College Park, Md. --  The Maryland wrestling team will wrap up its 2019 regular season this weekend, hosting 16th-ranked Rutgers on Friday before traveling to wrestle Rider on Sunday. Friday's match will include a celebration for Maryland's class of 2019, which features Alfred Bannister, Brendan Burnham, Ryan Diehl, Youssif Hemida, Adam Whitesell and David-Brian Whisler. The match will also be streamed live on BTN+ ($). 

PROJECTED STARTERS

	Maryland	No. 16 Rutgers
125	Brandon Cray (RSo. - Steinert, N.J.)	Shane Metzler (So. - Elk Township, N.J.)
133	Orion Anderson (Fr. - Schuylerville, N.Y)	No. 4 Nick Suriano (Jr. - Paramus, N.J.)
141	Danny Bertoni (So. - Jefferson, Md.	Peter Lipari (RJr. - Byram Township, N.J)
149	Alfred Bannister (RSr. - La Plata, Md.)  OR Peter Tedesco (RSo. - Woburn, Mass.)	No. 1 Anthony Ashnault (RSr. - South Plainfield, N.J.)
157	Adam Whitesell (RSr. - Silver Spring, Md.) OR Jahi Jones (RJr. - Fort Washington, Md.) OR Ryan Diehl (RSr. - Berkeley Springs, W.V.)	No. 16 John Van Brill (RSr. - Millica Hill, N.J.)
174	Josh Ugalde (RJr. - Bound Brook, N.J.)	Stephan Glasgow (Fr. - Bound Brook, N.J.) OR Jake Benner (Fr. - Ocean Township, N.J.)
184	Kyle Jasenski (RFr. - Schenectady, N.Y.)	Nicholas Gravina (RSr. - Allendale, N.J.) OR Willie Scott (RJr. - Brick, N.J.)
197	Niko Cappello (RSo. - Cranford, N.J.)	Matthew Correnti (RSo. - Delran, N.J.)
285	No. 9 Youssif Hemida (Sr. - Mamaroneck, N.Y.)	Chrstian Colucci (RJr. - Summit, N.J.)

 

	Maryland	Rider
125	Brandon Cray (RSo. - Steinert, N.J.)	Jonathan Tropea (Jr. - Harrington Park, N.J.)
133	Orion Anderson (Fr. - Schuylerville, N.Y)	Anthony Cefolo (RJr. - Florham Park, N.J.)
141	Danny Bertoni (So. - Jefferson, Md.)	Travis Layton (So. - Woodstown, N.J.)
149	Alfred Bannister (RSr. - La Plata, Md.)  OR Peter Tedesco (RSo. - Woburn, Mass.)	Evan Fidelibus (Jr. - Easton, Pa.)
157	Adam Whitesell (RSr. - Silver Spring, Md.) OR Jahi Jones (RJr. - Fort Washington, Md.) OR Ryan Diehl (RSr. - Berkeley Springs, W.V.)	Gino Fluri (Sr. - Blairstown, N.J.)
165	Philip Spadafora (RFr. - Dix Hills, N.Y.)	No. 15 Jesse Dellavecchia (RJr. - Great River, N.Y.)
174	Josh Ugalde (RJr. - Bound Brook, N.J.)	Dean Sherry (Sr. - Brick, N.J.)
184	Kyle Jasenski (RFr. - Schenectady, N.Y.)	Michale Fagg-Daves (RSr. - Somerset, N.J.)
197	Niko Cappello (RSo. - Cranford, N.J.)	Ethan Laird (So. - Waterford, Pa.)
285	No. 9 Youssif Hemida (Sr. - Mamaroneck, N.Y.)	James Brady (RSo. - Egg Harbor City, N.J.)

LAST TIME OUT

Maryland earned its first win of the season last Sunday, topping George Mason by a score of 26-12 in Fairfax, Virginia. The Terps won seven of ten bouts, including three by bonus points and two in sudden victory. 

Brandon Cray (125), Orion Anderson (133) and Danny Bertoni (141) earned Maryland's three bonus point wins to start the match, while seniors Alfred Bannister (149) and Youssif Hemida (285) tallied sudden victory wins against a pair of quality opponents. 
 

A LOOK AT THE SCARLET KNIGHTS

Rutgers enters its final dual of the regular season with an impressive 3-1 record in its last four matches. The Scalet Knights previously won three-consecutive contests before falling to fourth-ranked Michigan last weekend. 

Rutgers will be anchored by a trio of ranked wrestlers, including undefeated and top-ranked Anthony Ashnault at 149 pounds. 

The Scarlet Knights also boast the nation's fourth-ranked wrestler at 133 pounds, Nick Suriano. The 2018 national runner-up at 125 pounds has bumped up for the 2019 season. Suriano has wrestled a strong schedule, including bouts against the first, fourth, eighth, ninth, 13th and 14th-ranked wrestlers in his weight class. 

Rounding out the ranked wrestlers is 157-pounder John Van Brill, a two-time national qualifier and three-time Midlands Championships placewinner. Van Brill has impressed this season, wrestling a strong schedule in the 157-pound class. 

A LOOK AT THE BRONCOS

Rider was scheduled to wrestle Minnesota on Friday before coming home to host the Terps on Sunday, but the match was canceled due to snow in both New Jersey and Minneapolis. The Broncos enter the final weekend of the regular season with an overall record of 8-4, which includes a 5-1 mark in the EWL. 

Rider has a 3-1 record through its last four matches, with its lone loss in that stretch coming to Lock Haven. The Broncos have wrestled a challenging non-conference schedule, taking on nationally-ranked squads such as Rutgers, Princeton and Iowa State. 

Jesse Dellavecchia will leads the way for Rider, entering the weekend as its lone ranked wrestler. Dellavecchia has had a strong season in the 165-pound weight class, posting a 20-4 overall record. He also finished in fourth place at the 2018 Southern Scuffle. 
 

#MOOSETIME

Senior heavyweight and returning All-American Youssif Hemida has wrestled well since returning to Maryland's dual lineup at the beginning of conference play. The U23 World silver medalist has wrestled a stretch of six ranked wrestlers in his last seven matches, including a bout against top-ranked and undefeated Gable Steveson of Minnesota. Hemida is 9-5 on the year with ranked victories over David Jensen (Nebraska) and Matthew Voss (George Mason). 

GOING BACK TO BACK 

Redshirt junior Josh Ugalde won a pair of dual matches last weekend, picking up wins in Maryland's dual against fourth-ranked Michigan and at George Mason. It was the first time in his career that Ugalde won consecutive dual matches, and his three dual wins this season ties his career high. 

BATTLE TESTED

Maryland has wrestled a strong schedule this season, with seven dual matches coming against ranked opponents. The slate has included bouts with top-10 foes Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota. 

UP NEXT

Maryland will travel to Minnesota for the 2019 Big Ten Championships. Wrestlers from each weight class will be competing for spots in the 2019 NCAA Championships, which will be held in Pittsburgh two weeks later. The Big Ten Championships will be on March 9-10 and will be available for stream via BTN+ ($).