Terps Ready for Midlands Championships
12/21/2018 10:39:00 AM | Wrestling
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The Maryland wrestling team will close out the 2018 calendar year with a trip to the 56th Annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, which will take place at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill and is hosted by Northwestern University. The Terrapins will join some of the nation's top competition, including nationally-ranked Arizona State, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. The action will begin on Saturday, Dec. 29, and conclude the following evening.
Wrestling will begin with Session I at 9:30 a.m. (CT) on Saturday, Dec. 29. Session II will take place at 7 p.m. (CT) that evening. Day two of wrestling will begin with Session III at 12 p.m. (CT) on Sunday, Dec. 30, and the final session of the Midlands Championships will be at 7 p.m. (CT) that evening. The event will be streamed on BTN2GO.com ($) and on FloWrestling ($). Live stats will also be provided by TrackWrestling.
Senior heavyweight Youssif Hemida led Maryland's efforts in the 2017 Midlands Championships, placing third in his weight class. Hemida was dominant throughout the event, pinning two eventual All-Americans over the course of the weekend. He became the highest-placing Maryland wrestler in the event since Jimmy Sheptock and Christian Boley each won the event in 2013.
Hemida became the 31st Maryland wrestler to place in the event and continued Maryland's streak of having at least one wrestler place at the tournament. Maryland has had three wrestlers win their respective weight classes all-time, including both Jimmy Sheptock (184) and Christian Boley (197) during the 2013 season. Alex Krom took the 141 pound crown in 2009.
Maryland ended last year's event in 13th place, which was four spots higher than its 2016 finish.
Maryland will enter the Midlands Championships having not wrestled since its dual against Central Michigan on Dec. 9. The Terrapins received three wins in the outing, including the first-ever dual wins for freshman Orion Anderson (133) and redshirt freshman Philip Spadafora (165). Captain Jahi Jones also captured a sudden victory triumph in the 157-pound bout.
Redshirt freshman Kyle Jasenski has had a strong start to the season for Maryland, wrestling as the Terrapins' 184-pounder. The New York native has a pair of dual victories to go along with a tournament title at the ESU Open. His seven victories on the year is tied for the second-most on the squad.
The New York native opened his first international event with a 3-0 record before falling to 2015 World Junior Champion Said Gamid Gamidov of Russia. Hemida outscored his opponents 15-3 in his first three bouts.
The Terps will be returning 16 wrestlers who started a dual match last season, led by three NCAA Championship participants: Alfred Bannister, Ryan Diehl and Youssif Hemida.
Maryland also returns Brandon Cray, Kyle Cochran, Danny Bertoni, Brendan Burnham, Jahi Jones, Josh Ugalde, Jaron Smith, Niko Cappello and David-Brian Whisler.
The three B1G placers and NCAA Qualifiers (Bannister, Diehl and Hemida) have all qualified for the national tournament in two-consecutive seasons.
Senior heavyweight Youssif Hemida will look to build off his All-American 2017-18 campaign this season. He is expected to be one of the top contenders in the heavyweight class, joining Big Ten foes Sam Stoll (Iowa) and Nick Nevills (Penn State).
The New York native is coming off a season that featured a team-best 30 victories, which included a 15-1 dual record. He also tied for the second-most pins on the team with nine.
Redshirt senior Alfred "Baby J" Bannister is gearing up for his final campaign in College Park. Bannister is coming off a second-consecutive placing at the Big Ten Championships and has also qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of the last two seasons.
He tallied an impressive 23 victories last season, including nine by way of fall. The Marylander rode a heater at the end of the season, knocking off a pair of ranked wrestlers at the Big Ten Championships to earn his spot in the national tournament.
Rounding out Maryland's "Big Three" is redshirt senior Ryan Diehl, who is fresh off his second-consecutive Big Ten placing and NCAA Championships appearance. Diehl finished last season with the second-most dual wins and conference victories on the roster.
His season was headlined by an upset win over ninth-seeded Nick Lee of Penn State in the NCAA Championships. Diehl stuck the Nittany Lion in the opening period to secure one of the biggest upsets of the weekend.
While wrestling at Pittsburgh, Mack was a three-time NCAA qualifier. He posted a career-best 26 wins in his senior campaign.
It was a busy summer for Maryland wrestling head coach Kerry McCoy.
In Mary, McCoy was presented the Penn State Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes the achievements of outstanding PSU Alumni.
McCoy also increased his involvement with USA Wrestling, coaching the Junior Pan Am Freestyle team in Brazil, as well as assuming the role of Secretary of USA Wrestling.
Maryland will open conference play, traveling to the state of Indiana to battle Purdue on Jan. 11, and the Indiana Hoosiers on Jan. 13. The Terrapins will then return home for the conference home opener on Jan. 18 against Nebraska.
Wrestling will begin with Session I at 9:30 a.m. (CT) on Saturday, Dec. 29. Session II will take place at 7 p.m. (CT) that evening. Day two of wrestling will begin with Session III at 12 p.m. (CT) on Sunday, Dec. 30, and the final session of the Midlands Championships will be at 7 p.m. (CT) that evening. The event will be streamed on BTN2GO.com ($) and on FloWrestling ($). Live stats will also be provided by TrackWrestling.
