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The summer is here and before you know it we will be back in the full swing
of the season. For now, it is nice to have a little bit of "down time". We are
getting ready for camps and the guys have begun their summer training. Things
are going great and the future looks better every day. Here is an update on the
last few weeks and some upcoming things to be aware of.
Enjoy and thanks for the continued support.
Kerry
Asper places 3rd in Fila Jr World Team Trials Challenge Tournament
Josh Asper finished 4-1 and placed 3rd in the Fila Jr (under 20 age group) World
Team trials at 74 kg/163 lbs. The event was held in Colorado Springs May 23rd.
By placing here, Josh proved to be a one of the top wrestlers in the nation in
his weight class. Corey Peltier also competed in the event at 84 kg/185lbs. The
week before the tournament, USA Wrestling provided a training camp for athletes
competing in the event and other select wrestlers. Josh and Corey were joined by
Mike Letts and Ryan Gray at the camp. It was a great experience as they were
able to train with the US Olympic Training Center resident athletes and US
National Coaching staff.
Academic excellence
Hudson Taylor was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference and National Wrestling
Coaches Association all-academic teams for the 2nd year in a row. Taylor is one
of five repeat members on the ACCs all-academic team after earning the leagues
Scholar Athlete of the Year Award in wrestling a year ago. Other Terps on the
ACC team are Mike Hromada (Letters & Sciences), Patrick Klenkel (Government),
James Knox (Kinesiology) and Dex Lederer (Letters & Sciences). Members of the
ACC all-academic team must have maintained a cumulative GPA better than 3.0 for
their careers and achieved a 3.0 or better the last two semesters. Members of
the NWCA all-academic team must own a 3.2 GPA or better and been an NCAA
qualifier. NCAA all-Americans can also earn a spot on the team with a 3.0 GPA or
better.
Taylor maintains a cumulative GPA of 3.298 in Interactive Performance Art.
Twitter
In my last message I mentioned Twitter. I am not sure how many of you know what
it is, but for those that do not, "Twitter is a service for friends, family, and
coworkers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick,
frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?"
Visit twitter.com to find out more and twitter.com/UMDWrestling to follow our
program.
Golf outing
Save the Date...The 4th Annual Wrestling Golf Outing has been set for Aug 28 at
the newly renovated Univ MD Golf Course shotgun start 1:30pm. More details to
come soon, but if you have questions, contact Coach Beckerman for more info
tfb@umd.edu.
Incoming class for fall 2009
Below is the list of our incoming freshman class. As you will see there is a ton
of talent in this group. I am very excited to begin working with these guys.
Many of them will be here during the summer so they can get a jump start on the
season.
Jimmy Sheptock 157 Northampton High School-Northampton, PA
2007 NHSCA Sophomore and 2008 Junior National Champion 3x State Placer 7th,
3rd, 3rd 2x District XI Champion, 2x Beast of the East Placer Career record of
148-28
Dallas Brown 184 Delone Catholic High School-McSherrystown, PA
2009 state runner up, 2008 placed 4th... 2x regional champion 3x district
champion He was a varsity starter all four years. He was also a FILA Cadet
Greco All-American runner-up
Danny Orem 133 Mt. St. Joseph-Baltimore, MD
2009 State Champion, 3x placer 2 time National Prep All-American Lettered 3
years at Mount Saint Joseph Team Captain both Junior and Senior year... 100-46
career record
Steven Gamble 165/174 Sherwood High School-Sandy Spring, MD
2009 State Champion... 4x State Finalist 4x West Region Champion 4x Montgomery
County Champion, first in the 46 year history of the tournament Montgomery
County Wrestler of the Year 20091st team All-Met Washington Post Wrestling
2008-2009 season 1st team All-Met Washington Post and 1st team Consensus
All-State Linebacker for the 2008 State Championship Football team
Justin Cash 149 Brentwood Academy- Brentwood, TN
2x State champion, 3x finalist and 4x placer compiling a record of 172-13
losses. Of those losses, 11 were to eventual state champions. He set the overall
school record for wins in a season his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons.
Christian Boley 197 Brockport High School-Brockport, NY
2008 NHSCA Junior National Champion 2x NY State placer, 2nd, 3rd
Bryan Osorio 133 Vista Ridge High School, Cedar Park TX
2009 undefeated state champion (48-0) Sophomore year placed 2nd in the State
High School career record of 127-15 Placed three years at the Oklahoma Open
7th, 2nd, 2nd Regional Champion and 2x runner up 3x District Champion, MOW
senior year Team Captain junior and senior year
Ty (Matthew) Snook 174/184 St. Marks High School, Newark, DE
2009 State Champion 2x finalist Four time placer in the state championships
Domenic Derobertis Great Valley High School, Malvern, PA
2009 Sectional and District Champion... A four year varsity letter winner in
wrestling and a captain for two years Played Varsity Football his senior year
Kyle Liberato 125 Great Valley High School, Malvern, PA
Placed 7th in the 2008 state championship
Danny O'Malley Sachem East High School, Holbrook, NY
2009 County Champion State qualifier
Eric Beverly Walt Whitman High School, Bethesda, MD
Placed 4th in the 2009 state championships Region and County Champion Team
Captain
Andrik Cruz 165/174 Kiski School Saltsburg, PA/ Methuen HS Methuen, MA
Prep National All-American placed 4th in 2009, MA Div. 1 state champion as a SR,
3rd as a JR, 121-24 HS record
Corey Peltier and Josh Asper will compete in the FILA Junior World Team
Trials this weekend at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Co.
The FILA Junior Team Trials consists of wrestlers 17-20 years old and some of
the best college underclassmen and HS wrestlers in the country will be
competing. The freestyle tournament begins at 9 a.m. Saturday with
preliminaries, quarterfinals, semifinals and finals running through 2 p.m. The
championship series begins at 5:30 Saturday evening.
Champions from the event will represent the United States in Ankara, Turkey,
Aug. 4-9.
To follow the tournament visit themat.com and trackwrestling.com
Be sure to check out umterps.com throughout the off-season to keep up-to-date
with all news pertaining to the University of Maryland wrestling program.
You can also follow Maryland wrestling via Twitter, as well, at:
www.twitter.com/UMDWrestling.
The Presidents Cup Award ceremony began in 1997 in response to the Athletics
Department's desire to recognize outstanding academic achievement and community
service by Maryland student-athletes. This years event, co-sponsored by the M
Club and the Terrapin Club, was a good day for the wrestling program.
Hudson Taylor won four awards and James Knox also took home some hardware,
giving the Terrapins' wrestling program five award winners at he Brunch which
took place at the Riggs Alumni Center.
Taylor earned the Talbot T. Speer Award for "Leadership, Scholarship and
All-Around athletic Ability", Silvester Watch Award given to the athlete "who
typifies the best in college athletics", an ICA Community Service Award given to
student-athletes "who have excelled in the area of public service to the
community" , as well as an ACC Community Service Award awarded to "the top six
student-athletes for outstanding community service".
With four awards, Taylor left the brunch as the most-decorated Maryland athlete.
Knox won the team's Academic Achievement Award, given to the junior or senior
from each of Maryland's 27 varsity sports who achieved the highest GPA (minimum
of 3.0). James has a cumulative GPA of 3.48 in Kinesiological Sciences.
Alumni appeal
Charlie Pinto (ACC Champion, UMD Class of 2008) is participating in The
Philadelphia Insurance Triathlon as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society's (LLS) Team In Training. Charlie is competing in this event in honor of
his godmother.
