COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The Maryland wrestling team will close out its three match home stand on Sunday, hosting the No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers (6-5, 1-5 B1G) at 2 p.m. in the XFINITY Center Pavilion. The match will air live on BTN+ ($) with live updates also provided by @TerpsWrestling on Twitter. 

 

PROJECTED STARTERS

 

	Maryland	No. 16 Wisconsin
125	Brandon Cray (RSo. - Steinert, N.J.)	Ethan Rotondo (So. - Vancouver, Wash.)
133	Orion Anderson (Fr. - Schuylerville, N.Y)	Jens Lantz (RSr. - Ellsworth, Wis.)
141	Michael Doetsch (RSo. - Severn, Md.)	No. 9 Tristan Moran (RJr. - Phoenix, Ariz.)
149	Alfred Bannister (RSr. - La Plata, Md.)	No. 20 Cole Martin (RJr. - Lancaster, Wis.)
157	Adam Whitesell (RSr. - Silver Spring, Md.) OR Jahi Jones (RSr. - Fort Washington, Md.)	Garrett Model (RSo. - Lowell, Ind.)
165	Philip Spadafora (RFr. - Dix Hills, N.Y.)	No. 3 Evan Wick (RSo. - Murrieta, Calif.)
174	Josh Ugalde (RJr. - Bound Brook, N.J.)	Pat Spray (RSo. - Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.)
184	Kyle Jasenski (RFr. - Schenectady, N.Y.)	Mason Reinhardt (RJr. - Merrill, Wis.)
197	Niko Cappello (RSo. - Cranford, N.J.)	Beau Breske (RSo. - Hartford, Wis.)
285	No. 6 Youssif Hemida (Sr. - Mamaroneck, N.Y.)	No. 11 Trent Hillger (RFr. - Linden, Mich.)

 

TERP SPOTLIGHT

Michael Doetsch RSo. || 141 lbs.  Severn, Md. Doetsch earned the first dual victory of his career in Maryland's match against Michigan State, topping Austin Eicher by decision in overtime. He became the fourth Terrapin to earn his first-career dual win this season, joining freshman Orion Anderson and redshirt freshmen Kyle Jasenski and Philip Spadafora.

 

LAST TIME OUT

Four Terps earned decision victories but the Maryland wrestling team fell to Big Ten foe Michigan State, 28-12. The day included wins from Michael Doetsch, Alfred Bannister, Philip Spadafora and Youssif Hemida. Bannister and Hemida are now tied with four dual victories each, with Hemida remaining undefeated in dual action this season.

SCOUTING THE BADGERS

Wisconsin comes to College Park after dropping its last five dual matches, all of which came in conference play. The Badgers started the 2018-19 season 6-0, including a win over Big Ten foe Nebraska. They have wrestled a challenging slate since, with all five losses coming against ranked opponents. 

Their latest outing came against seventh-ranked Minnesota, falling to the Gophers, 27-13. The Badgers earned three wins in the dual, including one from 165-pounder Evan Wick, who is currently the third-ranked grappler in his weight class. 

Wisconsin will enter the dual with six total ranked wrestlers. Wick headlines the group with his top three ranking, but the Badgers will also feature ninth-ranked Tristan Moran at 141 pounds and 10th-ranked Ryan Christensen at 174 pounds. Trent Hillger is ranked 11th in the heavyweight class, setting up a ranked bout between him and Maryland's sixth-ranked heavyweight, Youssif Hemida. 

#MOOSETIME

Senior heavyweight Youssif Hemida is undefeated since returning to dual action, most recently picking up a decision win in Maryland's dual against Michigan State. 

The U23 World silver medalist has won all four Big Ten bouts he's participated in, including a win over 15th-ranked David Jensen in Maryland's match against Nebraska. It was Hemida's third triumph over Jensen in the last two seasons. 

YOUTH MOVEMENT

Maryland has relied on a trio of freshmen in its dual lineup this season. True freshman Orion Anderson, along with redshirt freshmen Philip Spadafora and Kyle Jasenski, have started in all six of Maryland's duals. 

Spadafora has earned three dual wins on the year, including two in conference play. He recently bested Nebaska's Logan Ritchie by decision and also picked up a win against No. 23 Purdue. 

Jasenski has a pair of dual wins this season, while Anderson earned his first dual win in Maryland's outing against Central Michigan. 

IN THE RANKS

Youssif Hemida and Alfred Bannister have led the way in the rankings this season, with each coming in as top-25 wrestlers in their respective weight classes, according to InterMat, FloWrestling and TrackWrestling. 

Currently, Hemida remains a unanimous top-10 selection, coming in at No. 6 in InterMat, No. 8 in FloWrestling and No. 5 in TrackWrestling. 

Bannister is currently ranked No. 21 by TrackWrestling. 

PINNING AND WINNING

Maryland has found success by way of fall this season, with 40 total victories via pin across the roster.Freshman King Sandoval leads the way with five, while redshirt senior Adam Whitesell is closely behind with four falls. Alfred Bannister also has tallied three pins this season. 

Whitesell has stuck opponents at a rapid pace, including a team-best pin in just 18 seconds. 
 

OFFSEASON OFFERINGS

It was a busy summer for Maryland wrestling head coach Kerry McCoy. In May, McCoy was presented with 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 hit the road to face a pair of top-ten opponents, wrestling at Iowa on Friday, Feb. 8 and then Minnesota on Sunday, Feb. 10. Both matches will be available via BTN+($).