in the class, after spending time at both 133 and 141 pounds last season. The Maryland native started for the Terrapins in their first two duals of last season, before picking up six wins in open competition to finish the year. 

157 POUNDS

A mix of veterans and freshmen will be wrestling for Maryland at 157 pounds this season. Jahi Jones and Adam Whitesell lead the way, with each spending time in Maryland's dual lineup last season. Whitesell is bumping up from 149 pounds, while Jones spent last season in this weight class. Both wrestlers are expected to compete for the starting spot as the season kicks off. 

Alongside them will be underclassmen Lucas Cordio, Chase DeMaille and Jake Nielson. DeMaille served a redshirt year last season, finishing the year with nine victories and two pins. Cordio, a freshman from Massachusetts, comes to Maryland after a high school career that saw him win three state titles. He was also a three-time NHSCA All-American. 

Nielson, whose brother Bradley wrestled for the Terrapins from 2006-11, was a two-time Maryland state champion in high school. The Urbana High School alum finished his career with 160 wins and just 20 losses. 

165 POUNDS

Maryland returns starter Brendan Burnham at 165 pounds. Burnham faced one of the strongest schedules in the country last season, wrestling against the first, second, sixth, eighth, 10th, 11th and 13th-ranked wrestlers in the 165-pound class. The Pennsylvania native finished the season with 13 wins, including three at the prestigious Midlands Championships. 

Expected to bump up to 165 pounds is Kyle Cochran, who spent time at 157 in Maryland's dual lineup last year. Cochran's freshman season included 12 wins, with five coming in dual competition. 

Rounding out the class are two of Maryland's strongest open competition wrestlers from last year. Philip Spadafora enjoyed a successful redshirt season, finishing the year with the fourth-most victories on Maryland's roster. He finished first at the Messiah Open, third at the Princeton Open and fourth at the ESU and F&M Opens. 

Idris White will also battle for the starting spot at 165, coming off a year that featured 28 victories. White led the team in falls with 11, and placed in five open tournaments. 

174 POUNDS

Returning starter Josh Ugalde will lead the way for Maryland at 174 pounds. Ugalde was explosive for the Terrapins, leading the team with three technical fall victories. His season opened with a win over 13th-ranked Jordan Pagano of Rutgers, and also included an impressive pin of Beau Breske at the conference championships. 

Ugalde is joined by Kyle Jasenski and Shawn Mosca, who both redshirted last season. Jasenski had an impressive 15 wins last year, while Mosca had five before battling injuries the rest of the way. Jasenski showed the ability to put a lot of pressure on his opponents throughout the year, finishing with five major decision wins to go alongside five pins. 

184 POUNDS

Two wrestlers who have each spent time starting for Maryland will compete for the spot at 184 pounds this season. Before spending time on the sidelines with an injury, Jaron Smith tallied a pair of major decision victories against Campbell and George Mason. 

After beginning the season at 197 pounds, Niko Cappello moved down to 184 to conclude last season. Cappello faced a strong slate, ending the year having wrestled seven ranked opponents. 

197 POUNDS

Maryland will return starter David-Brian Whisler at 197 pounds this season. Whisler wrestled well for Maryland last year, winning 14 matches between open and dual competition. He also tallied a pair of conference wins, including a sudden victory triumph in Maryland's match at Illinois. 

Whisler will be accompanied by John-Luke Iglesias, a freshman from Bethesda, Maryland. Iglesias was a two-time county and regional champion who had 88 wins in his high school career. 

285 POUNDS

Following Hemida, a pair of wrestlers will compete for Maryland at heavyweight this season. 

Wyoming Seminary alum Mansur Abdul-Malik competed at 197 pounds last year and will now bump up for the 2018-19 season. Alongside him will be freshman Parker Robinson, who comes to Maryland by way of the McDonogh School. Robinson was a National Prep All-American, as well as a Maryland state champion during his high school career.