Maryland Wrestling Finishes Ninth at Midlands

Bell, Taylor, Letts all place.

EVANSTON, Ill. - Steven Bell, Hudson Taylor and Mike Letts all placed for the University of Maryland wrestling team Tuesday at the Midlands Championships at Northwestern University, as the Terrapins finished ninth as a team with 56 points.

Bell was Maryland's top placer, finishing fourth at 133 pounds. Taylor finished seventh at 197 pounds and Letts, who was wrestling unattached, finished fifth at 174 pounds.

"We wrestled well this weekend," Maryland head coach Kerry McCoy said. "We made a few mistakes, but they can all be fixed. Having three guys place and finish in the top 10 is a great accomplishment. I am looking forward to the next few weeks, where we will get some good training and work on our areas of concentration."

Bell was the only Terp to reach the semifinals in his class, but was toppled by No. 4 Nick Fanthorpe of Iowa State, 8-4. Bell rebounded with a wrestleback victory against Iowa's Montell Marion, but dropped the third-place bout to No. 2 Jimmy Kennedy of Illinois, 6-1.

Taylor won both his Tuesday matches via fall, pinning Lamar Brown of Rutgers in six minutes and Kyle Simonson of Iowa State in 1:25.

Letts took a pair of major decisions to begin his day, besting Oregon State's Ben Harris, 17-3, and Illinois' John Dergo, 11-3. However, Letts lost a decision to No. 2 Jay Borschel of Iowa, 7-4, before winning the fifth-place match, 10-1, against Olivet's Kyle Vanderhyde.

Brendan Byrne also competed Tuesday for the Terps at 125 pounds, but lost his only match to No. 4 James Nicholson of Old Dominion, 12-4.

Iowa won the team title, narrowly edging in-state rival Iowa State, 156.5-153.5.

Maryland returns to action January 11 when it will host North Carolina in the first Atlantic Coast Conference dual of the season.
Maryland Wrestling Topples Princeton

Terps record four pins en route to 46-3 victory.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Thanks to four pins and two forfeits, the University of Maryland wrestling team needed less than an hour to knock off the visiting Princeton Tigers, 46-3, Sunday afternoon in the Terrapins' first home dual of the season.

With the victory, Maryland improved to 3-4-1 on the season, while Princeton fell to 2-6.

"This was great. The guys went out there and had a fire underneath them to go out and perform," Maryland head coach Kerry McCoy said. "I was happy the way they went out there. They fought hard. Some of the things we worked on during the week showed today. It was a good overall performance and I'm glad it went the way it did."

The Terrapins led 12-0 before any wrestling took place, as the Tigers forfeited the 197 and heavyweight matches, giving victories to No. 7 Hudson Taylor and Patrick Gilmore, respectively.

Sophomore Lou Ruland got the Terps off to a good start at 125 pounds. Ruland notched an early takedown and a three-point near fall to grab a 5-0 lead against Robert Benitez. Ruland then got Benitez on his back late in the first period and completed a pin with only one second remaining in the period, giving the Terps an 18-0 lead.

Junior Steven Bell, ranked ninth in the nation, followed Ruland's lead, easily dispatching of Nikhil Pereira, winning by fall in 2:03 to give Maryland another six points. Redshirt junior Alex Krom, the 18th-ranked wrestler in the country, was not to be out-done in the 141-pound tilt, recording the Terps' third straight first-period pin, dropping Daniel Kolodzik in 2:10 for a 30-0 Maryland lead.

After two forfeits and three quick pins, the 149-pound match went the distance.

Princeton's Danny Scotton led Steve Fehnel 3-1 through the first two periods. However, Fehnel earned an escape to get within one point and then took the lead with a takedown with 1:10 remaining in the match. Scotton earned an escape of his own with less than a minute left and the match went to a sudden victory session, as riding time was not a factor.

Fehnel finally earned the win with a takedown 48 seconds into the first sudden victory period.

"That was huge. Steve was a little bit banged up this week and he didn't wrestle live at all during the week," McCoy said. "For him to suck it up and get that win was huge. It was huge for him and also for the other guys to keep that momentum rolling."

Redshirt freshman Kyle John earned another pin for the Terps at 157 pounds, taking out Marty Everin in 4:30.

Sophomore Brian Letters followed John with a 10-2 major decision at 165 pounds and freshman Corey Peltier won an 11-4 decision at 174 pounds to put the Terps up 46-0 heading into the final match of the day at 184 pounds.

Princeton's Kurt Brendel helped the Tigers avoid the shutout, beating freshman Owen Smith, 5-1.

Due to the two forfeits, the Tigers and Terps participated in a pair of exhibition matches following regulation. Redshirt freshman Matt MacLean defeated Andy Lowy, 7-2, and Patrick Klenkel won a 6-2 decision against Aaron Casp in the exhibitions.

The Terps are now off for two weeks before heading to the Wilkes Open in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. December 28. Maryland does not participate in another dual until its conference opener January 11 in College Park, Md. against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

MARYLAND 46, PRINCETON 3
197 - No. 7 Hudson Taylor (MD) wins by forfeit (6-0)
HWT - Patrick Gilmore (MD) wins by forfeit (12-0)
125 - Lou Ruland (MD) fall over Robert Benitez, 2:59 (18-0)
133 - No. 9 Steven Bell (MD) fall over Nikhil Pereira, 2:03 (24-0)
141 - No. 18 Alex Krom (MD) fall over Daniel Kolodzik, 2:10 (30-0)
149 - Steve Fehnel (MD) dec. Danny Scotton, 6-4 sv1 (33-0)
157 - Kyle John (MD) fall over Marty Everin, 4:30 (39-0)
165 - Brian Letters (MD) major dec. Mike Alvarez, 10-2 (43-0)
174 - Corey Peltier (MD) dec. Travis Erdman, 11-4 (46-0)
184 - Kurt Brendel (PU) dec. Owen Smith, 5-1 (46-3)
Maryland Wrestling Goes 1-2 at Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals

Terrapins defeat Drexel, lose to No. 1 Iowa, No. 5 Missouri.

TROY, N.Y. - The University of Maryland wrestling team posted an easy victory over Drexel before dropping dual meets to No. 1 Iowa and No. 5 Missouri Saturday at the Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals in Troy, N.Y.

"We wrestled well against Drexel to get the day started," Maryland head coach Kerry McCoy said. "Against Iowa, we had a lot of close matches. I was really happy with the way our guys wrestled. In most of the matches, we out-conditioned them, which is a huge plus. Against Missouri, we had a bunch of close matches again. It's encouraging that our team, with four guys in their first or second year, can stand up and battle with the nation's best."

The Terrapins (2-4-1) had no trouble with the Dragons in the first of the day's three duals, cruising to a 35-7 victory.

A forfeit at 125 pounds and a major decision by No. 10 Steven Bell gave Maryland 10 quick points. After a Matt Dugan major decision gave Drexel four points at 141 pounds, the Terps cruised.

Three straight decisions at 149, 157 and 165 made it 19-4 Terps and freshman Corey Peltier posted a major decision for a 23-4 lead. Drexel took the 184-pound tilt via decision, but Maryland closed strongly, receiving pins at 197 and heavyweight from No. 2 Hudson Taylor and Patrick Gilmore, respectively.

Taylor defeated No. 10 Jon Oplinger, his second victory against Oplinger in as many weeks.

The Terps had their hands full with the defending national champion and top-ranked Hawkeyes in the second dual of the day.

Brendan Byrne dropped a major decision at 125 pounds, but Bell came through with a 4-3 tiebreak victory against Daniel Dennis at 133 pounds to get within a point, 4-3.

However, it was all Hawkeyes from that point, as a Taylor decision over No. 19 Chad Beatty accounted for the remainder of the Terps' points in the meet. Iowa recorded three pins to win by a final score of 34-6.

Maryland delivered a promising start to the third and final meet of the day against No. 5 Missouri. Byrne defeated Troy Dolan, 4-2, and Bell delivered his third victory of the day, a 6-1 decision against Todd Schavrien, to put the Terps up 6-0.

Unfortunately for the Terps, the Tigers took the final eight matchups, beginning with a Marcus Hoehn upset over No. 15 Alex Krom at 141 pounds, 6-5.

Chris Lloyd dropped a narrow, 10-8, decision at 184 pounds and sophomore Brian Letters came up one point short of an upset of No. 4 Nick Marable at 165, falling 3-2.

Taylor dropped his first match of the season at 197 pounds, dropping a 9-4 decision to No. 6 Max Askren.

Maryland is at the Penn State Open next Sunday and returns to dual competition December 14 in the home opener against Princeton.

MARYLAND 35, DREXEL 7
125 - Brendan Byrne (MD) wins by forfeit (6-0)
133 - No. 10 Steven Bell (MD) major dec. Frank Cimato, 16-5 (10-0)
141 - Matt Dugan (DU) major dec. Dex Lederer, 18-6 (10-4)
149 - Steve Fehnel (MD) dec. Robert Robinson, 5-3 (13-4)
157 - Kyle John (MD) dec. William Haydt, 6-3 (16-4)
165 - Brian Letters (MD) dec. Scott Hunter, 2-1 (19-4)
174 - Corey Peltier (MD) major dec. Brian Stouffer, 9-1 (23-4)
184 - Justin Wieller (DU) dec. Chris Lloyd, 8-2 (23-7)
197 - No. 2 Hudson Taylor fall over No. 10 Jon Oplinger, 4:53 (29-7)
HWT - Patrick Gilmore fall over Kyle Frey, 6:13 (35-7)

No. 1 IOWA 34, MARYLAND 6
125 - No. 2 Charlie Falck (IA) major dec. Brendan Byrne, 10-2 (4-0)
133 - No. 10 Steven Bell (MD) dec. Daniel Dennis, 4-3 TB (4-3)
141 - No. 6 Alex Tsirtsis (IA) dec. No. 15 Alex Krom 4-1 (7-3)
149 - No. 1 Brent Metcalf (IA) fall over Steve Fehnel, 5:50 (13-3)
157 - Matt Ballweg (IA) dec. Kyle John, 5-2 (16-3)
165 - No. 11 Ryan Morningstar (IA) dec. Brian Letters, 5-1 (19-3)
174 - No. 2 Jay Borschel (IA) fall over Corey Peltier, 4:38 (25-3)
184 - No. 3 Phil Keddy (IA) fall over Ryan Gray, 1:10 (31-3)
197 - No. 2 Hudson Taylor (MD) dec. No. 19 Chad Beatty, 6-2 (31-6)
HWT - Dan Erekson (IA) dec. Patrick Gilmore, 8-1 (34-6)

No. 5 MISSOURI 28, MARYLAND 6
125 - Brendan Byrne (MD) dec. Troy Dolan, 4-2 (0-3)
133 - No. 10 Steven Bell (MD) dec. Todd Schavrien, 6-1 (0-6)
141 - Marcus Hoehn (MO) dec. No. 15 Alex Krom, 6-5 (3-6)
149 - Andrew Sherry (MO) major dec. Steve Fehnel, 11-2 (7-6)
157 - No. 7 Mike Chandler (MO) tech fall Kyle John, 22-7 (12-6)
165 - No. 4 Nick Marable (MO) dec. Brian Letters, 3-2 (15-6)
174 - No. 4 Raymond Jordan (MO) dec. Corey Peltier, 11-4 (18-6)
184 - Dorian Henderson (MO) dec. Chris Lloyd, 10-8 (21-6)
197 - No. 6 Max Askren (MO) dec. No. 2 Hudson Taylor, 9-4 (24-6)
HWT - No. 4 Mark Ellis (MO) major dec. Patrick Gilmore, 11-2 (28-6)
Maryland's Asper Places Third at Mat Town Open

Freshman wins four or five matches at Lock Haven.

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Maryland freshman wrestler Josh Asper went 4-1 at 165 pounds and finished third Saturday at the Mat Town Open on the campus of Lock Haven University.

