Throughout the 2018-19 season, umterps.com will run a Q&A series with members of the Maryland wrestling team and staff. Fans will get to know more about their background and wrestling history, as well as some fun facts they may not have known before. First up this season is new assistant coach Shelton Mack!

On adjusting to life in College Park…
"So far so good! It was pretty hectic at first – I accepted the job on a Tuesday, found a place on Saturday and then moved in on Sunday. It was a little bit of a whirlwind but once I got here, things started to settle down."
 
On what brought him to Maryland…
"The name of the university was big for me. I was also a big fan of Coach McCoy when I was growing up. I also truly feel that you can't beat a location that is so close to the nation's capital. I'm really excited to be part of a program that is very capable of doing something big."
 
On what he's excited about for the upcoming season…
"One of the things I'm most excited about is getting to know everybody here. I think it's really cool to come in with a freshman class and develop with them. I'm pumped up to get to know them and help our entire team achieve some of their goals."
 
On his coaching style…
"I think I'm pretty laid-back and easygoing. Wrestling is obviously a very difficult sport, so it's easy to get lost in the competition where you're out there on the mat. But I think if you can have fun with it and make it the sport it's supposed to be, that's how you can really achieve your goals."
 
On what he'll take from previous jobs while coaching at Maryland…
"I think the biggest thing is trusting the process. It may sound a bit cliché, but it's truly one of the biggest things I learned when I was at Virginia for the past three years. I've seen guys that weren't really sure of their potential or the coaching style, but then eventually achieved their goals when they accepted the process. That's definitely helped me in my three years."
 
On coming to coach in the Big Ten…
"You see these teams everywhere you go and you know all the big names no matter where you come from. But I think we can really compete and it's only a matter of time until we really start hanging with the premier programs."
 
On balancing coaching and training at the same time…
"It's a lot of give-and-take. But, at the same time, I think I can be an example for our guys as both a coach and an athlete. If I'm doing some extra work after practice they may realize they should be doing the same thing. It also raises the competitive edge in the wrestling room as well."
 
On his goals as a wrestler…
"My main goal is Tokyo 2020. But we're two years away, so my first goal is 2019 World Team and then 2020 Tokyo team. I'm excited about that."
 
Favorite place to eat…
"I'm a big burger guy. There's a place in Charlottesville called Citizen Burger and that's definitely the spot if you're down there."
 
Favorite sports movie…
"Remember the Titans. Can't beat it."
 
Favorite wrestling memory...
"My senior year at Pitt we had a chance to wrestle Oklahoma State. We knocked them off, which was a huge win for our program."
 
Hobbies outside of wrestling…
"I'm a big music fan, so I love listening to music and going to concerts when I'm able to."
 
Favorite musical artist…
"Right now it would probably be Anderson Paak. He's a solid hip-hop artist."