For more information or to support Charlie and donate money click below:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/nca/philtri09/cpinto
US Nationals
Five Terps competed in US National Freestyle Championships in Las Vegas. Josh
Asper finished third, Corey Peltier finished fourth and Owen Smith finished
eighth in the Fila Junior (20 and Under) division while Mike Letts went 3-2 in
the qualifying tournament of the Senior (Olympic) Division national tournament.
Joey Boone also competed, winning two matches. Asper has qualified to compete in
the FILA Jr. World Teams Trials Mat 23-25 held at the Olympic Training center in
Colorado Springs, CO. Corey and Owen will likely be extended and invitation to
compete in the event as well.
Spring Banquet
Two time all-American Hudson Taylor won the John McHugh Most Outstanding
Wrestler Award for the second straight season at Saturday evening's team banquet
as the University of Maryland wrestling team celebrated the 2008-09 season in
which the Terps repeated as Atlantic Coast Conference champions, finished 10th
at the NCAA Championships and had three wrestlers earn all-American status.
There were close to 150 people at the banquet. It was a great night and everyone
seemed to enjoy themselves.
Juniors Alex Krom (141 pounds) and Steven Bell (133 pounds) were honored
alongside Taylor with the all-American awards. Taylor, Krom, Bell and Brendan
Byrne were recognized for their leadership and were presented Team Captain
awards.
Krom, Bell and Byrne all won individual ACC titles this season. Krom finished
fifth nationally with a record of 25-6 and at one point went three months
without a loss, posting a perfect ACC record. Bell finished sixth nationally and
also went unbeaten in conference competition, finishing 29-7 and 15-1 in dual
meets. Byrne was the ACC champion at 125 pounds, finishing 22-10 overall. Byrne
avenged his only ACC regular-season loss to Virginia Tech's Jarrod Garnett by
defeating him in the conference title bout.
Corey Peltier (174 pounds) and Josh Asper (165 pounds) were named Co-Freshmen of
the Year. Peltier finished 14-12, but missed nearly two months due to an ankle
injury. Peltier returned late in the season and played a crucial role in
Maryland's conference championship, finishing third at 174 pounds. Asper
red-shirted this season and dominated open tournaments, finishing 34-7 with five
open titles and 17 consecutive wins to close the season.
Redshirt freshman Kyle John was named the most-improved wrestler on the team.
John won the starting role at 157 pounds this season and posted several big
victories in dual meets. Some of John's memorable victories included a 14-7
decision against 14th-ranked Shane Vernon of Oklahoma, a 5-3 decision against
Navy's Joel Ahern, a 6-2 decision against Virginia Tech's Jesse Dong and a 3-1
decision against American's Patrick Graham.
Mike Letts won the Redshirt of the Year Award, finishing 26-3 at 174 pounds with
four open titles. An ACC champion in 2007 and 2008, Letts figures to be a strong
All-American candidate next season.
Byrne won the Curt Callahan Mental Toughness Award, given annually to the
Maryland wrestler that was always prepared to do battle in the practice room,
tournaments and dual meets.
Heavyweight Patrick Gilmore received the Tom Norris Unsung Hero Award, given to
the wrestler that always puts the team first over himself. Gilmore went 24-18 in
the regular season, including several match-clinching victories.
Redshirt-senior Steve Fehnel was awarded the Kevin Kearns Senior Leadership
Award, given to the senior wrestler who has contributed the most to wrestling at
the University.
Click below for full release:
http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/042209aaa.html
University Nationals
This weekend the wrestlers will travel to Akron, OH to compete in the University
National Championships. This event will feature some of the nations top
college-age wrestlers from both college wrestling programs and the U.S. military
team. University-age athletes are 18-24 years old (Born 1985-91) and the athlete
must have graduated from high school. Finalists in the Olympic weights qualify
to participate in the U.S. Senior World Team Trials in Council Bluffs, Iowa, May
30-31. Other place winners will have the opportunity to go on an international
tour.
Click below for more info:
http://www.themat.com/events/default.php?page=showarticle&ArticleID=20154&EventID=19982
Time Warner Cable will televise this Sundays college wrestling tournament from
the University of Akron on the Northeast Ohio Network (NEON), channel 23, as
well as Local On Demand (LOD), channel 501 or 1.
click below for more information;
http://www.thesuburbanite.com/entertainment/x718265454/Time-Warner-Cable-to-televise-college-wrestling-tournament
Last weekend a few of our wrestlers traveled to Brockport, NY to compete in
the Northeast Regional Freestyle Championships. This event is one of the
qualifying events for the US Senior World Team Trials. The guys competed well
and returned home with a lot of experience. Freshman Chris Stinnett competing
at 74kg (163 lbs.) won four matches on his way to 2nd place. Freshman Josh
Asper (74 kg) won six matches to take 3rd. Mike Letts lost his first match but
stormed back to win seven straight to finish 3rd at 84kg (185lbs). Kyle Manley
also placed winning three matches to finish 4th and 96kg (211.5 lbs.) Owen
Duffy, Matt Bogusz, Shawn Mazzarone, Jon Kohler, Patrick Klenkel, James Knox,
Brad Nielson, Tommy Sitar, and Coach James Yonushonis also competed this
weekend. Former Terp football player Akil Paterson finished 2nd in the
Greco-Roman tournament as well.
Also this weekend, Casey Marwine and Kyle John made a short trip to Hagerstown,
MD to compete in a event run by the MSWA (Maryland State Wrestling Association)
at
North Hagerstown High School.
These events are designed to give local wrestlers more exposure to the different
styles of wrestling and prepare the younger wrestlers for regional and national
competition. Both Casey and Kyle won all of their matches.
US Nationals
This weekend five Maryland wrestlers and one coach will compete in the US
National Freestyle Championships. Josh Asper (74kg), Corey
Peltier(79Kg/174lbs), Owen Smith (79kg), and Joey Boone (60kg/132lbs.) will be
competing in the FILA Junior (20 and under age group) competition and Mike
Letts (84kg) and James Yonushonis (84kg) will compete in the Senior (Olympic)
division. The competition begins on Friday for Josh, Corey, Owen, Joey and
Mike. James, the 8th seed at his weight, will begin on Saturday.
For more information and to follow the results, visit themat.com
Spring Banquet
The spring banquet will be held on April 18th at 6.30pm in Heritage Hall on the
2nd floor of the Comcast Center here in College Park. Tickets are $35 a person
which includes dinner. If you are interested in attending please let me know
asap as the RSVP deadline is April 11. This is going to be a great night. We
will present awards for this years accomplishments and seniors will give
speeches.
GREENSBORO, N.C. - University of Maryland head wrestling coach Kerry McCoy
was voted the Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year and Terrapin wrestlers
Brendan Byrne, Steven Bell, Alex Krom and Hudson Taylor were selected to the
all-conference team.
McCoy is the second consecutive Maryland coach to win coach of the year honors
and fourth, overall. Former head coach Pat Santoro won the award last year and
John McHugh won it in 1990 and 1993. It is McCoy's first-ever coach of the year
award as a Division I head coach.
Click below for full releases
UMD Release
http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/032809aaa.html
ACC Release
http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/032709aaa.html
Spring awards banquet
This years banquet is shaping up to be a great night. The RSVPs are coming in
daily so I expect a great turnout.
Here is the tentative schedule for the banquet. Let me know if you have any
questions.
6.30-7p Social/mingling
7p Welcome and introductions and dinner served
7.45p Awards presentations, seniors speeches
Closing remarks
The University of Maryland wrestling team capped the 2008-09 season with a
bang Saturday, finishing in 10th place at NCAA Championships.
Maryland finished with 47.5 points, finishing ahead of the likes of traditional
powerhouses Michigan, Northwestern, Minnesota, Oklahoma State and Penn State,
among others. This is the second highest finish in program history.