No team scores were kept. Asper was Maryland's only placer of three competitors, as Shawn Mazzarone and Owen Duffy also participated in the event.

Asper took a pair of decisions against Drexel's Alex Rinaldi and Lock Haven's Aaron Ernest before losing a 2-1 decision to Michigan State's Rex Kendle.

However, Asper finished strongly to earn third, shutting out Liberty's Sam Rakes, 6-0, then closing the day with an 8-3 decision over Penn State's Micah Bollinger.

Mazzarone went 2-2 at 157 pounds, including a major decision.

Duffy went 0-2 at heavyweight.
Maryland's No. 2 Taylor Upended by Top-Ranked Varner at NWCA All-Star Classic

Varner wins 13-1 major decision.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - University of Maryland wrestler Hudson Taylor dropped a 13-1 major decision to Iowa State's Jake Varner Monday evening at the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic at Ohio State University.

Taylor, the second-ranked wrestler in the nation at 197 pounds, was taken down by No. 1 Varner to fall behind 2-0 in the first period. Taylor converted an escape to get within one point at 2-1, but couldn't score again. Varner added another takedown at the end of the first period to go up 4-1.

Varner added a reversal and three-point near fall for a 9-1 lead in the second period. A third-period escape and takedown made the score 12-1 in Varner's favor with the final point added for riding time.

The match was an exhibition and will not count against Taylor's record or affect his national ranking.

Taylor was the first Maryland wrestler to participate in the event since Gobel Kline in 1969.

The event will be televised on tape delay on ESPNU December 4. Check local listings for more details.
Maryland's Letts Finishes Second at Nebraska Omaha's Kaufman-Brand Open

Kohler also competes for Maryland.

OMAHA, Neb. - Mike Letts and Jon Kohler both represented Maryland wrestling Saturday at Kaufman-Brand Open at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Letts went 4-1 to finish second at 174 pounds while Kohlersplit his four matched at 141 pounds.

Letts began the day with three straight major-decision victories by scores of 9-0, 14-5 and 10-0. After winning a 10-7 decision against Shane Onufer, letts lost his first match of the season in the championship round, falling 8-5 to Brandon Browne.

Kohler lost his opening match to Nebraska-Omaha's Mario Morgan, but rebounded with a pair of wins, including a pin of Cory Vombaur in 4:45, before losing a 7-2 decision to Vince Castillo.
Maryland Wrestling Finishes Seventh at Body Bar Invitational Four Terps Place

ITHACA, N.Y. - The University of Maryland wrestling team placed seventh at the Body Bar Invitational on the campus of Cornell University Saturday, finishing with 54.5 points.

Four Terrapins placed in the event, including third-place finishes from No. 10 Steven Bell at 133 pounds and Patrick Gilmore at heavyweight. Corey Peltier finished fourth at 174 and Brian Letters finished fifth at 165.

"I am glad we had four guys place, but we could have had more and could have had higher places," Maryland head coach Kerry McCoy said. "Pat Gilmore did a great job and Steve Bell lost a tough match in the semis, but finished strong. Corey Peltier and Brian Letters looked good, as well. We have some areas to work on, but it's still early and we have a lot of time to get better. I am looking forward to getting back to work this week and preparing for this coming weekend's competition."

Boise State won the championship with 125 points. Kent State finished second, tallying 115 points and host Cornell came in third with 91.5 points.

Bell went 3-1 on the day, opening with a pin of Ithaca's Chad Condidirio in 1:35. However, Bell lost a 7-4 decision in the semifinals to No. 9 Andrew Hochstrasser of Boise State, before clinching third with a 13-5 victory over Bloomsburg's Jason Guffy.

Gilmore also won three of four matches, with his only defeat coming at the hands of No. 9 Jermail Porter of Kent State, 13-4. Gilmore took third with a 6-1 decision over Sam Zylstra of Boise State.

Letters won four of five matches and closed the day with back-to-back decisions against University of Buffalo wrestlers Cory Lempka and Ryan Black, respectively.

Other Maryland competitors included Brendan Byrne, Steve Fehnel, Mookie Golden, Ryan Gray, Kyle John, Patrick Klenkel, Dex Lederer, Chris Lloyd, Matt MacLean, Mike McGill, Lou Ruland, Will Sharbaugh and Tommy Sitar.

The Terps return to dual competition next Saturday at the Northeast Duals in Guilderland, N.Y. Maryland will face a pair of top-five teams in No. 1 Iowa and No. 5 Missouri, as well as Drexel.
Maryland's No. 2 Taylor, Letts Both Win Titles at East Stroudsburg Open

Kohler and Gilmore also place

EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. - No. 2 Hudson Taylor and Mike Letts both took home individual championships Saturday at the East Stroudsburg Open at East Stroudsburg University while Jon Kohler took third place at 141 pounds and Patrick Gilmore finished fourth in the heavyweight division.

No team scores were kept, but overall it was a good day for the Maryland wrestling team.

"It was another good showing for our guys," Maryland head coach Kerry McCoy said. "We got a bunch of matches under our belt, which is going to help us the rest of the season. I'm really excited that Hudson got another win against a ranked opponent and Letts continued his winning ways. We just need to keep building from here on out."

Taylor was dominant the entire day at 197 pounds, winning his first four matches by fall before claiming an 11-0 major decision in the title match.

Taylor began the day with a pin in 1:25 against Lehigh's James Mutch. Taylor recorded three straight pins after that, including one in 48 seconds against Kutztown's Victor Montanez. Taylor shut out No. 12 Jon Oplinger of Drexel, 11-0, to claim the championship.

Letts won his third open championship in as many weeks, going 4-0 to stay unbeaten on the season at 12-0.

Letts recorded a fall in his first match against James Ray of Stevens, then got to the championship match with consecutive technical falls. Letts easily defeated Lehigh's Robert Hamlin, 18-6, to finish off the day.

Kohler went 5-1 to place third, winning two matches after an earlier defeat to place for the Terps. Gilmore went 4-2 on the day to place fourth, with all six matches being decided by decision.

Other Maryland competitors included: Josh Asper, Danny Bichner, Mike Hromada, Patrick Klenkel, Dex Lederer, Matt MacLean, Brian Marcoux, Shawn Mazzarone, Will Sharbaugh and Tommy Sitar.

Only Sharbaugh, Lederer, MacLean, Klenkel, Taylor and Gilmore officially represented Maryland in the competition. The rest of the competitors were unattached.

The Terps are at the Body Bar Invitational in Ithaca, N.Y. next Saturday.
Maryland's Mike Letts Named ACC Wrestler of the Week

Junior took 174-pound championship at Wolfpack Open

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Maryland junior Mike Letts has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Wrestler of the Week, the league announced Wednesday morning.

Letts went a perfect 5-0 at the Wolfpack Open last Saturday, winning his second consecutive open tournament championship in as many weeks in the 174-pound division. Letts was also named ACC Wrestler of the Week during the opening week of last season. It was Maryland's second straight ACC Wrestler of the Week honor, as Hudson Taylor claimed it during the final week of last season.

"Mike is doing a great job this season," Maryland head coach Kerry McCoy said. "He has really stepped up his commitment to becoming an NCAA champion. We look forward to more great things from him this year."

Letts opened the Wolfpack Open with a pin of Campbell's Justin Sparrow in only 1:34 and followed it with an 11-5 decision over Ohio State's TC Pendleton. Letts cruised to the title from there, pinning Newberry College's Brock Budesheim in 4:47 to get to the semifinals.

Once in the semis, Letts dominated fellow ACC wrestler Ben Fiacco of North Carolina, claiming a 16-0 technical fall. Letts made it 2-0 against the Buckeyes for the weekend, winning the championship match against No. 19 David Rella of Ohio State via an 11-2 major decision.
No. 11 Maryland Mike Letts Claims Second Straight Open Title

Junior now perfect 8-0 this season

RALEIGH, N.C. - Junior Mike Letts won his second open tournament championship in as many weeks, going a perfect 5-0 at 174 pounds Saturday at the Wolfpack Open at NC State.

Letts, the No. 11 ranked wrestler in the nation at 174 pounds, recorded two pins, a technical fall and a major decision Saturday.

Letts pinned Campbell's Justin Sparrow in 1:34, took an 11-5 decision from Ohio State's TC Pendleton, pinned Newberry College's Brock Budesheim in 4:47, notched a 16-0 technical fall against North Carolina's Ben Fiacco and defeated No. 19 David Rella of Ohio State in the title match via an 11-2 major decision.

Freshman Josh Asper made the semifinals at 165 pounds, winning three matches before falling to No. 15 Colt Sponseller of Ohio State on a 26-10 technical fall.

Matt Bogusz, Owen Duffy, Mike Hromada, Jon Kohler, Chris Lloyd, Matt MacLean, Shawn Mazzarone, Lou Ruland, Will Sharbaugh and Tommy Sitar also competed.
Win, Lose and Draw for No. 17 Maryland Wrestling at Fighting Scot Duals

Maryland ties Army, defeats Findlay, falls to No. 15 Edinboro

EDINBORO, Pa. - The 17th-ranked University of Maryland wrestling team opened the 2008-09 regular season with a tie, victory and loss Saturday at The Fighting Scot Duals in Edinboro, Pa. The Terrapins tied Army, 19-19, soundly defeated Findlay, 37-12, and lost to No. 15 Edinboro, 23-14.

The Terps started well in the opening dual against the Army Black Knights, notching 10 points in the first three matchups. Brendan Byrne began with a 14-9 decision at 125 pounds and No. 12 Steven Bell earned a major decision against Whitt Dunning, 15-3, to give Maryland a 7-0 advantage after two matches. An Alex Krom decision at 141 pounds made it 10-0 Terps. However, Army got back in the match with a pin by No. 6 Matt Kyler over No. 14 Eric Medina in 22 seconds.

The Black Knights led briefly, 16-13, after a Garrett Hunter decision over freshman Ryan Gray at 184. No. 2 Hudson Taylor quickly erased that, though, picking up what would prove to be a critical six points with a pin of No. 16 Richard Starks in 38 seconds, putting the Terps up by three points heading into the heavyweight tilt, 19-16.

Army earned the tie with a narrow, 6-5 decision for Michael Sprigg over Patrick Gilmore.

Maryland was never threatened against Findlay, taking the first four matches against the Oilers. Byrne and Bell secured 12 quick points with back-to-back pins to begin the meet and Krom tacked on another four with a 13-1 major decision at 141 pounds. A Medina fall in 1:08 at 149 pounds gave the Terps a 22-0 cushion.

The Oilers picked up consecutive wins to get back in the meet, 22-9, but freshman Corey Peltier earned his first-career win, a 10-2 decision against Jeff Havelka to regain control for the Terps. A victory by forfeit at 184 pounds and a technical fall for Taylor at 197 accounted for the rest of Maryland's scoring.

The Terps could not have asked for a much better start against the Fighting Scots in the final meet of the day. Byrne, Bell and Krom all won their matches to begin the meet, including a major decision by Bell against No. 19 Ricky Deubel, 13-3, to give Maryland an 11-0 lead.

Unfortunately for the Terps, the Scots took the next five matchups, three coming via technical fall to take a 20-11 lead. Taylor won a 1-0 decision at 197 to cut Edinboro's lead to six, 20-14, heading into the heavyweight matchup and giving the Terps a chance at a tie with a pin.

However, Gilmore lost his third one-point decision of the day, 1-0, to No. 10 Joe Fendone.

Overall, Maryland went 9-0 in the lowest three weight classes thanks to Byrne, Bell and Krom. Taylor was also perfect for the day.

Maryland's next dual meet is at 1 p.m. next Sunday, November 9 at Lehigh, where the Terps will battle against former head coach Pat Santoro's Mountain Hawks.