MARYLAND TENTATIVE LINEUP
| 125 | Brandon Cray (RSo. - Steinert, N.J.) AND King Sandoval (Fr. - La Plata, Md.) |
| 133 | Orion Anderson (Fr. - Schuylerville, N.Y.) |
| 141 | Michael Doetsch (RSo. - Severn, Md.) AND Danny Bertoni (So. - Jefferson, Md.) |
| 149 | No. 16 Alfred Bannister (RSr. - La Plata, Md.) AND Ryan Diehl (RSr. - Berkeley Springs, W.V) |
| 157 | Jahi Jones (RJr. - Fort Washington, Md.) AND Adam Whitesell (RSr. - Silver Spring, Md.) |
| 165 | Philip Spadafora (RFr. - Dix Hills, N.Y.) AND Idris White (RJr. - Philadelphia, Pa.) |
| 174 | Josh Ugalde (RJr. - Bound Brook, N.J.) |
| 184 | Kyle Jasenski (RFr. - Schenectady, N.Y.) AND Niko Cappello (RSo. - Cranford, N.J.) |
| 285 | No. 4 Youssif Hemida (Sr. - Mamaroneck, N.Y.) |
TERP SPOTLIGHT
| Orion Anderson Fr. || 133 lbs. Schuylerville, N.Y. Anderson picked up his first-career dual victory in Maryland's match against Central Michigan. The freshman put 10 points on the board and was able to end the bout with a 10-8 decision. |
MIDLANDS HISTORY
Senior heavyweight Youssif Hemida led Maryland's efforts in the 2017 Midlands Championships, placing third in his weight class. Hemida was dominant throughout the event, pinning two eventual All-Americans over the course of the weekend. He became the highest-placing Maryland wrestler in the event since Jimmy Sheptock and Christian Boley each won the event in 2013. Hemida became the 31st Maryland wrestler to place in the event and continued Maryland's streak of having at least one wrestler place at the tournament. Maryland has had three wrestlers win their respective weight classes all-time, including both Jimmy Sheptock (184) and Christian Boley (197) during the 2013 season. Alex Krom took the 141 pound crown in 2009.
Maryland ended last year's event in 13th place, which was four spots higher than its 2016 finish.
A LOOK AT THE TERPS
Maryland will enter the Midlands Championships having not wrestled since its dual against Central Michigan on Dec. 9. The Terrapins received three wins in the outing, including the first-ever dual wins for freshman Orion Anderson (133) and redshirt freshman Philip Spadafora (165). Captain Jahi Jones also captured a sudden victory triumph in the 157-pound bout. Redshirt freshman Kyle Jasenski has had a strong start to the season for Maryland, wrestling as the Terrapins' 184-pounder. The New York native has a pair of dual victories to go along with a tournament title at the ESU Open. His seven victories on the year is tied for the second-most on the squad.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Senior heavyweight Youssif Hemida brought home a silver medal after his performance in the U23 World Championships. Hemida posted a 3-1 record in the event, which took place in Bucharest, Romania.The New York native opened his first international event with a 3-0 record before falling to 2015 World Junior Champion Said Gamid Gamidov of Russia. Hemida outscored his opponents 15-3 in his first three bouts.
AN EXPERIENCED BUNCH
The Terps will be returning 16 wrestlers who started a dual match last season, led by three NCAA Championship participants: Alfred Bannister, Ryan Diehl and Youssif Hemida. Maryland also returns Brandon Cray, Kyle Cochran, Danny Bertoni, Brendan Burnham, Jahi Jones, Josh Ugalde, Jaron Smith, Niko Cappello and David-Brian Whisler.
The three B1G placers and NCAA Qualifiers (Bannister, Diehl and Hemida) have all qualified for the national tournament in two-consecutive seasons.
#MOOSETIME
Senior heavyweight Youssif Hemida will look to build off his All-American 2017-18 campaign this season. He is expected to be one of the top contenders in the heavyweight class, joining Big Ten foes Sam Stoll (Iowa) and Nick Nevills (Penn State). The New York native is coming off a season that featured a team-best 30 victories, which included a 15-1 dual record. He also tied for the second-most pins on the team with nine.
BABY'S BACK
Redshirt senior Alfred "Baby J" Bannister is gearing up for his final campaign in College Park. Bannister is coming off a second-consecutive placing at the Big Ten Championships and has also qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of the last two seasons. He tallied an impressive 23 victories last season, including nine by way of fall. The Marylander rode a heater at the end of the season, knocking off a pair of ranked wrestlers at the Big Ten Championships to earn his spot in the national tournament.
THE REAL DIEHL
Rounding out Maryland's "Big Three" is redshirt senior Ryan Diehl, who is fresh off his second-consecutive Big Ten placing and NCAA Championships appearance. Diehl finished last season with the second-most dual wins and conference victories on the roster. His season was headlined by an upset win over ninth-seeded Nick Lee of Penn State in the NCAA Championships. Diehl stuck the Nittany Lion in the opening period to secure one of the biggest upsets of the weekend.
WELCOME TO MARYLAND, SHELTON MACK
In August, head coach Kerry McCoy announced the addition of Shelton Mack to his coaching staff for the upcoming season. Mack coached at Virginia for the previous three seasons after completing his collegiate career at Pittsburgh. His time at UVA included developing a pair of NCAA All-Americans.While wrestling at Pittsburgh, Mack was a three-time NCAA qualifier. He posted a career-best 26 wins in his senior campaign.
OFFSEASON OFFERINGS
It was a busy summer for Maryland wrestling head coach Kerry McCoy. In Mary, McCoy was presented the Penn State Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes the achievements of outstanding PSU Alumni.
McCoy also increased his involvement with USA Wrestling, coaching the Junior Pan Am Freestyle team in Brazil, as well as assuming the role of Secretary of USA Wrestling.
UP NEXT
Maryland will open conference play, traveling to the state of Indiana to battle Purdue on Jan. 11, and the Indiana Hoosiers on Jan. 13. The Terrapins will then return home for the conference home opener on Jan. 18 against Nebraska. 
Players Mentioned
133 lbs.
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184 pounds
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125 pounds
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141 pounds
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149 pounds
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285 pounds
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174 pounds
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157 pounds
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125 lbs.
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165 pounds
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174 pounds
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165 pounds
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157 pounds
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