Although Hudson Taylor (197 pounds), Alex Krom (141 pounds) and Steven Bell (133
pounds) all clinched all-American status Friday, the trio wrestled for final
placement Saturday. Taylor matched last season's third-place finish, Krom went
on to finish fifth and Bell finished sixth.
It is the third time in program history that Maryland has produced three
all-Americans in one season and the first time since 1987.
Hudson also won the award for the most pins in the least amount of time. Hudson
recorded three falls in a total of five minutes and thirty eight seconds. This is
the second time this season he won this award. He also won it at the Midlands.
Hudson also won his 100th career match Friday night and now has 104 career wins.
Click below for complete results
http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/032109aac.html
This was a great weekend for our program, I am very proud of the way we
finished. This year has been full of ups and downs, but it all came together in
the end. This would not be possible without the tremendous support of our
administration, and all of your support.
ACC Championships
Juniors Brendan Byrne, No. 11 Steven Bell and No. 10 Alex Krom all won
individual Atlantic Coast Conference titles to lead us to the 2009 ACC
Championship title. The championship was the 22nd overall for the University of
Maryland, the most of any ACC institution.
Byrne set the tone for the Terps in the first match of the final session by
upsetting No. 12 Jarrod Garnett of Virginia Tech. It was Byrne's first ACC title
and the program's first-ever 125-pound ACC champion. Steve Bell won his second
conference title with an 11-7 decision over North Carolina's Mike Rappo. Krom
controlled the 141-pound championship match against No. 18 Chris Diaz of
Virginia Tech with an 8-5 decision. Byrne, Bell and Krom have been setting the
tone all year and they set the tone again with their victories. It was another
great weekend for those guys.
Hudson Taylor finished 2nd. He got caught in a headlock seconds into the first
period. Its one of the things that makes our sport great, on any given day
anyone can be beaten. This match will make Hudson better and keep him focused
for the NCAAs.
The team championship was really made possible because of a total team effort.
Strong finishes from Brian Letters (3rd 165 pounds) and Corey Peltier (3rd 174
pounds), redshirt freshman Kyle John (4th 157 pounds) and sophomore heavyweight
Patrick Gilmore finishing 4th were vital. Steve Fehnel (149) and Brad Nielson
(184) were also very important. They both had matches against Va Tech and saved
team points, which made the difference in the end.
Byrne, Bell, Krom and Taylor all received automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament.
Letters and Gilmore are alternates. If there are injuries in their weight
classes they will get to go. The deadline for replacement is Monday, so we will
know then if either of them gets in.
Here are a few links for the ACC's results
http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-wrestl/md-m-wrestl-body.html
http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-wrestl/acc-m-wrestl-body.html
NCAA t-shirts
I have attached a flyer of the shirts that were made for our fans to wear in St.
Louis. If you are interested in a shirt, let me know or contact Todd
Beckerman-tfb@umd.edu. Quantities are limited so the first to order will be
the first to receive them for St. Louis. If the demand is high enough we will
have more printed after we return. We leave for St. Louis Tuesday so if you
going to be there you can pick up your shirt there.
NCAA Social
We will have a social in St. Louis Saturday March 22. The social will be held at
the Hilton at the Ballpark from 2-4pm in Salon C.
Recruit update
Fall Letter of Intent signers, Dallas Brown and Jimmy Sheptock finished their HS
seasons very strong. Dallas finished 2nd in the 189 lb. AA division and Jimmy
finished 3rd in the 160lbs AAA division.
Banquet
Our spring banquet is April 18 at 6.30 pm. The banquet will be held in Heritage
Hall on the 2nd floor of the Comcast center. Invitations were mailed out this
week. If you are not on our mailing list and would like to receive banquet info
let me know.
Many people as me are we ready
to "defend our title" or "Win it again". My answer is simple...The 2008 ACC
Championship will forever live on the campus of the University of Maryland and
no one can take that away. The 2009 title will be won on March 7th. We are not
defending anything, 2008 is in the past. We cannot win the 2008 title again.
Our goal is to go out and wrestle better than we ever have and if that happens
we will be proud of our results.
I am excited for the tournament. Pre seeds will be available either late
Thursday or Friday. It's going to be a great weekend.
Visit the ACC Championship Page link below to follow the action:
http://www.theacc.com/championships/09-wrestling-championship.html
After the tournament we will have a post championship social in our hotel,
Holiday Inn University-Blacksburg 900 Prices Fork Rd. Blacksburg, VA 24060 ph.
540-552-7001. We have not been assigned a room yet, but once I get the room I
will let you know.
NCAA tickets and gear We have tickets available. The seats that we have are the
mid level seats, $120 for the full session set. If you are interested let me
know or contact our ticket office at 301-314-7070 or 800-IM-A-TERP or Email:
terptix@umd.edu
We plan to have t-shirts available for our fans to wear at the NCAA's We expect
them to cost between 8-10 dollars. Please let me know if you are interested in
getting some gear to wear in St. Louis.
American recap, GMU and UVA this weekend, senior day-Parking advisory
Wrestling Wins Battle of the Beltway at American, 26-11
This was a great win for us. American is a great team and has been on a
roll. They were undefeated at home, so the win was even more
rewarding. The guys wrestle well and really put in the extra effort.
It’s very important to have that type of performance coming into the
home stretch of the season.
For full results click below:
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/021409aaa.html
Up next-George Mason, University of Virginia
Coming off last weekend’s big road win we return home this weekend to
finish the regular season with duals against George Mason and Atlantic
Coast Conference rival Virginia. The George Mason match is scheduled
for 1 p.m. Saturday, with Virginia coming to town at 1 p.m. Sunday.
I am amazed the last weekend of duals is here, the season has flown by.
Our guys are looking good, working hard and ready to go. This weekend
will be a great test for us. There are some great individual matchups.
The George Mason Patriots are currently 5-8-1 and 2-2-1 in the Colonial
Athletic Association. However, the Patriots will wrestle in two more
duals this week before coming to College Park. The 197-pound matchup
has huge NCAA implications, as No. 10 Hudson Taylor will face No. 9
Cayle Byers.
Sunday will also be our senior day, when we will also have a chance to
honor our lone senior, Steve Fehnel. Steve is a 5th year senior from
Reading, PA.
Virginia is 11-10 on the season and also 2-2 in the ACC. Taylor will
face another tough grappler Sunday in No. 19 Brent Jones. Another
marquee matchup will be at 141 pounds, where Alex Krom will face last
year’s ACC runner up No. 16 Nick Nelson.
After the matches our socials will be help in the gym immediately following the matches.
**PARKING ADVISORY**
Due to Saturday’s men’s basketball game against North Carolina and
Sunday’s women’s basketball game against Duke, special parking
restrictions are in effect for wrestling fans. For Saturday’s match,
fans can park in Lot XX1 or Lot 1 and use the free Quickbus shuttle
service to Comcast Center. Fans can also park in the Regents Drive
Garage for $5 and walk to the arena.
Fan parking for Sunday’s match against Virginia is as normal with the
exception of Lot 4b, which is restricted to permit holders for the
basketball game.
Detailed campus parking information can be found on Maryland’s
Department of Transportation Web site: www.transportation.umd.edu.
VA Tech, Edinboro Open, American match moved to Saturday night Feb. 14
VA Tech
This was a tough one to lose. We had a lot of toss-up situations that
went the other way. The good news is we still have time to work on our
areas of concern. Although we can't win the regular-season championship,
I feel we are in a great position to win the conference tournament.
Steve Bell, Alex Krom and Husdon Taylor all posted wins by major
decisions and Kyle John added another big win to his season total.