No. 17 MARYLAND 19, ARMY 19
125 - Brendan Byrne (MD) dec. Lance Penhale, 14-9 (3-0)
133 - No. 12 Steven Bell (MD) major dec. Whitt Dunning, 15-3 (7-0)
141 - Alex Krom (MD) dec. Casey Thome, 7-2 (10-0)
149 - No. 6 Matt Kyler (ARMY) fall over No. 14 Eric Medina, :22 (10-6)
157 - Brian Rowan (ARMY) dec. Kyle John, 2-1 (10-9)
165 - Corey Peltier (MD) dec. Chris Grill, 8-3 (13-9)
174 - Ryan Mergen (ARMY) major dec. Matt MacLean, 15-2 (13-13)
184 - Garrett Hunter (ARMY) dec. Ryan Gray, 8-2 (13-16)
197 - No. 2 Hudson Taylor (MD) fall over No. 16 Richard Starks, :38 (19-16)
HWT - Michael Sprigg (ARMY) dec. Patrick Gilmore, 6-5 (19-19)

No. 17 MARYLAND 37, FINDLAY 12
125 - Brendan Byrne (MD) fall over Nick Weisjhan, 2:44 (6-0)
133 - No. 12 Steven Bell (MD) fall over Alex Shumaker, 4:04 (12-0)
141 - Alex Krom (MD) major dec. Josh Falk, 13-1 (16-0)
149 - No. 14 Eric Medina (MD) fall over Sean Dong, 1:08 (22-0)
157 - Michael Lybarger (FU) fall over Matt MacLean, 2:55 (22-6)
165 - Justin Shannon (FU) dec. Kyle John, 8-3 (22-9)
174 - Corey Peltier (MD) dec. Jeff Havelka, 10-2 (25-9)
184 - Chris Lloyd (MD) wins by forfeit (31-9)
197 - No. 2 Hudson Taylor (MD) tech. fall Dan Stevenson, 17-1/5:30 (37-9)
HWT - Dan Thoburn (FU) dec. Patrick Gilmore, 3-2 (37-12)

No. 15 EDINBORO 23, No. 17 MARYLAND, 14
125 - Brendan Byrne (MD) dec. Kyle Fluke, 5-2 (0-3)
133 - No. 12 Steven Bell (MD) major dec. No. 19 Ricky Deubel, 13-3 (0-7)
141 - Alex Krom (MD) major dec. Joel Webster, 13-5 (0-11)
149 - Torsten Gillespie (EU) dec. No. 14 Eric Medina, 6-5 (3-11)
157 - No. 4 Gregor Gillespie (EU) tech. fall Kyle John, 16-0/4:39 (8-11)
165 - No. 8 Jarrod King (EU) dec. Corey Peltier, 7-5 SV (11-11)
174 - No. 17 Phil Moricone (EU) tech. fall Matt MacLean, 25-10/3:39 (15-11)
184 - No. 16 Chris Honeycutt (EU) tech. fall Ryan Gray, 16-0/3:50 (20-11)
197 - No. 2 Hudson Taylor (MD) dec. Pat Bradshaw, 1-0 (20-14)
HWT - No. 10 Joe Fendone (EU) dec. Patrick Gilmore, 1-0 (23-14)
Red Bests Black in Maryland Wrestle-Offs Exhibition

Taylor wins 197-pound match by technical fall

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The 17th-ranked University of Maryland wrestling team competed in public for the first time this season, participating in the annual Red & Black Wrestle-Offs exhibition Friday night at Comcast Pavilion, with the red team defeating the black team, 22-13.

While several projected starters sat out, nationally-ranked wrestlers Steven Bell, Eric Medina and All-American Hudson Taylor all competed.

Junior Brendan Byrne got the black team off to a good start in the opening 125-pound match, taking an 8-3 decision against Lou Ruland, giving the black team a 3-0 lead. Bell then evened the score at 3-3 with a 12-7 decision at 133 pounds against redshirt freshman Matt Bogusz.

Freshman Brian Marcoux put red on top for the first time, winning a 6-2 overtime decision in an exhibition against fellow freshman Mike Hromada.

The 141-pound match figured to be a good one with redshirt junior Alex Krom, who was ranked as high as 13th in the nation two years ago, took on ACC champion Jon Kohler. Krom was impressive in the match, winning a 16-4 major decision to give the black side a 7-6 lead.

Sophomore Eric Medina then won a 9-1 major decision against fifth-year senior Steve Fehnel to put red back on top, 10-7.

The 157-pound tilt was arguably the most important of the evening, as redshirt freshmen Kyle John and Matt MacLean are in a fierce competition for the starting job. The match was tight and low-scoring, with John eventually posting a 4-0 victory, tying the overall score at 10-10.

The red team took the next two matches, with freshman Danny Bichner winning an overtime decision against freshman Shawn Mazzarone, 3-2, followed by a major decision for freshman Corey Peltier, 16-2, against sophomore Patrick Klenkel.

Freshman Owen Smith won a 7-3 decision against freshman Chris Lloyd at 184 pounds, putting the score at 17-13 for the red team heading into the final match.

Taylor put forth an impressive effort against redshirt freshman Tommy Sitar at 197 pounds, winning by technical fall, 18-2, nine seconds into the third period.

The Terps begin the regular season next Saturday at the Fighting Scot Duals in Edinboro, Pa. Maryland will compete in a trio of duals against Army, Findlay and Edinboro.

RED 22, BLACK 13
125 - Brendan Byrne (BLACK) dec. Lou Ruland, 8-3 (0-3)
133 - No. 12 Steven Bell (RED) dec. Matt Bogusz, 12-7 (3-3)
Exh. - Brian Marcoux (RED) dec. Mike Hromada, 6-2 SV-1 (6-3)
141 - Alex Krom (BLACK) major dec. Jon Kohler, 16-4 (6-7)
149 - No. 14 Eric Medina (RED) major dec. Steve Fehnel, 9-1 (10-7)
157 - Kyle John (BLACK) dec. Matt MacLean, 4-0 (10-10)
Exh. - Danny Bichner (RED) dec. Shawn Mazzarone, 3-2 TB-1 (13-10)
Exh. - Corey Peltier (RED) major dec. Patrick Klenkel, 16-2 (17-10)
184 - Owen Smith (BLACK) dec. Chris Lloyd, 7-3 (17-13)
197 - No. 2 Hudson Taylor (RED) tech. fall Tommy Sitar, 18-2/5:09 (22-13)
Maryland Wrestling Announces Captains for 2008-09 Season

All-American Hudson Taylor among team leaders

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - First-year head coach Kerry McCoy and the University of Maryland wrestling team recently announced its captains for the upcoming 2008-09 season.

The Terrapins have decided on four captains, all juniors. The quartet includes All-American and reigning ACC Wrestler of the Year Hudson Taylor, as well as Steven Bell, Brendan Byrne and Alex Krom.

Taylor, Maryland's first All-American in over a decade, went 37-3 a season ago with 18 wins coming via pin en route to finishing third in the country in the 197-pound division.

Bell was an all-conference wrestler last year and the Atlantic Coast Conference champion at 133 pounds, posting a 29-10 overall record. Byrne went 19-12 last season as the Terps' primary option at 125 pounds. Krom, a redshirt junior, sat out last season after a great sophomore season two years ago, when he went 22-7 and was ranked as highly as 13th in the nation.

Maryland hosts the Red & Black Wrestle-Offs exhibition at 7:30 p.m. next Friday at Comcast Pavilion. The regular season begins Sunday, Nov. 2 at the Fighting Scot Duals in Edinboro, Pa.
Maryland Wrestling Announces 2008-09 Schedule

Terps face several national powers in McCoy's first season

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Coming off one of the best seasons in school history, the University of Maryland wrestling program recently took the next step forward with the announcement of the 2008-09 schedule.

First-year head coach Kerry McCoy is excited about the challenging slate for his defending ACC champion Terrapins as the schedule includes matches against national powers Iowa, Missouri, Lehigh, Nebraska and Penn State among others.

"The schedule will definitely be fun and challenging. We have a lot of tough matchups, which will ensure that we are prepared for the end of the year," McCoy said.

The season begins with the annual Red & Black Wrestle-Offs exhibition on October 24.

Regular-season play starts November 1 at the Fighting Scot Duals in Edinboro, Pa., where the Terps won two of three matches a season ago. The Terps will participate in the Eastern Michigan Open the next day.

November 9 will be an emotional match as Maryland heads to Lehigh to face the Mountain Hawks, now coached by Pat Santoro, who coached the Terps the last five seasons. McCoy also has plenty of history with Lehigh and Santoro. McCoy and Santoro shared the sidelines as assistants at Lehigh and Santoro was an assistant at Penn State when McCoy was on the wrestling team.

"Lehigh has a great tradition in wrestling and has a very good team," McCoy said. "It will definitely be an emotionally-charged match. I know it will be a battle. Coach Santoro is a great coach and I know his guys will be ready. No matter what happens it's going to be a great match."

The Terps are at the East Stroudsburg Open November 15 before participating in the Body Bar Invitational in Ithaca, N.Y. November 22.

Maryland is again in New York November 29 for the Northeast Duals in Guilderland, N.Y. The Terps will face Drexel, defending national champion Iowa and Missouri in the competition.

McCoy returns to his alma mater December 7 for the Penn State Open.

The first home match is scheduled for December 14 against Princeton with trips to Wilkes-Barre, Pa. and Evanston Ill. To follow the next two weekends.

Atlantic Coast Conference competition begins January 11 with a home tilt against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Following the North Carolina matchup, the Terps have exciting road confrontations at Oklahoma on January 16 and at Nebraska January 18.

ACC competition renews January 24 in Raleigh, N.C., where the Terps will face both NC State and Duke.

In-state rival Navy comes to College Park on January 30 for what should be a closely-contested match after the Terps defeated the Midshipmen, 21-18, in Annapolis, Md. last season.

The Terps are again in Edinboro, Pa. February 7 for the Edinboro Open before more regional competition.

Maryland visits Virginia Tech February 8 and makes the short trip to Washington, D.C. February 13 to face American University.

The regular season concludes with a pair of home matches against George Mason and conference rival Virginia February 21 and 22, respectively.

The ACC Championships will be held March 7th in Blacksburg, Va., where the Terps will look to repeat as conference champions. The NCAA Championships are set to take place March 19-21 in St. Louis, where the Terps finished 21st a season ago, highlighted by a third-place national finish in the 197-pound division by Hudson Taylor.
Maryland Wrestling Completes Coaching Staff with Hiring of Powell, Yonushonis

Todd Beckerman remains on staff

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - First-year Maryland wrestling head coach Kerry McCoy recently completed his coaching staff with the hiring of Jason Powell and James Yonushonis. Powell will join Todd Beckerman as a full-time assistant while Yonushonis will be a volunteer assistant.

Powell comes to College Park from the University of Oregon after a two-year stint as an assistant coach with the Ducks.

Prior to Oregon, Powell was a volunteer assistant at his alma mater, the University of Nebraska, where he assisted in daily workouts and recruiting.

Powell is one of the best wrestlers in Nebraska history, earning All-American status three times and the 2004 national championship in the 125-pound division.

"Jason is a great addition to the staff," McCoy said. "He has been successful at every level of wrestling and he will bring that championship mindset to our program. He will have an immediate impact on our program, with emphasis on the lightweights."

Yonushonis joins the Terps' staff after an impressive collegiate career at Penn State, where he was an All-American for the Nittany Lions in the 174-pound division, graduating in 2006.

Yonushonis spent the last season as a club coach at Penn State, working with upper weights, and is currently training for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

"I have known James for a long time and I am glad he chose to join us," McCoy said. "He has such a great work ethic. I know he will have a very positive influence on our guys. He also has tremendous potential in freestyle wrestle and I expected him to be a serious contender for the 2012 team."

"I am very excited to have these guys join our staff. It's going to be a great year," McCoy added.
Maryland Wrestling-Coaching Staff Finalized, Mike Letts Ready to Compete, Incoming Freshman Jr National Runner-up

I hope you are enjoying the last few weeks of summer. I am getting ready to head to Beijing in the next couple of days, so I am pretty excited. I wanted to give you an update on the program. The coaching staff has been finalized. Jason Powell and James Yonushonis will be joining Todd Beckerman as assistant coaches. Kevin Kearns will remain our administrative assistant.

Jason wrestled for the University of Nebraska where he was a 3x All American. In 2004 he won the NCAA National Championship at 125 lbs. Jason spent some time as an assistant at Nebraska before heading out west to assist at the University of Oregon.

James wrestled for Penn State University where he was an All American at 174 lbs. James is currently training for the 2012 Olympics. Before coming to Maryland, James helped out at Penn State as one of their club coaches and worked with their upper weights.

Jason and James will bring a lot of energy and experience to the program. Jason will be a full time assistant and James will be the volunteer funded through the club. I am very excited to have these two join our program.

Sophomore Mike Letts will be competing today in the Junior World Championships held in Istanbul Turkey. Mike will compete at 84 kgs. or 185 lbs. and will face a wrestler from Egypt in the first round. For results you can visit themat.com or go directly to the tournament website: http://www.fila-wrestling.com/istanbul08/

Incoming freshman Josh Asper capped of his HS wrestling career as a Junior National runner up. Here is a link to a story on Josh: http://www.digitalsports.com/article/type/state/typeid/25/id/34300.aspx

Take care and thanks for the support.
Kerry
Maryland Wrestling Updates-2008-09 Schedule

Maryland's Taylor Named ACC Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year

All-American honored for work in the classroom

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Sophomore Hudson Taylor was named the 2008 ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for wrestling, announced May 28 by commissioner John Swofford. Taylor, an interactive performance arts major, was an All-American at 197 pounds and was the 2008 ACC Wrestler of the Year.

Taylor has also been named to the All-ACC Academic Team and represents the Terps on the Student Athlete Advisory Council. He was placed on the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Academic Team and was named to the university's Dean List in the fall semester.

Taylor, who hails from Pennington, N.J., finished the season with a 37-3 record at 197 pounds. His third-place finish at the NCAA Championships was the best for a wrestler at Maryland since 1992. His win total was tied for the most in the ACC and tied for the eighth highest in all of Division I. Eighteen of his wins came by fall which tied for third nationally.

Taylor won the 197 pound title at the ACC Championships on March 8 at Comcast Center to complete a perfect season against conference competition at 10-0. Half of those wins came by way of fall.

Taylor was named ACC Wrestler of the Week a staggering five times which was more than any other team's total number of honors.
Kerry McCoy Named Maryland Wrestling Head Coach

McCoy spent three seasons as head coach at Stanford

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Director of athletics Deborah A. Yow announced May 12 that Kerry McCoy has been named the head coach for the University of Maryland wrestling program. In three seasons as head coach at Stanford, McCoy transformed the Cardinal into a national contender after inheriting a team that went 6-8-1 in 2004-05.

"I am very fortunate to join such a great program," McCoy said. "The opportunity to be closer to our family and having a chance to compete for a national championship is very exciting. I want to thank Dr. Yow and everyone who was involved with this process for supporting me and more importantly for supporting the sport of wrestling."

McCoy led the Cardinal to a 19th-place finish at the NCAA Championships this past season which was the second-best finish in program history. Stanford went 13-4 with a 6-3 mark in the Pac-10 while finishing second in the conference championships, its best showing ever. Stanford sent five wrestlers to nationals in St. Louis for the second straight season, which was also the most in team history.

"Kerry McCoy is the right coach for Maryland at the right time," Yow said. "He will achieve as a coach what he achieved as an athlete - elite status as a program and eventually, the possibility of winning the national championship."

McCoy made an immediate impact in his first season as Stanford went 8-7 in 2005-06 and improved its showing at the Pac-10 Championships by two places. He guided two wrestlers to the NCAA Championships that season and mentored Tanner Gardner to All-America accolades.

In 2006-07, McCoy continued to steadily improve the program, as the Cardinal went 8-8 during the season and performed even better than the year before in the conference championships, finishing sixth. Five wrestlers qualified for the NCAA Championships which was a program record, and two wrestlers, Gardner and Josh Zupancic, became the first Stanford duo to earn All-America honors in the same season since 1967.

In addition, Zack Giesen was tabbed the Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year.

"I would like to thank Stanford for giving me the opportunity to lead the wrestling program," McCoy added. "It was an amazing experience and a very difficult place to leave. I also want to thank all of the alumni, fans, parents and administrators for the support the program received. I especially want to thank Bob Bowlsby and Earl Koberlein for providing me with the tools necessary to build a top notch program. I am very happy with the direction the program is going and I expect great things in the future."

Prior to his time at Stanford, McCoy spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Lehigh where he mentored 14 All-Americans and a pair of NCAA Champions. He helped the Mountain Hawks to four Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association titles and led Jon Trenge to a school-record 133 wins in his career at 197 pounds. Trenge was a three-time All-American.

During his time at Lehigh, McCoy shared the sidelines with former Maryland head coach Pat Santoro, who was also on the staff at Penn State when McCoy was a wrestler.

"I have been very fortunate to know Kerry as an athlete and coach over the past 15 years, and we have become very close," Santoro said. "Kerry is a great fit for this team and will help take them to the next level. I am excited for Kerry and his family to have this opportunity at Maryland to reach their professional goals. Personally, our family is excited to have him back on the east coast."

While at Lehigh, McCoy also served as the director of wrestling and head coach of the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club where he was responsible for conducting clinics in the local area, promoting the sport of wrestling, and fundraising. McCoy serves on the USA Wrestling Athlete Advisory Committee as well as the USAW Executive Committee, the United States Olympic Committee, and has been a U.S. Freestyle World Team coach for two seasons.

McCoy also had a stint as an assistant coach at Penn State for three seasons, where he helped the Nittany Lions to a pair of fourth-place finishes at the NCAA Championships and guided 10 All-Americans and two national champions.

McCoy spent his collegiate wrestling career with the Nittany Lions and posted a record of 150-18 in his four seasons. He captured a pair of NCAA Championships in 1994 and 1997 and won three Big Ten titles. After going 19-17 in his first 36 matches at Penn State, McCoy lost just once in his final 132 with an 88-match winning streak.

A three-time All-American, McCoy was named the Penn State Athlete of the Year and the Nittany Lions' Wrestler of the Year in 1994 and 1997 while being tabbed the 1997 Hodge Award winner as W.I.N. Magazine's Wrestler of the Year. He earned his bachelor's degree in marketing in 1997.

McCoy was also a two-time Olympian for the United States and took fifth place at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and seventh in 2004 in Athens. McCoy also won five straight U.S. National Freestyle Wrestling Championships from 2000 to 2004.

McCoy has been a member of the United States National Team nine times and earned a silver medal in 2003 at the World Championships. In August 2003, McCoy won a gold medal at the Pan-Am Games and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament.

McCoy and his wife, Abbie, are expecting their first child in July.


WIRE SERVICES NOTE TRANSACTION

MARYLAND - Hired Kerry McCoy as head coach for wrestling.
Maryland Wrestlers Succeeding at National Levels

Krom, Letts, and Kohler representing the Terps

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Junior Alex Krom and sophomores Jon Kohler and Mike Letts have all enjoyed recent success against national competition. Krom, who redshirted the 2007-08 season, placed third at the University Nationals and Letts and Kohler were named All-Americans at the FILA Junior National Championships.

Krom finished third at the 145.5 pounds division at the University Nationals in Akron, Ohio and qualified for the University World Trials on May 23-24 in Colorado Springs, Colo. The winner of the trials will go on to represent the United States in the World University Championships in Thessalonica, Greece.

Krom was tabbed the Redshirt of the Year at Maryland's annual awards picnic on May 3. He won a pair of championships at 141 pounds at the Buffalo and Edinboro Open. He also earned a second-place finish at the Mat Town Open and a third-place finish at the Kent State Open.

Letts won the 174 pound freestyle division at the FILA Junior Nationals in Las Vegas in April. He qualified for the FILA Junior World Team Trials in the freestyle division and the winner of that tournament will represent the United States in the Junior World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. The World Team Trials will also be held in Colorado Springs on May 23-24.

Letts won the ACC Championship this past season at 174 pounds for the second-straight season. The Parkesburg, Pa., product finished the season with a 22-6 record with nine major decisions and four pins. Letts has never lost to a conference foe in his two seasons and owns a 15-0 record against opponents from the ACC.

Kohler placed seventh in the 132.25 pounds division and earned All-America status along with Letts. The Annapolis native was named the team's Most Improved Wrestler at the awards picnic as he finished 17-14 at 141 pounds. Kohler recorded seven wins during his freshman campaign at 133 pounds.

Kohler won the ACC Championship at 141 pounds with all three wins coming against higher-seeded opponents.
Maryland Wrestling Team Banquet May 3rd

Dear Parents, Friends, and Wrestlers,

In appreciation of all of your support and efforts, the coaching staff would like to invite you to our annual awards picnic to be held on Saturday, May 3rd at 1:00 PM. This is not your usual awards banquet. You will be expected to go bare foot in the sand, play volleyball on the beach, eat an enormous amount of food, watch the boats go by, and just have a great time. There is a small cost for parents and family members due to NCAA regulations that will be determined on our final number count. Please RSVP to Todd Beckerman at 301-314-6677 or by email at tfb@umd.edu ASAP, no later than Monday April 28. Hope you can make it.

Place: Epping Forest Club House, Annapolis, MD

Time: 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Menu: Hamburgers, Hot dogs, Chicken Breasts, Ribs, Desserts

Directions: (Follow signs when entering Epping Forest)

From College Park:

Take 495 South towards Alexandria - Take Rt. 50 East towards Annapolis - Take exit 23 (450-178 Parole) stay Right off exit - Go through 4 lights - (You will pass Westfield Mall on the right) -Turn Right at the 5th Light which is Epping Forest Road (There is a Vet Hospital on the Right Corner) Go All the Way to the End - about 2 miles. Follow the "M" Signs (Clubhouse # 410-84-98957)

From Baltimore Area:

Take the Baltimore Beltway (695) towards Glen Burnie/Annapolis. Take 97 towards Annapolis, it will be a left hand exit from 695. Take exit # 5 off of 97 which will be 178S (Generals Highway) towards Crownsville (the only way you can go). Turn left onto Epping Forest Road. (There is a Vet Hospital on the Corner) Go All the Way to the End - about 2 miles

Follow the "M" Signs (Clubhouse # 410-84-98957)

P.S. Wrestlers bring extra clothes and a towel. You will get wet!
From the Maryland Wrestling Team

Dear Friends, Alums, and Supporters of Maryland Wrestling:

In light of Pat Santoro's recent resignation as our head coach, we would like to share with you our thoughts on this past season, our current situation, and the bright future that lies ahead for this program.

The saddening and unexpected news of Pat's resignation has been difficult for our team. However, we would like to thank and commend Pat for his invaluable guidance and contribution to the UMD wrestling program. In just five years, Coach Santoro has led our team toward national recognition as a top 20 program. He has shown each of us the commitment and fortitude that it takes to be a successful wrestler, teammate and individual. His character and compassion helped us to believe in ourselves and believe in our team goals. It was an honor and a privilege to have wrestled under his guidance; and, we would like to take this opportunity to thank him for everything he has done for us as individuals and for this program. We wish Coach Santoro and his family all the best in their future endeavors.

We would also like to thank our assistant coaches, Todd Beckerman and Brad Dillon. Their commitment to our training and personal development continues to help us excel on and off the mat. 

Although this time is hard for us all, it is one of great excitement.  As a top 20 program with nine returning starters, we aspire to become national champions, a goal in which we strongly believe and we work hard to accomplish. Our team looks forward to welcoming a new coach, who we expect will bring inspiring talent, vision, mentorship, and determination. We are confident that the Maryland Athletic Department will select an excellent coach, and we are excited to begin working toward our goals under his guidance.  We hope that you share in our excitement for the future of this program, and we thank you for your constant support and dedication. With your help, we will continue to achieve our goals.