Click below for full release
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/020809aac.html
Edinboro Open
Josh Asper and Jon Kohler both finished in first place while Will
Sharbaugh placed 2nd.
Asper, a freshman at 165 pounds, continued his recent dominance, winning
all five matches to push his overall winning streak to 17. Asper has not
lost a match since Dec. 29, 2008 at the Midlands Championships and has
now placed first in four consecutive open tournaments.
Kohler, a junior at 141 pounds, won his second straight open title to
push his own winning streak to nine. Kohler won four matches en route to
the title.
Redshirt freshman Will Sharbaugh finished in second place at 125 pounds.
Sharbaugh won three matches on his way to the finals.
Click below for complete results
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/020809aaa.html
American University up next
We will make the short trip to Washington, D.C., Saturday evening for a
7 p.m. Valentines night matchup with regional rival American University.
The match was originally scheduled for Friday, but was changed to
Saturday because of a conflict with another event.
We will be looking to get back to .500 going into the regular season’s
final weekend next week. The Eagles are 11-4 overall and a perfect 4-0
at home.
This match is another good one for the local fans. It should be a great
match.
Navy recap, Next Up, Yonushonis competing, Save the date-spring banquet
Navy
In one of the most exciting matches this season so far, we
defeated Navy last Friday by a score of 20-14. I have been told that it was the first time in program history
the
Maryland beat Navy two years in a row.
The victory was finalized by Pat Gilmore’s
thrilling double
overtime victory at heavyweight, but the win was possible because of a
total
team effort. Alex Krom (141) and Hudson
Taylor (197) secured bonus point wins which helped keep us in range. Brendan Byrne (125), Kyle John (157) and
Brian Letters (165) won by decisions in pivotal matches. Kyle John’s win was likely the biggest of the
night. He lost to Navy's back-up at the
Penn State Open tournament in December, so to come back in such a short
time
and beat their starter shows how much he has improved.
Stepping on the mat with the dual meet on the line
did not bother
Gilmore at all. It was a great match for
the fans to watch and be a part of. As Pat
entered overtime I think every person in the gym was on their feet. "I knew my condition was better than
his," said Gilmore after the match. "I knew I could out-last him.
There was never a doubt in my mind that I was going to win."
To get complete results click below
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/013009aaa.html
Next up Va. Tech
I am really looking forward to this weekend. Sunday we have a chance to move into a share
of first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference when we head to
Blacksburg, Va.,
to face Virginia Tech which is currently ranked 13th in the country. Va. Tech brings a 17-1 record with three
individuals
ranking in the top 20. Live stats will
be available for free at hokiesports.com and the match will be
broadcast for a
fee on ACC Select.
Yonushonis to compete in Dave Schultz Memorial
International
Open
Volunteer assistant coach James Yonushonis will
travel to
Colorado Springs, CO this weekend to compete in the Dave Schultz
Memorial
International Open. James will be
competing at 85 kgs/185 lbs. To follow
the tournament visit the following link:
http://www.themat.com/events/default.php?page=default&EventID=19963
Spring Awards banquet
We are planning on having our spring awards
banquet Saturday
April 18th at 6.30pm. The
banquet will be held in Heritage Hall on the 2nd floor of
the
Comcast Center. It will be open to family and
friends of the program. Mark your calendars and
more details will come soon.
Maryland Wrestling Update 1/29
We
defeated NC State 21-18 and Duke 28-15 to improve to 6-7-1 and 2-1 in
the ACC. It was definitely
a good weekend for us. This was key to
get us back on a winning side in the ACC. Both
teams wrestled tough and came out fired
up. We had to battle back late against NC State in a close match and
against
Duke we built a lead, they fought back but we were able to finish
strong. It was good to see the team handle
both
situations well.
Click
below for complete results:
NC
State
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/012409aab.html
Duke
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/012409aab.html
Simonson
Construction Open
Josh
Asper, Pat Strizki and Casey Marwine all won their weight divisions
last
Saturday at the Simonson Construction Open at Ashland University in
Ashland,
Ohio.
Asper
went 4-0 at 165 pounds to win his third consecutive open title. Asper
previously placed first at the "Shorty" Hitchcock Memorial Classic
and Messiah Open. Asper has now won 12 straight matches, overall, to
improve to
29-7 on the season.
Pat
Strizki continued his recent success at 125 pounds, winning his second
consecutive open title. Strizki won three decisions to place first
after
winning the Messiah Open the last time he hit the mat.
Casey
Marwine won four straight matches at 133 pounds to place first.
Ryan
Gray also placed, finishing fourth at 184 pounds.
This
was another great performance for our young guys. They
are doing the right things and it is
showing when they compete.
For
complete results click below:
http://www.ashland.edu/athletics/M-Wrestling/
Yonushonis
wins Guelph Open in Canada.
Volunteer
Assistant Coach James
Younshonis won three matches en route to his 2nd
international championship
this season. James is currently getting
ready to compete in the Dave Schultz Memorial Open Feb 8-10 in Colorado
Springs, CO.
Up
Next Navy
Riding the
momentum of a pair of
road ACC victories last weekend, we return to the Comcast Center
Pavilion for one of the year's most highly-anticipated match up with
in-state
rival Navy. This should be a great match. Navy
has a great team. I expect a great crowd
and a lot of energy. This type of match is great because the fans will
get to
see two local programs battle. We have a little momentum building, so I
hope to
continue that. It's also great to be back home. The guys love competing
for our
fans.
Match time is set for 7 p.m. and
the meet will be broadcast live on
the Internet at ACCSelect.com. After the match we will have a social
in Heritage Hall.
Mid west results, Up next-NC State and Duke
We had a good showing at No. 11 Oklahoma last Friday. We wrestled well.
We lost two close matches that could have been the difference. Overall,
the guys fought hard and were very close to the 11th-ranked team in the
nation. Kyle John beat the 14th ranked wrestler in the nation and Alex
Krom did an excellent job. Brian Letters fought hard and wrestled well.
Hudson Taylor exacted some revenge against No. 10 Eric Lapotsky. It was
a great team effort and that's what we need as we get ready for the post
season.
We traveled to Nebraska and competed against South Dakota State, and,
fourth-ranked Nebraska. The match against South Dakota State was a good
test. We did not plan on the match, but the guys responded well and
wrestled tough. The Nebraska match was very similar to Oklahoma. We
wrestled well, made a couple of mistakes, but we fought hard and gave
ourselves a chance to win. Pat Gilmore did a great job. It was the first
win over a ranked opponent in his career. Alex Krom finished the
weekend with three bonus point wins. He really proved he has what it
takes to be one of the nation's best. I am not happy with losing, but I
am happy that we competed well, are improving in all areas and really
coming together as a team.
Next Up NC State and Duke
We will travel to Raleigh, NC to face NC State and Duke this weekend.
The match times have changed. The NC State match is scheduled for noon,
but may be changed to 2pm. The Duke match has been changed to 7pm.
UNC, Shorty Hitchcock Open, Mid west trip
UNC Dual
I was very disappointed with the result of the dual, we had a lot of
close matches that we could have won and it just didn't happen. We have
to find a way to win those close matches. We did have some good
individual performances. Junior Brendan Byrne posted a dominant victory
at 125 pounds, winning by technical fall. No. 15 Krom dominated the
141-pound match up, taking a major decision against No. 20 Vincent
Ramirez. In a rematch of last year's ACC Championship match at 197
pounds No. 10 Taylor and No. 16 Dennis Drury. History repeated, as
Taylor won by the same score as last time, 10-5.