In closing, the Maryland Wrestling Team would like to thank our Athletic Director Dr. Debbie Yow for her tremendous support. Dr. Yow's dedication to our sport as well as the support we receive from the entire UMD Athletic Department has been critical to this program's development. We work toward winning a national title with constant appreciation for our university's encouragement and assistance.  So, thank you Dr. Yow and the University of Maryland, we hope to turn this season's success into a tradition for the Maryland Wrestling Program.

Thank you again, all fans and supporters; this is only the beginning….

Go Terps,

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Santoro Accepts Head Coaching Position at Lehigh

Head coach led Terps to 2008 ACC Championship

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - University of Maryland head wrestling coach Pat Santoro has accepted the head coaching position at Lehigh University. Santoro was the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Terrapins to their first conference title since 1973. He posted a 48-41-1 record in five seasons at Maryland, including a 33-9 mark the last two years.

"I want to thank Dr. Yow and the University of Maryland for giving me my first opportunity to be a head coach, outstanding support during my five seasons at Maryland, and extreme understanding during this process," Santoro said. "Debbie has made the University of Maryland one of the most attractive wrestling coaching jobs in the nation and it was a very difficult and emotional decision for me to leave. I hope the extremely motivated and talented young team we have here, along with all of our team's outstanding supporters, will ultimately understand my decision to return home."

Prior to taking the reins at Maryland in 2003, Santoro served as an assistant coach at Lehigh for nine seasons. He was named the 2003 National Assistant Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association after helping lead the Mountain Hawks to a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships that season.

The Terps went 16-4 in 2007-08 under Santoro and went 5-0 in the ACC for the second-straight season. Maryland's .800 winning percentage this season established a new school record and its 33 wins the last two years is more than any other two-year span in Terps history.

Santoro guided the Terps to the 2008 ACC Championship on March 8 at Comcast Center, their first title since 1973. Five wrestlers claimed individual championships and six represented Maryland at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, the most entrants for the Terps since 1990. All six of the wrestlers Maryland sent to nationals were underclassmen, as four of them were sophomores in eligibility and two were true freshmen.

"Coach Santoro and his family were terrific ambassadors for Maryland wrestling," Director of Athletics Deborah A. Yow said. "His leadership of our program has been successful in every way. We wish him well as he returns home and thank him for all he did for us. Those contributions will always be remembered and appreciated."

Maryland has steadily improved every year at the NCAA Championships under Santoro who mentored his first Terp All-American in sophomore Hudson Taylor. Maryland finished tied for 21st this season which was its best showing since 1992 and was the best for an ACC team since 2004.

Santoro guided Maryland back into the national rankings this year, climbing as high as No. 21. It was the first time the Terps had been ranked since 1993. Included in the 16 wins was one of the most impressive dual-meet victories in school history when the Terps beat No. 5 Michigan, 18-16, on November 24. The Terps also won at No. 22 Navy, marking the first time Maryland had won in Annapolis in 22 years. It was the first time Maryland had beaten the Midshipmen since 1997.

Santoro produced 15 All-ACC wrestlers in his five seasons and his wrestlers captured nine individual ACC titles. Taylor finished third at the NCAA Championships in March, which was the highest placing for a Terp since 1992. He was Maryland's first All-American since 1997.

A national search for a new head coach will begin immediately.
Thank You for the Support from Marlylands Coach Santoro

Alumni and Friends,

I would like to thank everyone for their support of the the Maryland wrestling program for the past five years, it has been an amazing ride that I will never forget. The young men that I have been blessed to coach are hungry and ready for the new challenges that lie ahead. The momentum at Maryland has never been greater and this team has very high goals and your continued support will ensure their success to higher levels.

The decision to leave Maryland was very difficult and an emotional one for me and my family. We are very thankful that we had the opportunity to be a part of such a great University.  We also feel so fortunate that our paths crossed with all of you and feel a special bond with Maryland.   Debbie Yow and Chris Boyer have been very supportive and understanding through this process, and I am very confident that they are going to find a great coach to lead the Terps.

I always want our wrestlers to respect and protect each other and leave here without regrets. The only regret I have is I won't be around for their finest hour.

Thank you again,

All my best,

Pat Santoro
 Maryland's Santoro Named ACC Coach of the Year; Taylor is Wrestler of the Year

Terps won first ACC title since 1973

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Maryland wrestling head coach Pat Santoro was named the 2008 ACC Coach of the Year and sophomore Hudson Taylor was tabbed the Wrestler of the Year as announced March 31 by the Atlantic Coast Conference. Santoro led the Terrapins to their first conference crown since 1973 and Taylor earned All-America status at the NCAA Championships, the first Terp since 1997 to do so.

The Terps went 16-4 in 2007-08 under Santoro and went 5-0 in the ACC for the second-straight season. Maryland's .800 winning percentage this season established a new record and its 33 wins the last two years is more than any other two-year span in Terps history.

Santoro and the rest of the Terps won the 2008 ACC Championship on March 8 at Comcast Center, their first title since 1973. Five wrestlers claimed individual championships and six represented Maryland at the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, the most entrants for the Terps since 1990. All six of the wrestlers Maryland sent to nationals were underclassmen, as four of them were sophomores in eligibility and two were true freshmen.

Maryland has steadily improved every year at the NCAA Championships under Santoro who mentored his first Terp All-American in Taylor. Maryland finished tied for 21st this season which was its best showing since 1992 and was the best for an ACC team since 2004.

Santoro guided Maryland back into the national rankings this year, climbing as high as No. 21. It was the first time that the Terps had been ranked since 1993. Included in the 16 wins was one of the most impressive dual meet victories in school history when the Terps beat No. 5 Michigan, 18-16, on November 24. The Terps also won at No. 22 Navy, marking the first time Maryland had won in Annapolis in 22 years. It was the first time Maryland had beaten the Midshipmen since 1997.

Taylor's third-place finish was the best for a Terp at the NCAA Championships since 1992. The Pennington, N.J., product went 6-1 at the tournament with wins against three seeded opponents including three-time All-American and defending national champion Josh Glenn.

Taylor won the 197-pound title at the ACC Championships on March 8 at Comcast Center to complete a perfect season against conference competition at 10-0. Half of those wins came by way of fall.

Taylor finished the season with a 37-3 overall record. His win total was tied for the most in the ACC and tied for the eighth highest in all of Division I including every weight class. Eighteen of his wins came by fall which was second in the conference and tied for third nationally.

Each of his three losses this season was to an All-American. Two of them came against Penn State's Phil Davis who won the 197 pound national championship. His other came to Dallas Herbst of Wisconsin who finished sixth.

Taylor was named ACC Wrestler of the Week a staggering five times which was more than any other team's total number of honors.
Maryland's Taylor Places Third at NCAA Championships

Sophomore uses two come-from-behind victories to take the bronze

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Sophomore Hudson Taylor stunned top-seeded and defending national champion Josh Glenn of American and then beat eighth-seeded Craig Brester of Nebraska to take third place in the 197-pound division of the 2008 NCAA Championships on March 22 at Scottrade Center. Taylor was down 5-1 against Glenn and 4-1 versus Brester but came from behind to steal both victories.

Taylor is the first All-American for the Terrapins since Jim Guzzio finished fifth in 1997. His third place finish is the best for a Maryland wrestler since 1992 when Tom Miller took third at 142 pounds and he is just the fifth wrestler in Terps history to finish in the top three at the national championships.

With Taylor's effort, the Terps have now racked up 24.0 points which is good enough for a tie for 21st place heading into the championship finals. Cal Poly sits in 26th but has a finalist and will finish with at least 30 points which means Maryland should finish in a tie for 22nd place.

In the wrestleback semifinals, Glenn, who earned his third All-America honor this season, jumped out to a 5-1 lead midway through the second period with two takedowns and an escape but Taylor inched closer as he got an escape with time winding down in the second.

Taylor assumed the down position to start the final period and picked up a quick reversal to pull within one, 5-4, but Glenn escaped to push the lead back to two. Taylor then scored his only takedown of the match to tie it and then parlayed that into a three-point near fall to seal the 9-6 win.

In the third place match, Taylor fell behind again 4-1 after Brester recorded his second takedown of the match with 42 seconds left in the second period. Taylor, much like in his earlier match, picked up a huge reversal to pull within one at the end of the period.

The wrestlers started at neutral in the final period and Taylor scored the takedown with 1:18 left to claim the lead, 5-4, but Brester had locked up the bonus point for riding time. Taylor rode Brester the rest of the period and forced overtime.

Taylor wasted no time in the extra session and went for the points immediately, connecting on his takedown attempt just 15 seconds in for the win.

Taylor finished the 2007-08 season with a 37-3 record.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

133 - Steven Bell
First Round - Lost to #5 Nicholas Fanthorpe (Iowa State), 8-2
Wrestleback First Round - Beat Cory VomBaur (Wyoming), 12-3
Wrestleback Second Round - Beat #12 Andrae Hernandez (Indiana), 8-5
Wrestleback Third Round - Beat Tyler McCormick (Missouri), 11-6
Wrestleback Fourth Round - Lost to #10 Patrick Castillo (Northern Illinois), 7-4

141 - Jon Kohler
First Round - Lost to Jacob Kriegbaum (Air Force), 11-2
Wrestleback First Round - Lost to Tim Harner (Liberty), 12-5

149 - Eric Medina
First Round - Lost to Daryl Cocozzo (Edinboro), 8-4
Wrestleback Second Round - Beat Joseph Knox (Chattanooga) by fall, 2:34
Wrestleback Third Round - Lost to #8 Jake Patacsil (Purdue) by fall, 3:38

157 - Brian Letters
First Round - Beat #9 Chase Pami (Cal Poly), 5-4 (tb1)
Second Round - Lost to #8 Jordan Leen (Cornell), 4-1
Wrestleback Second Round - Lost to Matt Moley (Bloomsburg), 8-4

174 - #10 Mike Letts
First Round - Beat Dan Clum (Wisconsin), 9-2
Second Round - Lost to #7 Matt Stolpinski (Navy), 5-4 (tb1)
Wrestleback Second Round - Lost to #8 Gabriel Dretsch (Minnesota), 10-2

197 - #7 Hudson Taylor
First Round - Beat Jared Villers (West Virginia) by fall, 5:39
Second Round - Beat #10 Joel Flaggert (Oklahoma), 7-0
Quarterfinals - Lost to #2 Phil Davis (Penn State), 7-3
Wrestleback Fifth Round - Beat Jason Trulson (Arizona State), 5-0
Wrestleback Quarterfinals - Beat David Bertolino (Iowa State), 6-5
Wrestleback Semifinals - Beat #1 Josh Glenn (American), 9-6
Third Place Match - Beat #8 Craig Bester (Nebraska), 7-5 (ot)
Marylands' Taylor Dominates in First Day of NCAA Championships

Sophomore wins both matches to advance to quarterfinals

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Sophomore Hudson Taylor won his first two matches and sits in the quarterfinals of the championship bracket after the first day of the 2008 NCAA Championships on March 20 at Scottrade Center. Five of Maryland’s six wrestlers are still alive in the tournament.

Taylor, seeded seventh at 197 pounds, faced Jared Villers of West Virginia and picked up his 18th fall of the season in the first round. After a slow start to the match in the early going, Taylor scored a takedown with 55 seconds left to take a 2-0 lead. Taylor was on top for the second period and rode Villers the entire way.

In the final period, Taylor started down and earned a reversal just 10 seconds in. The sophomore parlayed that into a pin with 1:21 to go in the match.

Taylor then overwhelmed 10th-seeded Joel Flaggert of Oklahoma in the second round by shutting him out, 7-0. Taylor scored an early takedown and got a three-point near fall to take a commanding 5-0 lead. Taylor escaped early in the second after starting down and then tacked on the bonus point for the win.

Taylor will try to avenge one of his two losses this season when he battles second-seeded Phil Davis of Penn State Friday morning in the quarterfinals.

Sophomore Steven Bell lost his first round match at 133 pounds but gave fifth-seeded Nicholas Fanthorpe of Iowa State a tough go of it. Fanthorpe was up just 2-1 after the first period and started down in the second. He scored an escape and a takedown and took a 5-1 lead into the final period. Bell started down in the third and escaped to cut the deficit to three, but Fanthorpe scored another takedown and earned the riding time point to pull away.

In his first wrestleback later in the evening, Bell dominated face Cory VomBaur of Wyoming, 12-3. Bell racked up nine points in the first period and never looked back.

Bell also won his second round wrestleback, upsetting 12th-seeded Andrae Hernandez of Indiana, 8-5. Bell jumped out of the gate with a quick takedown and a three-point near fall to post five points, but Hernandez scored a reversal to make it 5-2.

In the second period, Hernandez started down and got the escape but Bell earned a takedown later in the period to extend his lead to 7-3 which Hernandez could not get back from.

Bell will take on Missouri’s Tyler McCormick in the third round of the wrestlebacks beginning Friday.

Freshman Eric Medina fell 8-4 to Edinboro’s Daryl Cocozzo at 149 in the first round. The freshman kept up with Kriegbaum in the first period as he was down 6-4. Medina earned a takedown and two escapes in the period.

Kriegbaum started down in the second and escaped for the only point of the period and then he rode Medina the entire third period to take the win.

Medina then faced Chattanooga’s Joseph Knox in the second round of the wrestlebacks and earned a couple of pin points for the Terps as he took care of his opponent in just 2:34.

Waiting in the wings for Medina is eighth-seeded Jake Patacsil of Purdue.

The Terps picked up their first win of the day when freshman Brian Letters upset ninth-seeded Chase Pami of Cal Poly in the first round at 157 pounds, 5-4. Letters earned the first takedown of the match in the first period and Pami escaped for the only scoring in the first period. Pami tied it up in the second though as Letters earned a quick escape. Pami then scored a takedown to tie the match, 3-3.

In the third period, Pami started down and escaped but Letters accumulated enough riding time to get the bonus point and force overtime. Neither wrestler could score in the extra session and in the first tie breaker, Letters got an escape. Pami was unable to escape Letters’ hold in the next round and the freshman got the win.

In his second round match, Cornell’s Jordan Leen, the eighth seed, proved to be too much as he beat Letters 4-1. Leen scored a first period takedown and a third period escape and added the riding time bonus for the win.

Letters is scheduled to wrestle Bloomsburg’s Matt Moley in the second round of the wrestlebacks tomorrow morning.

Sophomore Mike Letts, seeded 10th at 174 pounds, overwhelmed Wisconsin’s Dan Clum in the first round of his bracket, 9-2. Letts racked up four takedowns and over 4:00 of riding time while allowing just two escapes to his opponent.

Letts had to face Navy’s Matt Stolpinski, the seventh seed, in the second round in a rematch from earlier in the season when Stolpinski pinned Letts. This time, the two battled to a tiebreaker with Stolpinski coming out on top, 5-4.

Letts scored the match’s first points with a takedown two minutes in but Stolpinski escaped to make it 2-1 after the first period. Letts started down in the second and escaped for the period’s only points to take a 3-1 lead into the final period.

Stolpinski started down and escaped Letts’ grasp early to cut the deficit to 3-2 and then he scored a takedown with just under a minute left to take a 4-3 lead. Letts escaped quickly and the two went into overtime tied 4-4.

Nobody scored in the overtime period and Letts started down in the first part of the tiebreaker but could not break free of Stolpinski. When it was Stolpinski’s turn to head to the mat, he earned an escape with 28 seconds left to seal the win.

Letts will have to battle eighth-seeded Gabriel Dretsch of Minnesota on Friday who was upset in the first round then won by decision in the first round of the wrestlebacks, 5-3.

Sophomore Jon Kohler lost his two matches of the day at 141 to Jacob Kriegbaum of Air Force, 11-2, and Liberty’s Tim Harner, 12-5.

Session III is slated to begin at 10:00 a.m. on Friday at Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

133 – Steven Bell
First Round – Lost to #5 Nicholas Fanthorpe (Iowa State), 8-2
Wrestleback First Round – Beat Cory VomBaur (Wyoming), 12-3
Wrestleback Second Round – Beat #12 Andrae Hernandez (Indiana), 8-5

141 – Jon Kohler
First Round – Lost to Jacob Kriegbaum (Air Force), 11-2
Wrestleback First Round – Lost to Tim Harner (Liberty), 12-5

149 – Eric Medina
First Round – Lost to Daryl Cocozzo (Edinboro), 8-4
Wrestleback Second Round – Beat Joseph Knox (Chattanooga) by fall, 2:34

157 – Brian Letters
First Round – Beat #9 Chase Pami (Cal Poly), 5-4 (tb1)
Second Round – Lost to #8 Jordan Leen (Cornell), 4-1

174 – #10 Mike Letts
First Round – Beat Dan Clum (Wisconsin), 9-2
Second Round – Lost to #7 Matt Stolpinski (Navy), 5-4 (tb1)

197 – #7 Hudson Taylor
First Round – Beat Jared Villers (West Virginia) by fall, 5:39
Second Round – Beat #10 Joel Flaggert (Oklahoma), 7-0
Santoro Signs Contract to Coach Maryland Through 2013

Maryland has won 33 duals over the last two seasons

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland wrestling head coach Pat Santoro has signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Terrapins through the 2013 season, announced by director of athletics Deborah A. Yow on Thursday. The Terps have seen a remarkable turnaround as they have gone 33-9 over the last two seasons and captured the 2008 ACC Championship, Maryland's first since 1973.

"I'm excited to be given the opportunity to continue what we started and build this program to what we envisioned," Santoro said. "We are very fortunate to have an athletic director who shares that vision of having national success with us. We have a young, fun group of guys on our team that I am excited to work with over the next few years."

"Pat has proven he can recruit the best student-athletes, achieve competitive excellence and also expect results in the classroom," Yow said. "That reflects our values here at Maryland, so he has been a terrific fit. We are proud he and his wife Julie choose to stay here, building a top ten program. By bringing the ACC Championship back to College Park and sending six Terp student-athletes to this year's NCAA Championships, Coach Santoro has certainly put Maryland Wrestling back on the national map… where we expect it. We look forward to the future of Terp Wrestling under Pat's leadership."

Santoro, in his fifth year as head coach, has ignited the Terrapin wrestling program since he took over in 2003. After rebuilding the program in his first three seasons, the Terps began the turnaround in 2005-06 when Maryland went 4-1 in the ACC, earning a share of the regular season dual championship.

In 2006-07, Maryland had a record-breaking year as it went 17-5 in duals and was a perfect 5-0 in the conference, the first time it had went undefeated in the ACC since 1974. The win total matched the school record set back in 1990, but the winning percentage of .773 was the best ever in College Park.

At the ACC Championship in 2007, Maryland finished in second place, its best showing since 1990. A pair of wrestlers won ACC titles and advanced to the NCAA Championship. Former Terp Jason Kiessling won the championship at 165 pounds while sophomore Mike Letts, a freshman at the time, won at 174. Letts was the first true freshman since 1990 to represent the red and black at nationals.

Hudson Taylor, a redshirt freshman a year ago, earned one of the conference's four at-large bids to the NCAA Championship. He advanced to the round of 16 and lost by one point, barely missing out on becoming the first All-American for Maryland since 1997.

The Terps have had equal success this season with a 16-4 record and, for the second-straight season, went 5-0 in the conference. Maryland's .800 winning percentage this season established a new record and its 33 wins the last two years is more than any other two-year span in Terps history.

Santoro and the rest of the Terps won the 2008 ACC Championship on March 8 at Comcast Center. Five wrestlers claimed individual championships and six will be heading to the NCAA Championship in St. Louis on March 20, the most since 1990. All six of the wrestlers Maryland will be sending to nationals are underclassmen, as four of them are sophomores in eligibility and two are true freshmen.

Santoro has also guided Maryland into the national rankings this year, getting as high as No. 21. It was the first time that the Terps had been ranked since 1993. Included in the 16 wins is one of the most impressive dual meet victories in school history when the Terps beat No. 5 Michigan, 18-16, on November 24. The Terps also won at No. 22 Navy, which marked the first time Maryland had won in Annapolis in 22 years and was the first time Maryland had beaten the Midshipmen since 1997.

Besides team success, individual wrestlers have flourished under Santoro's guidance as seven different Terps have been ranked in the top 20 of their weight class this season. Leading the way has been Taylor, a sophomore, who is currently No. 5 at 197 pounds with a record of 31-2. His 17 falls this season are the fifth most in the country and he has not lost a match since November 17, a total of 24-straight wins.

Letts, also a sophomore, is currently ranked No. 9 at 174 pounds with a 21-4 mark.

Junior Josh Haines has been ranked as high as No. 17 in the nation at 184 pounds. Sophomore Steven Bell has spent time in the top 20 at 133 pounds as well as highly-touted freshman Eric Medina at 149. Senior Charlie Pinto and junior Alex Krom were also ranked in the preseason.

Santoro and the Terps are now preparing for the 2008 NCAA Championship beginning on March 20 at the Scottrade Center.
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Maryland's Taylor Tabbed ACC Wrestler of the Week for Fifth Time

Sophomore wins award for wins over ranked opponents

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Sophomore Hudson Taylor was named the ACC Wrestler of the Week for the fifth time this season after defeating a pair of ranked opponents last week in two Maryland wins. Taylor is 28-2 on the season and has not lost since November 17.

Taylor won both of his matches by major decision. He earned his first win of the week with an 8-0 shutout of No. 12 Cayle Byers of George Mason and then the four points he won against UVA's Brent Jones, ranked No. 20, proved to be the decider in a 16-15 win for the Terps, ensuring Maryland's second-straight undefeated season in the ACC.

It was the first time Taylor had faced ranked opponents in consecutive matches all season. The Pennington, N.J., product has not lost in his last 22 outings and his 16 falls rank fifth in the nation.

Taylor and the rest of the No. 22 wrestling team will host the 2008 ACC Championship on Saturday, March 8. For all information regarding the tournament, please visit umterps.com.
No. 22 Maryland Wrestling Completes Second-straight Perfect ACC Season

Maryland wins season finale at Virginia, 16-15

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The No. 22 Maryland wrestling team completed its second undefeated ACC regular season in as many years when the Terrapins slipped by Virginia, 16-15, on February 24. Both teams won five bouts, but sophomore Hudson Taylor's major decision at 197 pounds was the deciding match in the win.

The dual featured seven matches that were decided by two points or less and two of them went into tiebreakers. The day started at 165 pounds where Michael Chaires edged sophomore Mike McGill, 4-3, but classmate Mike Letts got the three points back with a 3-1 decision of his own at 174 pounds.

Rocco Caponi came right back for Virginia with another decision, a 3-2 one over junior Josh Haines, to give the Cavaliers the lead back at 6-3, but Taylor picked up his 10-2 major decision to give the Terps their first lead of the day at 7-6.

The two teams traded decision victories back and forth all the way to the 141 pounders where sophomore Jon Kohler edged Nick Nelson, 5-4, to keep Maryland's one point lead at 13-12. Sophomore Brendan Byrne also picked up a decision win in two tiebreakers, 5-4, against Ross Gitomer.

Freshman Eric Medina gave Maryland a four point lead, the largest for either team on the day, with an 11-4 win against Shawn Harris at 149 pounds. Drew DiPasquale won the final match at 157 pounds, but freshman Brian Letters kept it close enough, 7-5, to allow just the three points to the Cavaliers for the Maryland win.
The Terps (15-4, 5-0 ACC) will now prepare for the 2008 ACC Championship on March 8 at Comcast Center. For all information regarding the tournament, please visit umterps.com.