For full recap click the link below:
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/011109aac.html
Shorty Hitchcock Open
Lou Ruland, James Knox and Josh Asper all won their respective weight
classes Saturday at the "Shorty" Hitchcock Memorial Classic at
Millersville University in Millersville, Pa.
Ruland won five matches en route to the title at 125 pounds. Knox went
4-0 Saturday to take the 133-pound crown. Asper, who wrestled
unattached, went 4-0 with 3 wins by major decision at 165-pounds.
Matt Bogusz went 4-1 at 141 pounds before having to withdraw because of
an injury and Chris Lloyd won 3 matches at 184 pounds.
For complete results click below.
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/011009aaa.html
Up next
This weekend we will face a pair of top-10 programs from the Big 12. We
wrestle at No. 10 Oklahoma Friday then travel to No. 4 Nebraska Sunday.
The match against Oklahoma will be covered by Takedown Radio,
takedownradio.com
Those not traveling to the Midwest will compete in the Messiah Open, in PA.
Midlands, Up next
Happy New Year. I hope you have an enjoyable end to 2008 and looking
forward to some great things in 2009.
Midlands
The Midlands was a pretty good event for the Terps. Many of the nation’s
top teams where there (11 of the top 25) so it was important for us to
be there and face that level of competition. We left Evanston with 3
placers and a 9th place finish as a team. Thanks to the great record
keeping of Coach Kevin Kearns we found out that this performance tied
the most placers Maryland has had in the Midlands and were one spot off
the programs highest finished. Terps were 8th in 1986 with 3 placers.
Steve Bell was our highest placer, taking 4th at 133. He was joined by
Mike Letts (wrestling unattached), 5th at 174, and Hudson Taylor, 7th at
197. Brendan Byrne was on match away from placing.
We also did a good job scoring bonus points. In fact almost everyone
that competed had a bonus point victory. Leading the bonus point parade,
Hudson Taylor who recorded 5 falls, was awarded the most falls in the
least amount of time award.
The competition was a great experience in many ways. We will use it to
build on and continue to get better.
Next up
UNC
Sunday January 11th we will open our conference competition against
North Carolina. The match time has changed to 2pm. Before the match
there will be a High School match between two of the nation’s top teams,
Wyoming Seminary from PA and McDonogh from Maryland. This match will
begin at 12pm.
The 141 and 197 pound matches will feature match ups between nationally
ranked wrestlers. The 141-pound bout will feature No. 15 Alex Krom vs.
No. 20 Vincent Ramirez. At 197 No. 10 Hudson Taylor will face No. 16
Dennis Drury.
I am looking forward to getting back to competition. UNC is one of the
top teams in the conference and has been doing well this season. This
match will set the tone for the rest of the season and be a good
indication on how the ACC Tournament could go.
After the match we will have a social in Heritage Hall on the 2nd floor
of the Comcast Center.
Shorty Hitchcock Open
Also this weekend some wrestlers will compete in the “Shorty” Hitchcock
Open at Millersville in Millersville, Pa. The tournament is on Saturday.
This is going to be a good event for our guys and I expect them to do well.
Midlands
The University of Maryland wrestling team is competing in the 46th
Annual Midlands Championships Monday and Tuesday at Northwestern
University in Evanston, Ill.
The Midlands Championships is one of the most prestigious wrestling
events in the country, drawing in 350 of the best wrestlers in the
country on a yearly basis.
I am excited to get back to competition. The guys should be fresh and
ready for a hard push to reach their individual and team goals in 2009.
The Midlands is a great event and I am excited to have our guys there.
We will have another chance to see top-notch completion at the level we
will see at the NCAA Championships.
The Terps will officially send nine wrestlers to the mat, headlined by
No. 7 Hudson Taylor (197 pounds) and No. 9 Steven Bell (133 pounds).
Bell is seeded 3rd and Taylor is seeded 4th.
The other Terps competing include: Brendan Byrne and Lou Ruland (125
pounds), No. 17 Alex Krom (141 pounds), Kyle John (157 pounds), Brian
Letters (165 pounds), Corey Peltier (174 pounds) and Patrick Gilmore
(285 pounds).
Mike Letts (174 pounds) and Josh Asper (165 pounds) are also scheduled
to wrestle unattached. Letts is seeded 7th.
Tuesday's championship round will be televised on the Big Ten Network,
with the semifinals airing via tape delay.
Princeton, Recruit update, Merchandise, up next
Princeton
In the most dominating performance of the season so far, we
defeated the Tigers of Princeton 46-3. Out of the10 matches (eight official and two exhibitions) we won
nine including two forfeits, four pins, and one major decision. I was really happy with the way the guys competed. We definitely built off the momentum started the week before at
the Nittany Lion Open.
Click below for full results
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/121408aab.html
Recruiting
Two wrestlers signed letters of intent to wrestle for the
University of Maryland in the early signing period. Jimmy
Sheptock of Northampton, Pa., and
Dallas Brown of Hanover, Pa., have officially pledged to become
Terrapins, beginning next season.
Sheptock, who could wrestle at 157 or 165 pounds, comes from
national powerhouse Northampton High School. Sheptock was a National
High School Coaches Association
sophomore and junior national champion.
Brown comes from Delone Catholic School, where he was a varsity
starter all four years. Brown will compete at either 184 or 197 pounds.
As a junior, Brown was the Southeast regional champion and placed
fourth in the state at 189 pounds.
Online merchandise
If you are interested in purchasing Maryland Wrestling gear
you can now do so online at shop.marylandwrestlingcamps.com. The inventory is a little low right now, but
we have an order in process so if we are missing a style or size we
should have
it in stock within the next two weeks.
Up next
They guys are off until December 26th. After the break we will be
competing in two events. The bulk of the guys will compete in the
Wilkes Open on the 28th. We will send a few guys to the Midlands
Invitational the 29th and 30th.
The first semester has been very exciting, but the
second half of the season will be even better.
PSU Open, Yonushonis take bronze in France, Up next Princeton
Brian Letters and Mike Letts won their weight classes (165 and 174
respectively) at the Nittany Lion Open at Penn State University. Hudson
Taylor (197) and Josh Asper (165) finished second, Patrick Gilmore (285)
finished third, Jon Kohler (141) finished fourth and Corey Peltier (174)
finished sixth.
This was a good weekend for us. The majority of our team competed and
got a bunch of matches under their belts. Letts looked really good,
winning his fourth title of the season. Letters and Asper had good
tournaments as well. We decided not to have them wrestle in the
finals. They wrestle every day in the room and there was really nothing
to be gained by the match. Patrick Gilmore continues to improve each
week. Overall, I am pleased with how we competed. Having so many guys
place at an event like this shows we are getting better.
For a full recap click below:
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/120708aaa.html
Yonushonis takes bronze in France
James Yonushonis continues to work hard as a coach but also with his
personal training and competition. James has traveled to the Olympic
Training Center in Colorado Springs a couple of times this year. He has
also done a lot of traveling for competition. He has been to Armenia,
New York and Nice, France. On his last trip to France he competed in
the Henri Deglane Challenge. He came home with a Bronze medal and was
one of the highest placers from the US. He has a little bit of time off
from competing right now, so he will be focusing on training and working
with the guys. He is a great asset to the program and we would not be
able to have him if it weren't for the Terrapin Wrestling Club. Visit
terrapinwrestlingclub.com for more information.
Princeton Sunday 1pm
After spending the first month and a half of the season on the road, we
will compete in front of the home fans for the first time this year at 1
p.m. Sunday when Princeton visits Comcast Pavilion.
It's good to be home. The home fans get to see us and that's a big deal.