MARYLAND 16, VIRGINIA 15
165 - Michael Chaires (VA) dec. Mike McGill, 4-3 (0-3)
174 - Mike Letts (MD) dec. Chris Henrich, 3-1 (3-3)
184 - Rocco Caponi (VA) dec. Josh Haines, 3-2 (3-6)
197 - No. 5 Hudson Taylor (MD) major dec. Brent Jones, 10-2 (7-6)
HWT - Jack Danilkowicz (VA) dec. Patrick Gilmore, 5-2 (9-7)
125 - Brendan Byrne (MD) dec. Ross Gitomer, 5-4 2TB (10-9)
133 - Eric Albright (VA) dec. Steven Bell, 2-1 4TB (10-12)
141 - Jon Kohler (MD) dec. Nick Nelson, 5-4 (13-12)
149 - Eric Medina (MD) dec. Shawn Harris, 11-4 (16-12)
157 - Drew DiPasquale (VA) dec. Brian Letters, 7-5 (16-15)
No. 22 Maryland Wrestling Handles George Mason, 36-4

Terps win nine matches on the evening

FAIRFAX, Va. - The No. 22 Maryland wrestling team dominated George Mason, 36-4, in non-conference action on February 21 at the Fieldhouse. The Terrapins won the first nine matches which included five major decisions and a fall.

Sophomores Brendan Byrne and Steven Bell started things off with a pair of major decisions at 125 and 133 pounds, respectively, to jump start Maryland's night. Byrne won by a score of 15-3 while Bell handled his opponent, 16-8.

Sophomore Jon Kohler recorded a 7-3 decision at 141 pounds to extend the lead even more before freshman Eric Medina pinned Brandon Bucher in the first period to make it 17-0. Classmate Brian Letters added three more points for the Terps with a decision at 157.

The Terps rattled off four-straight major victories between 165-197 pounds. Sophomore Mike McGill led the streak off with a 16-2 win at 165 and then Mike Letts followed suit with a 15-6 win at 174.

Junior Josh Haines tacked on four more points with a 11-2 win at 184 and sophomore Hudson Taylor handled Cayle Byers, ranked No. 12 at 197 pounds, with a 8-0 shutout to give Maryland its 36-0 lead. The Patriots would pick up a major decision at heavyweight in their only win of the night.

Maryland (15-4) will conclude its regular season when it travels to Charlottesville to take on Virginia on Sunday, February 24.

MARYLAND 36, GEORGE MASON 4
125 - Brendan Byrne (MD) major dec. Brian Wright, 15-3 (4-0)
133 - Steven Bell (MD) major dec. Joe Coughlin, 16-8 (8-0)
141 - Jon Kohler (MD) dec. Will Powars, 7-3 (11-0)
149 - Eric Medina (MD) pinned Brandon Bucher, 2:17 (17-0)
157 - Brian Letters (MD) dec. Aaron Keeton, 8-3 (20-0)
165 - Mike McGill (MD) major dec. Jimym Kaden, 16-2 (24-0)
174 - No. 9 Mike Letts (MD) major dec. Randy Oates, 15-6 (28-0)
184 - No. 19 Josh Haines (MD) major dec. Bill Widener, 11-2 (32-0)
197 - No. 5 Hudson Taylor (MD) major dec. No. 12 Cayle Byers, 8-0 (36-0)
HWT - Harry Zander (GMU) major dec. Patrick Gilmore, 19-9 (36-4)
Super Sunday for No. 21 Maryland Wrestling; Beats Columbia, 22-12

Terps get back in the win column Sunday in New York

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The No. 21 Maryland wrestling team bounced back from its setback on Saturday with a 22-12 win against Columbia on February 3 at University Gym. Six wrestlers were victorious for the Terrapins on the day with sophomores Hudson Taylor and Mike Letts leading the way.

Taylor earned his team-leading 15th pin of the season in the second period against Nick Sommerfeld. Going into the weekend, he was tied for the ACC lead and tied for sixth in the nation with his 14 falls. Letts, who wrestled at 184 pounds for the first time this season, won by decision against Kenji Porter, 5-2.

Sophomores Mookie Golden and Jon Kohler kicked things off for the Terps with a pair of wins to give Maryland a 7-0 lead. Golden opened the day with a 4-1 decision against Jerome Greco in his first dual competition of the season. Kohler tacked on four more points with a 12-2 major decision against Nick Standish.

The Lions cut the lead to one for the first time, the closest they would get, with a pair of decisions at 149 and 157 pounds. Sophomore Mike McGill pushed the lead back to four with a 4-3 decision at 165 pounds but Columbia took the three points back with a decision of its own at 174.

Letts and Taylor sealed the win with their combined nine points in their two wins, giving the Terps a 19-9 lead. Sophomore Brendan Byrne finished the day with a 4-1 decision at 125 pounds.

Maryland (13-4) will take 10 days off and then host its last dual meet of the season on Wednesday, February 13 when American visits Comcast Pavilion.

MARYLAND 22, COLUMBIA 12
133 - Mookie Golden (MD) dec. Jerome Greco, 4-1 (3-0)
141 - Jon Kohler (MD) major dec. Nick Standish, 12-2 (7-0)
149 - Anthony Constantino (CU) dec. Steve Fehnel, 5-3 (7-3)
157 - Matt Dunn (CU) dec. Brian Letters 3-1 (7-6)
165 - Mike McGill (MD) dec. Victor Mocco, 4-3 (10-6)
174 - Travis Creagan (CU) dec. Bradley Nielson, 10-4 (10-9)
184 - Mike Letts (MD) dec. Kenji Porter, 5-2 (13-9)
197 - Hudson Taylor (MD) pinned Nick Sommerfeld, 4:01 (19-9)
HWT - Jed Wade (CU) dec. Patrick Gilmore, 6-2 (19-12)
125 - Brendan Byrne (MD) dec. Brandon Kinney, 4-1 (22-12)
Penn Knocks Off No. 21 Maryland Wrestling, 19-16

Quakers take victory with win in final match

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - With the dual tied after nine matches, Penn's nationally ranked Rollie Peterkin won by decision at 125 pounds to give the Quakers a 19-16 win against the No. 21 Maryland wrestling team on February 2 at The Palestra.

The Terps opened the match with two wins to take an early 9-0 lead. Sophomore Steven Bell won by decision, 11-6, in the opening contest at 133 pounds before classmate Jon Kohler picked up his fourth pin of the season, this one in the first period, to give Maryland the nine point lead.

Cesar Grajales, ranked No. 14 at 149 pounds, started the Penn comeback with an 8-2 decision and then the next two matches were also won by the Quakers with decisions to tie up the dual, 9-9.

Sophomore Mike Letts returned the lead to the Terps with a 14-4 major decision at 174 pounds to make it 13-9, but then Lior Zamir picked up a 2-0 decision in the next match to pull the Quakers within one.

Sophomore Hudson Taylor earned a decision at 197 pounds to push the Maryland lead to 16-12, but Trey McLean won by major decision at heavyweight to tie the dual for the second time, 16-16.

Finally, in the 125 pound match, Peterkin, ranked No. 8 nationally, held off sophomore Brendan Byrne, 6-0, to give the Quakers the win.

Maryland (12-4) wraps up its weekend on Sunday when it travels to New York City to take on Columbia in another non-conference match up.

PENN 19, MARYLAND 16
133 lbs. - Steven Bell (MD) dec. <>Bryan Ortenzio, 11-6 (3-0)
141 lbs. - Jon Kohler (MD) pinned <>Andrew Valenti, 2:21 (9-0)
149 lbs. - No. 14 <>Cesar Grajales (Penn) dec. Eric Medina, 8-2 (9-3)
157 lbs. - <>Rob Hitschler (Penn) dec. Brian Letters, 3-2 (9-6)
165 lbs. - No. 17 <>Zack Shanaman (Penn) dec. Ryan Kennett, 8-2 (9-9)
174 lbs. - No. 9 Mike Letts (MD) major dec. <>Jeff Zannetti, 14-4 (13-9)
184 lbs. - <>Lior Zamir (Penn) dec. No. 17 Josh Haines, 2-0 (13-12)
197 lbs. - No. 7 Hudson Taylor (MD) dec. <>Thomas Shovlin, 3-0 (16-12)
HWT - <>Trey McLean (Penn) major dec. Patrick Gilmore, 17-7 (16-16)
125 lbs. - No. 8 <>Rollie Peterkin (Penn) dec. Brendan Byrne, 6-0 (16-19)
No. 21 Maryland Wrestling Gears Up for Pair of Non-Conference Contests on the Road

Terps travel to Penn and Columbia this weekend

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 21 Maryland wrestling team hits the road for a pair of duals this weekend. The Terrapins head to Philadelphia on February 2 to face Penn (5-4) before heading further north to New York City to take on Columbia (2-3) on Super Bowl Sunday. The Terps (12-3) are currently riding an eight-match winning streak.

Maryland took down NC State and Duke last Saturday by a combined 60-17 at Comcast Pavilion to improve to 4-0 in the ACC. Maryland has now won nine-straight ACC dual meets which is something that has not happened since 1974. The Terps are also 13-1 over the last three seasons within the conference.

The Terps stand alone at the top of the ACC with its unblemished record. Virginia and NC State are tied for second in the conference at 1-1.

Five Maryland wrestlers went 2-0 last weekend including sophomores Brendan Byrne, Steven Bell, Mike Letts, and Hudson Taylor, and freshman Brian Letters.

Byrne was impressive as he started off by pinning NC State's Taylor Cummings, the defending ACC champion at 125 pounds, in the first period. Byrne then went on to beat Kellan McKeon of Duke, 5-4, in his second match.

Bell and Letters won their four matches by decision. Bell improved his record to 20-7 at 133 pounds while Letters has now won five straight and is 14-9 on the season.

Taylor and Letts had identical days, forcing their opponents from NC State into injury defaults before beating their opponents from Duke with major decisions. Letts improved to 15-4 on the season at 174 pounds while Taylor is 23-2 at 197.

Penn, which is receiving votes in the latest national poll, features three wrestlers in the individual rankings. Byrne (13-10) is slated to face No. 8 Rollie Peterkin who is 17-2 on the year. Cesar Grajales (21-3) is ranked No. 14 at 149 pounds but freshman Eric Medina (16-9) will have upset on his mind. Finally, No. 17 Zack Shanaman (16-5) will square off against Maryland's Mike McGill (9-5).

Columbia enters the weekend at 2-3 having won its last two duals against Wyoming and American. It will also face Bucknell on Friday night. Two of the three Lions' losses came against teams the Terps have beaten already this season including Navy and Michigan.

Probable Matchups vs. Penn (Maryland listed first)
125 - Brendan Byrne vs. No. 8 Rollie Peterkin
133 - Steven Bell vs. Bryan Ortenzio
141 - Jon Kohler vs. Andrew Valenti or Rick Rappo
149 - Eric Medina vs. No. 14 Cesar Grajales
157 - Brian Letters vs. Rob Hitschler
165 - Mike McGill vs. No. 17 Zack Shanaman
174 - No. 9 Mike Letts vs. Jeff Zannetti or Scott Giffin
184 - No. 18 Josh Haines vs. Lior Zamir
197 - No. 7 Hudson Taylor vs. Thomas Shovlin
HWT - Patrick Gilmore vs. Trey McLean

Probable Matchups vs. Columbia
125 - Brendan Byrne vs. Brandon Kinney
133 - Steven Bell vs. Jerome Greco
141 - Jon Kohler vs. Nick Standish
149 - Eric Medina vs. Antony Constantino
157 - Brian Letters vs. Matt Dunn
165 - Mike McGill vs. Victor Mocco
174 - No. 9 Mike Letts vs. Trvais Creagan
184 - No. 18 Josh Haines vs. Kenji Porter
197 - No. 7 Hudson Taylor vs. Nick Sommerfield
HWT - Patrick Gilmore vs. TBD
No. 21 Maryland Wrestling Improves ACC Winning Streak to Nine with Two Wins Saturday

Terps beat NC State and Duke by a combined 60-17

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 21 Maryland wrestling team continued its winning ways in the Atlantic Coast Conference as the Terrapins defeated NC State and Duke on January 26 at Comcast Pavilion. Maryland beat the Wolfpack, the 2007 ACC Champions, 27-12, before dominating Duke, 33-5. Five Terps earned a pair of victories in the two duals.

Maryland has now won nine-straight ACC dual meets which is something that has not happened since 1974. The Terps are also 13-1 over the last three seasons within the conference.

Sophomore Brendan Byrne was the first of five Terps to win two matches on the day. He started off by pinning NC State's Taylor Cummings, the defending ACC champion at 125 pounds, in the first period. Byrne then went on to beat Kellan McKeon of Duke, 5-4, in his second match.

Sophomore Steven Bell picked up two more wins and improved his record to 20-7 at 133 pounds. It took two tiebreakers against Darius Little of NC State, but Bell came away with a 4-2 win. The wrestlers were locked up at 1-1 after three periods and neither could score a takedown in the one minute overtime. Bell started down in the first tiebreaker and escaped to take a 2-1 lead, but Little did the same in the second, recording his escape with 19 seconds left. Bell was able to score again before time ran out though, getting the winning takedown with just five seconds remaining. Bell then defeated Duke's Bryan Gibson, 6-4.

Freshman Brian Letters has been on a roll as of late having now won his last five matches at 157 pounds. He picked up a pair of decisions on the day as he beat Colton Palmer, 8-3, and Voris Tejada of Duke in a tight one, 2-1.

Sophomores Mike Letts and Hudson Taylor both went 2-0 on the day as well. The two handled their opponents form NC State and proved to be too much, forcing both wrestlers to stop their matches due to injuries. Against Duke, they both earned major decisions as Letts beat Ben Wales, 16-4, and Taylor got the best of Dan Tulley, 11-1.

Letts improved to 15-4 on the season at 174 pounds while Taylor is now 23-2 at 197.

Maryland (12-3, 4-0 ACC) heads to the road next weekend for a pair of duals, facing Penn in Philadelphia on Saturday, February 2 before taking on Columbia in New York City on Super Bowl Sunday.

MARYLAND 27, NC STATE 12
125 - Brendan Byrne (MD) pinned Taylor Cummings, 2:22 (6-0)
133 - Steven Bell (MD) dec. Darius Little, 4-2 2tb (9-0)
141 - No. 7 Joe Caramanica (NCST) dec. Jon Kohler, 12-8 (9-3)
149 - No. 10 Darrion Caldwell (NCST) dec. Eric Medina, 7-5 (9-6)
157 - Brian Letters (MD) dec. Colton Palmer, 8-3 (12-6)
165 - Ryan Kennett (MD) dec. Jalil Dozier, 7-2 (15-6)
174 - No. 9 Mike Letts (MD) injury default Randy Goodman (21-6)
184 - No. 20 Ryan Goodman (NCST) dec. No. 17 Josh Haines, 4-1 (21-9)
197 - No. 7 Hudson Taylor (MD) injury default Mark Jahad (27-9)
HWT - Bobby Isola (NCST) dec. Patrick Gilmore, 5-2 (27-12)

MARYLAND 33, DUKE 5
125 - Brendan Byrne (MD) dec. Kellan McKeon, 5-4 (3-0)
133 - Steven Bell (MD) dec. Bryan Gibson, 6-4 (6-0)
141 - Jon Kohler (MD) dec. A.J. Guardado, 5-4 (9-0)
149 - Eric Medina (MD) pinned Michael Degli Obizzi, 4:09 (15-0)
157 - Brian Letters (MD) dec. Voris Tejada, 2-1 (18-0)
165 - Mike McGill (MD) dec. Addison Nuding, 8-6 OT (21-0)
174 - No. 9 Mike Letts (MD) major dec. Ben Wales, 16-4 (25-0)
184 - John Barone (Duke) tech. fall Bradley Nielson, 18-2/6:05 (25-5)
197 - No. 7 Hudson Taylor (MD) major dec. Dan Tulley, 11-1 (29-5)
HWT - Patrick Gilmore (MD) major dec. Mike Tunick, 11-3 (33-5)
Maryland's Taylor & North Carolina's Ramirez Earn Conference Honors

Terps, Tar Heels record conference wins behind pins from top wrestlers.

GREENSBORO, N.C. ˆ Maryland's Hudson Taylor, now a four-time league honoree in 2007-08, and North Carolina‚s Vincent Ramirez have been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Co-Wrestlers of the Week. In dual matches against ACC opponents last week, Taylor and Ramirez recorded impressive pin victories, each stopping their opponents in the contests‚ opening minutes to propel their respective teams to valuable league wins.

Taylor, a redshirt-sophomore from Pennington, N.J., faced Kevin O‚Connor of Virginia Tech in College Park, Md., Saturday afternoon. As he had done 13 times previously during the season, Taylor claimed the win by fall 2:32 into the match, as the Terps went on to prevail 33-8 over the Hokies. Now 21-2 this year, Taylor has won four matches in a row and five of the last six by fall. Currently ranked as the No. 7 197-pound wrestler in the nation, he has not lost a match since dropping a 4-3 decision in the final of the Body Bar Systems Invitational on Nov. 17. 

Ramirez, who competes in the 149-pound weight class for the Tar Heels, was just as impressive in a dual meet against Duke on Jan. 17. Taking on the Blue Devils‚ Mike Bell, the junior from Durham, N.C., brought the bout to an end with a pin at the 0:57 mark, earning six points as the Heels went on to post a 33-6 team win. Ramirez is now 11-7 for the season, with a 5-3 overall record in dual meets and a 2-0 mark in league competition.

Both teams will continue to ease into conference competition this weekend, as Taylor and the Terps host NC State and Duke on Saturday afternoon, and Ramirez and the Heels hit the road to face Virginia on Friday night and Virginia Tech on Saturday.
No. 21 Maryland Wrestling Takes Care of Virginia Tech, 33-8

Taylor and Letters both record falls in the win

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The No. 21 Maryland wrestling team recorded its sixth-straight win with a 33-8 victory against Virginia Tech on January 19 at Comcast Pavilion. The Terrapins won eight of the 10 matches in the dual with sophomore Hudson Taylor and freshman Brian Letters both recording pins in their respective contests.

The dual started at 133 pounds where sophomore Steven Bell picked up a 13-5 major decision. He recorded five takedowns in the match and a reversal in the beginning of the second period to get the win. Chris Diaz then won by decision at 141 pounds to cut the Maryland lead to 4-3, but the Hokies would never get closer than that.

Freshman Eric Medina got back into the win column with a 9-7 decision against Matt Rosen at 149 pounds. Medina took a 6-3 lead into the final period and chose to start down. After Rosen rode him for 20 seconds, Medina made a move and scored a key reversal to push his lead to 8-3. It proved to be enough as Rosen tallied an escape, a takedown, and a penalty point from Medina to make it close. Medina's riding time bonus gave him the 9-7 win.

Freshman Brian Letters won his third match in a row with his second pin of the season. After a scoreless first period, Letters started down against Andre Johnson. He scored the quick escape and then got a takedown with 47 seconds remaining. Letters parlayed that into the pin with 30 seconds left. It was his first fall since November 17.

Sophomore Mike Letts handled No. 20 Eric Decker at 174 pounds, 9-1. A first period takedown for Letts was enough to take a 2-1 lead into the third period. Letts started down and scored an immediate escape and then dominated from there by getting a takedown with less than a minute remaining and turning that into a three-point near fall.

With a 3-2 win at 184 pounds, junior Josh Haines has now won eight of his last nine matches. After a scoreless first period against Tommy Spellman, Haines was on top for the second and rode him out to accumulate two minutes of riding time. Haines started down in the final period and got the escape to take a 1-0 lead. Spellman recorded a takedown with a minute to go, but Haines escaped his grasp with 48 seconds left and with the riding time, tacked on the bonus point for the win.

Taylor earned his 14th pin of the season and fourth in a row as he took care of Kevin O'Connor in 2:32 at 197 pounds. Entering this week, Taylor was tied for sixth in the nation, including every weight class at every division, with his 13 falls. He was also tied for third in all of Division I with that number.

Redshirt freshman Patrick Gilmore played his match at heavyweight exactly how Haines did at 184 pounds. A scoreless first period led to Gilmore riding out David Marone in the second. A quick escape in the third led to a Marone takedown which he also escaped to make it 2-2. The riding time bonus gave Gilmore the 3-2 victory.

Sophomore Brendan Byrne finished the day with a major decision at 125 pounds. The score was close after one period with Byrne owning a 2-1 advantage, but then he dominated the rest of the way. An escape and a takedown in both of the next two periods plus the riding time bonus gave him the 9-1 win.

Maryland (10-3, 2-0 ACC) returns to action next Saturday, January 26 when it hosts NC State and Duke in a pair of ACC duals at Comcast Pavilion. The Terps and Wolfpack will square off at 2:00 p.m. with the dual against the Blue Devils slated right after at 4:00 p.m.

MARYLAND 33, VIRGINIA TECH 8

133 - Steven Bell (MD) major dec. Nick Murray, 13-5 (4-0)

141 - Chris Diaz (VT) dec. Jon Kohler, 8-4 (4-3)

149 - Eric Medina (MD) dec. Matt Rosen, 9-7 (7-3)

157 - Brian Letters (MD) pinned Andrew Johnson, 4:30 (13-3)

165 - Matt Epperly (VT) tech. fall Clint Stout, 16-0/5:40 (13-8)

174 - No. 9 Mike Letts (MD) major dec. No. 20 Eric Decker, 9-1 (17-8)

184 - No. 18 Josh Haines (MD) dec. Tommy Spellman, 3-2 (20-8)

197 - No. 7 Hudson Taylor (MD) pinned Kevin O'Connor, 2:32 (26-8)

HWT - Patrick Gilmore (MD) dec. David Marone, 3-2 (29-8)

125 - Brendan Byrne (MD) major dec. Justin Staylor, 9-1 (33-8)
No. 21 Maryland Wrestling Returns Home to Face Virginia Tech on Saturday

Terps and Hokies meet at 2:00 p.m. at Comcast Pavilion

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The No. 21 Maryland wrestling team welcomes ACC counterpart Virginia Tech to Comcast Pavilion on Saturday, January 19 at 2:00 p.m. It is the first home match for the Terrapins in 2008 as their last home meet came on December 8. The Terps are looking for their sixth-straight dual win dating back to December 2.

Maryland is coming off two close victories against No. 22 Navy and North Carolina last week with the triumphs coming by a combined five points. The Terps beat Navy for the first time since 1997 in a 21-18 contest and then traveled to North Carolina where they won 19-17. Sophomore Hudson Taylor (20-2) had crucial pins in both matches to secure the wins and was named the ACC Wrestler of the Week for the third time.

Taylor’s 13 falls this season are tied for sixth in the nation, including every weight class at every division. In Division I, he is tied for the third most pins, just three behind the national leader.

Virginia Tech has gone 2-2 in duals in the New Year with all of its competition coming at the Virginia Duals last weekend. The Hokies beat Oregon State and North Dakota State before losing to No. 22 Old Dominion and Kent State. The Hokies have faced two nationally ranked opponents this season. Virginia Tech lost at Penn, ranked No. 23 at the time, on November 25 by a score of 26-5. It also lost to the Monarchs last weekend, 30-3.

Sophomore Mike Letts (12-4) will face his seventh ranked opponent this year at 174 pounds with No. 20 Eric Decker (16-6). Decker was an All-ACC performer last year at 165 pounds, losing to former Terp Jason Kiessling in the final of the ACC Championship. Letts is 2-4 in his previous six matches against nationally ranked foes. This will be his fourth match against a wrestler ranked in the weight class in his last five outings.

Other matches to keep an eye on include the 149 pounders with freshman Eric Medina (14-8), who has been ranked this season, squaring off against Matt Rosen (14-9). At 184 pounds, junior Josh Haines (12-5), ranked No. 18 in the weight class, will have a tou