The athletic department has been doing really well lately, with field
hockey winning the national championship, men's soccer in the final four
and the basketball teams having some big wins already. We want to feed
off that positive energy, we need to get back on the mat and pick up
where we left off last week at Penn State.
This week has been another great week of training. We have adjusted a
few things technically and tactically so I am excited to see how the
guys compete this weekend. I am looking forward to a packed gym Sunday.
NE Duals, Mat Town results, Nittany Lion Open Preview
We wrestled well against Drexel to get the day started. Against Iowa, we had a lot of close matches. I was really happy with the way our guys wrestled. In some 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.
Mat Town Open
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. 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. Josh 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.
Click below for complete results
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/112908aad.html
I am really looking forward to this weekend. It’s going to be fun to have so many guys competing in the same place. I have not been able to see some of the younger guys compete, so I am excited about that, as well. We’ve had a great week of training and the guys are hungry to get back to competition.
Overall, 22 wrestlers will officially represent the Terrapins on the mat, including three ranked competitors. Maryland’s ranked contingent includes No. 5 Hudson Taylor (197), No. 9 Steven Bell (133) and No. 15 Alex Krom (141).
Also wrestling for Maryland: Matt Bogusz, Owen Duffy, Steve Fehnel, Patrick Gilmore, Mookie Golden, Ryan Gray, Kyle John, Patrick Klenkel, James Knox, Brian Letters, Chris Lloyd, Matt MacLean, Bradley Nielson, Corey Peltier, Lou Ruland, Will Sharbaugh, Tommy Sitar and Pat Strizki.
Josh Asper, Danny Bichner, Jon Kohler, Mike Letts, Shawn Mazzarone, Brian Marcoux and Mike Hromada will also wrestle at Penn State, but will be unattached.
Maryland wrestling Update-Northeast Duals
I am very excited to see how we do against some of the best teams in the nation, We've had a great week of training, so now we will have to go out and see what happens.
The team will get to see how it compares with the nation's best Saturday at the Journeymen/Brute Northeast Duals in Troy, N.Y. The Terrapins will face Drexel at 9 a.m., No. 1 Iowa at 11 a.m. and No. 5 Missouri at 1 p.m.
Combined, the Terps could face as many as 14 individually-ranked wrestlers Saturday. With three ranked wrestlers of their own, the Terps should have a good feel of where they stand at the end of the day.
The Drexel Dragons feature a pair of ranked wrestlers at 125 and 197 pounds, respectively. The 197-pound showdown will feature a rematch of No. 2 Hudson Taylor and No. 10 Jon Oplinger. Taylor had little trouble with Oplinger two weeks ago at the East Stroudsburg Open, winning 11-0.
The top-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes have seven ranked wrestlers. The 141-pound tilt will showcase a pair of ranked competitors, with Maryland's Alex Krom, ranked 15th, faces No. 6 Alex Tsirtsis. Taylor should face another top-20 foe against Iowa in No. 19 Chad Beatty.
Missouri boasts five top-20 performers. Taylor will be tested yet again at 197 with No. 6 Max Askren expected to be on the mat for the Tigers.
Maryland had an excellent showing at the Northeast Duals a season ago, winning two of three duals, including an upset of then-No. 5 Michigan.
Should be a great weekend. To follow the action visit intermatwrestle.com
Maryland wrestling update-All Star classic, Body Bar results, UNO Open results
Hudson Taylor will represent the Terrapins Monday at the National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic Monday evening at Ohio State University, giving the program its first representative in the event since Gobel Kline in 1969.
Taylor, the No. 2 ranked wrestler in the nation at 197 pounds, will face No. 1 Jake Varner of Iowa State. All matches are exhibitions and do not count toward the wrestlers' statistics.
The meet is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
InterMatwrestle.com will provide live statistics of all matches and ESPNU will televise the meet on tape delay. Check local TV listings for more information.
Body Bar Invitational
The University of Maryland wrestling team placed seventh at the Body Bar Invitational hosted by Cornell University Saturday.
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."
Bell went 3-1 on the day, Gilmore also won three of four matches, with his only defeat coming at the hands of No. 9 [
Porter of Kent State.
UNO Open
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 Kohler finished 2-2 at 141 pounds.
Letts tallied three wins by major decision and one regular decision on the way to a runner up finish.
Maryland Wrestling Update-ESU Open, Hudson Taylor honored, Up next, All-Star classic
East Stroudsburg Open
Last weekend we had a pretty good showing at the tournament. Five wrestlers placed in one of the nation’s longest running event. Hudson Taylor and Mike Letts captured titles going 5-0 and 4-0 respectively. Taylor had 4 pins and a major decision en route to the title. In the final he defeated the 12th ranked wrestler 12-0.
Letts tallied one pin, two technical falls and a major decision to finish the day. This moved Letts’ record to 12-0 on the year. Jon Kohler took third place at 141 pounds and Patrick Gilmore finished fourth in the heavyweight division. Freshman Josh Asper finished fifth at 165 pounds. Kohler went 5-1, including two wins by fall and one by major decision, to place third, Gilmore went 4-2 to place fourth and Asper finished 3-2. The other Terps who competed were: Danny Bichner, Mike Hromada, Patrick Klenkel, Dex Lederer, Matt MacLean, Brian Marcoux, Shawn Mazzarone, Will Sharbaugh and Tommy Sitar. Overall we returned with 33 wins and a lot of experience.
Hudson Taylor named recipient of the Colonel Thomas M. Fields Award.
Each year the Terrapin Club awards the prestigious Award to a student-athlete who displays “outstanding leadership, scholarship and athletic excellence over the past year”. The award is named after Tom Fields, a former Maryland student-athlete and long-time Executive Director of the Terrapin Club. Colonel Tom Fields was an All American in cross country at the University of Maryland and was inducted into the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987. Tom served 28 years in the U.S. Marine Corp and was decorated for action in World War II, Korean War and Vietnam. Fields returned to campus to direct the Terrapin Club in 1970 and made an immediate impact on the athletic department. During his 20 years as the Executive Director of the Terrapin Club, he raised over $25 million. 50% of the donors were not Maryland Alumni. Although retired in 1990, Tom has remained active with the University, serving as a member of the Board of Governors for the Maryland Education Foundation and as a member of the Board of Governors for the “M” Club.
Next up-Body Bar Invite
This weekend we are competing in the Body Bar Invitational hosted by Cornell University. This should be a great competition. Three of the country’s top 25 teams will be there. Cornell is ranked 4th, Boise State, 13th and Kent State 25th. Other teams competing this weekend; Millersville, Sacred Heart, Drexel, Army, Blomsburg, Buffalo and Ithaca College.
John Kohler and Mike Letts will travel to the University of Nebraska-Omaha open. This is an event that Iowa, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Nebraska usually attend, as well as a lot of top division 2 and 3 teams. It will be a great chance for those guys to get more good competition.
All Star match
Hudson Taylor will face top ranked Jake Varner of Iowa State Monday night in the 43rd Annual NWCA All-Star Classic. The event will be held at St. John arena on the campus of Ohio State University.
For more information and coverage visit intermatwrestle.com.
This will be a very excited weekend of wrestling.
Maryland Wrestling update-Lehigh, Wolfpack Open, Flowrestling, ESU Open
Lehigh
The match lived up to the hype. It was a great showing for the fans as almost every match went down to the wire; unfortunately we did not come out of the “Snake pit” on top. I was upset with the loss, but not upset with our guys. They wrestled hard and fought through every match. We just came up short in a few crucial situations. And when a match is that close every little thing makes a difference.
It was tough for me to coach against one of my good friends, so I cannot imagine how tough it was for the guys to hear their former coach in the opposing corner. I am proud of the way they handled their emotions and keep things in perspective. We will get better and this will only make us stronger.
Also last weekend, Terps competed in the Wolf pack open at NC State University. Junior Mike Letts came home with the championship at 174 and Freshman Josh Asper finished 4th. For his efforts Mike was named ACC Wrestler of the Week.
For complete results from the weekend click below
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/110908aac.html
Flowrestling
Joe Williamson from Flowrestling spent a few days with us this week. He covered the Lehigh match and then traveled to College Park to give the world a deeper look into Maryland Wrestling. It was a great few days. Joe conducted interviews with the coaching staff as well as some of the wrestlers. We were very fortunate to get him in to talk with our Director of Athletics Debbie Yow. Along with interviews, Joe filmed some of our training, toured campus and maybe the highlight of the coverage was Hudson Taylor doing a little magic.
To see the coverage visit flowrestling.org or click the link below
http://www.flowrestling.org/videos/coverage/view/234290-maryland
East Stroudsburg Open
This weekend will be the 3rd consecutive weekend we will have wrestlers competing in an open tournament. It is not an official team competition for us, but we will have a few guys competing. The tournament is Saturday, November 15 at Koehler Field house on the campus of ESU. It will be a great opportunity for our guys to get some competition.
For more info and results visit umterps.com
After this weekend, we will have 4 straight weeks of competition. The team is working extremely hard and every week is better than the previous week.
Maryland Wrestling update-Fighting Scot Duals, EMU Open, Lehigh up next
The season began truly with mixed results. We won, lost and tied duals last weekend. I was disappointed with how the day started, but felt better with the way we finished. The Army match was full of ups and downs. I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but we were just a little off. The match against Findlay was a little better. The guys seemed a little more focused. Finally the match against Edinboro really showed our potential. Everyone wrestled with a lot of heart and fought much better. It was encouraging to be that close to one of the top teams in the nation without our “full line up”.
Click below for full results.
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/110108aaa.html
We were one of the first schools to use the NWCA’s new College Scorebook. The NWCA scorebook is free and features a live component where fans can follow match results live as they happen with teams using the scorebook online. Click below for more info.
http://intermatwrestle.com/news/newsdisplay.aspx?ID=7798
Also this past weekend we sent guys to the Eastern Michigan Open. Seven Terps competed and three came home with awards. Junior Mike Letts won the title at 174 lbs., Redshirt Freshman Will Sharbaugh won the 125 lb. championship and Freshman Danny Bichner finished 4th at 157 lbs.
Click below for full results.
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/110208aaa.html
Up Next Maryland vs. Lehigh Sunday Nov. 9th 1pm
Jeff Breese of InterMat says “The second week of the college wrestling season is underway and this week there is no bigger dual meet than the Lehigh versus Maryland on Sunday.” I think this may be an overstatement, but it’s going to be a great match. There are so many stories associated with this match: Santoro-former Maryland Coach, McCoy and Santoro former
assistants together at Lehigh, Bell-Fisk-battle of PA State Champs, Krom-Ciasulli-battle of HS Teammates…..on and on…. I wish more matches had this much “Drama”. It’s great for our sport. Drama brings fans; fans keep the sport alive…
With that being said, the most important thing for us is to not get caught up in all the hype. Our goal for the season is to be the best we can be. This weekend is another step towards reaching our season goals.
For ticket info visit lehighsports.com.
We are excited to build on the results from last weekend. If you cannot make it to the match, make sure to follow the results online on the NWCA Live Scorebook and umterps.com
Wrestle offs-Homecoming-Next up-Fighting Scot Duals
The wrestle offs answered a few questions, but we still have some to be answered. A few key match ups did not occur because of various issues, but overall it was a great show for our fans. The most important thing was giving our guys their first opportunity to compete in front of a live crowd.
For full results click the link below
http://umterps.cstv.com/sports/m-wrestl/recaps/102408aaa.html
We also took time to recognize the accomplishments of the 2008 team that won the programs first ACC Championship in 35 years. Before the match two of last year captains, Josh Haines and Charlie Pinto, accepted a framed, autographed championship t-shirt. The shirt was signed by members of the 2008 team and coaches. The shirt was donated by Greg
Byard. After the match the team, coaches and support staff all were presented with championship rings. It was a great night for Maryland Wrestling and a great way to kick off the season.
Saturday we had a tailgate to allow the alums and friends of the program meet the team and coaches. The original plan was to spend time outside, but Mother Nature had other plans. As soon as we (Jason Powell, Kevin Kearns, Charlie Pinto Sr. and I) got the tent set up, it began to rain like crazy. The major rain passed after about 10 minutes, but it was not really great weather for tailgating outside. Fortunately there was some room in inside and we were able to share Heritage Hall with the water polo team and, although not traditional, the tailgate went on. I have to point out that some of the alums did “tough it out” and braved the elements under the tent, so kudos to those troopers.
When the tailgate wrapped up, the team was recognized at the football game. The guys enjoyed their time in the spotlight, posing and flexing on the big screen. The weather cooperated just long enough for the recognition but, as soon as the guys left the field it began to pour again.
Although the weather was not ideal, it was a great weekend.
Next up Fighting Scot Duals
After a great week of training we are ready for our first competition. Tomorrow we head to Edinboro, Pa. Saturday we will face Army, Findlay and Edinboro at 12p, 2p, and 4pm. Army brings two ranked wrestlers in No. 6 Matt Kyler at 149 pounds and at 197 pounds No. 16 Richard Starks.
The Fighting Scots has six ranked wrestlers 133 - No. 19 Rick Deubel, 157-No. 4 Gregor Gillespie , 165-No. 8 Jarrod King, 174-No. 17 Phil Morricone, 184-No. 16 Chris Honeycutt and No. 10-HWT Joe Fendone.
Update 10-22-Wrestle offs, Homecoming tailgate, Hudson Taylor All Star Classic
It’s here. Although the journey began a long time ago, the 2008-09 season will officially kick off this Friday night with the Red vs. Black Wrestle offs. We are still finalizing the match ups but no matter who is out there it will be a great showcase of our program. The event will start at 7.30pm in the Comcast Center Pavilion.
Just before the wrestle offs begin; there will be a short ceremony to recognize the 2008 ACC Championship team, represented by last year’s captains Josh Haines and Charlie Pinto. After the match, there will be a social where the entire team will be recognized and given championship rings. The social will be held in Heritage Hall on the 3rd floor of the Comcast center.
Saturday, we will have a “meet the Team and Coaches” tailgate. The tailgate will begin at 1pm. We will have a tent setup in the PP* lot in front of the Comcast center. This is a time where athletes, coaches, family and friends can get together and get to know each other. The football game is set to begin at 3.30pm so there will be plenty of time to interact and take part in some of the other scheduled Homecoming activities.
Click here for a map of the Comcast center Parking areas: http://www.parking.umd.edu/themap/map.asp?location=I6&zoom=3
It’s going to be a great weekend. Feel free to stop by the wrestling room to see some of the facility improvements that have been made in the last few months. We still have a few projects in the works, but we are definitely moving in the right direction.
Hudson Taylor to compete in the NWCA All-Star Classic
Red shirt Junior Hudson Taylor has been selected to compete in the 43nd annual NWCA All-Star Classic. This event matches up the top two wrestlers in each weight class. Hudson, ranked 2nd at 197, will face the top ranked Jake Varner (2x NCAA Runner up at 184) from Iowa State. Hudson is the first Maryland wrestler to compete in this event since Gobel Kline in 1969. The match is Nov. 24th in Columbus Ohio in St John Arena on the campus of The Ohio State University.
For more details visit: http://www.nwcaonline.com/allstarclassic.cfm
10-13 Update-Captains, Preseason Rankings, Upcoming Events, Lehigh Match tickets
Things are going well and the guys are working very hard. Its hard to believe we are less than 3 weeks away from our first competition.
Here is an update on the program.
Captains
This year’s captains were voted on by the team after the preseason training and the first week of official practice. They are Hudson Taylor, Steve Bell, Brendan Byrne and Alex Krom. These guys are great representatives of our program and will do an excellence job leading the way as we work towards our goals.
Rankings
When the preseason rankings came out, we found ourselves getting a little attention. We do not put a lot of emphasis on rankings, but it’s nice to be noticed. The first ranking released came from WIN Magazine. It listed Div. 1 teams and individuals. We are ranked 17th in the preseason on the strength of 5 top 20 wrestlers. Redshirt junior Hudson Taylor is the highest ranked Terp with a national rank of 2 at 197. Others ranked by WIN are juniors Mike Letts-10 at 174, redshirt junior Steve Bell-13 at 133, sophomore Brian Letters-14 at 157, and sophomore Eric Medina-16 at 149.
The next ranking to be released was by Wrestling USA Magazine. They have not released a team ranking; instead they ranked the top 200 wrestlers across all divisions (Div 1, 2, 3 and NAIA). In their ranking we find Taylor at 2, Letts-8, Medina-12, Bell-17 and Letters special mention, which are guys that are good enough to be in the top 20 of their respective divisions but just missed the top 20 as a result of combining all divisions.
Wrestling report.com has also released their preseason ranking. They rank the top 30 teams and individuals and have us ranked 18th as a team and Hudson-2, Mike-9, Steve-12, Eric-17, redshirt junior Alex Krom-18 at 141, Brian-21, and redshirt junior Brendan Byrne-23 at 125.
Upcoming Events
We are planning to have a lot of events this season to allow the friends of the program opportunities to interact with the team and coaches. The first events will be homecoming weekend, Oct. 24-25. Friday night will be the Red and Black wrestle offs where our guys will battle for the starting spot in the Comcast Center Pavilion. We encourage you to come early to see some of the facility improvements that have been made. At the beginning of the wrestle offs begin we will recognize the 2008 ACC Championship team. After the match we will have a social in Heritage Hall where the team will receive championship rings. Saturday, we will have a “Meet the Team and Coaches” tailgate in the Comcast Center PP* parking lot area before the football game. Once the game time is set I will let you know the time of the tailgate. The 2008 ACC Championship team will also be recognized at the football game. If you are planning on attending the tailgate/game, I recommended you make arrangements for parking before Saturday, because of the higher volume of people Homecoming will likely generate. Contact the athletic department ticket office for questions on parking.
Lehigh Match Tickets
The match will be held in Grace Hall, which seats about 2200. I believe tickets go on sale this week, so I strongly suggest getting tickets early to ensure you will be able to see the match. Contact the Lehigh University ticket office at (610) 7LU-GAME or you can purchase them online at http://www.lehighsports.com/info/tickets/
Thank you to everyone who has responded to the information request email. If you have not responded and want to be added to our lists, you can still send me your contact info.
Take care and thanks for you support.
Kerry
Information Request and Update
In order to make sure we are keeping you up to date with the program I ask you to send me the following information. It should only take a couple of minutes and will help us keep in touch with you. Please list as much info as you are comfortable with, keeping in mind the more info the better.
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The season is almost here and I get more and more excited as each day passes. The summer was so busy, that I barely had time to take a breath. My family has settled in pretty well here in Maryland and everyone is doing well. Now with the summer almost gone, I am glad to be able to focus completely on the program. We began our pre-season training last week and its going well. The room is full and the guys are working extremely hard. Recruiting is going well and we are working on some improvements in our facilities. It’s definitely going to be a great year.
A lot of people have asked about my Olympic experience. The flight over was fine. 11.5 hours never seems so fast ;) . It took a while to get organized once we arrived, but that’s pretty normal with international trips. The Olympians went directly to the Olympic village while training partners and staff "hung out" in the airport for almost 2 hours before making our way to the hotel. Personally I do not think the pollution was that bad. The sky was pretty "cloudy" but I couldn't really tell the difference in regard to air quality. A few people felt differently though. I guess it’s all a matter of perspective.
The opening ceremonies are an incredible experience. Again, a little different as a coach, but still an amazing few hours. I have always said that the opening ceremonies are when you "know" what the Olympics are all about and this held true once again. From staging in the village, where everyone is posing for photos, to taking the bus to the arena the energy just builds. Once you get to the staging area before the stadium, there is a small lull because it takes a little while to get everyone in and out, but you can still feel the excitement brewing. During this time, you get to take more photos and meet other athletes. President Bush and his family visited the US group and he spoke a few words of encouragement as well as took photos with each team.
After the staging area everyone moved towards the stadium. This is when the energy and excitement really comes to a head. The path to the stadium was lined with people cheering and shouting "Welcome to Beijing", " "Good Luck", and "Have fun". Once you enter the tunnel, words cannot explain the feeling. It is one of the most exhilarating few moments of your life only to be matched with actually walking into the stadium and seeing 150,000 people cheering for you. Let the Games begin....
The competition brought mixed results. Overall we were not where we wanted or should have been in the end, but we did see some amazing things. Henry Cejudo winning the Gold Medal was incredible. Although we did not win as many medals as planned, it’s always good to bring home gold. Outside of the competition the Games were incredible. We were very fortunate to be able to watch most of the events on TV in our training area and some of the group was able to see many events live. We also did a little sightseeing. The Great wall is an awesome sight. It’s amazing to think about the work it took to build it. Another fun excursion was to the “Silk Market”. Anyone who has heard of this place knows it’s a mad house. It’s crazy; there are at least 6 floors of “booths”. There are clothes, jewelry, electronics, shoes, bags, accessories, you name it and you can probably find it there. What makes this place so crazy are the vendors. They will bargain and bargain and bargain. "How much you want to pay" and "My friend I give you good price" are how they get you in the shop. After that, you will need a police escort to get out. This is the first place I have been, I have been to many places, when they will literally grab your arm/hand/leg whatever, and try to keep you in the shop. It’s amazing and may be a little scary for some. Fortunately I am a little bigger than most of them so they have a hard time keeping me trapped;)
We also took a trip to the great wall. This was an incredible sight. We were very fortunate to have a good clear day, so the views were fabulous. To get down, we took these alpine sleds. Apparently it’s a new "attraction" because some people were in Beijing a year before and there were not an option. It was a lot of fun to cruise down the mountain. You really had to be careful because the sleds can move pretty fast. If you are not careful you can crash into the person in front of you or if you are too careful, the person behind you will get you. Once at the bottom we had a few minutes to buy souvenirs. The area was very similar to the silk market. You can bargain and really get a good deal. The thing that surprised me most is that you can bargain for bottled water, soda and snacks. I always thought those prices are always fixed, but I guess anything is possible.
Thank you for your support and I hope to hear from you soon.
Kerry
Mike Letts captures Bronze medal at Junior World Championships
Mike Letts finished third at 84 kg/185 to lead the U.S. men's freestyle team Sunday, August 3 at the FILA Junior World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Letts posted three straight wins over Osama A Elaziz Elsedy of Egypt, Dzmitri Alshevaski of Belarus and Kamil Skaskiewicz of Poland to open the day. He then lost to Beka Tchedlidze of Georgia in the semifinals. Letts beat Aslanbek Alborov of Azerbaijan to capture the bronze medal.
Click below to see Mike's complete results:
http://www.fila-wrestling.com/istanbul08/index.php/component/competition/?act=ficheLutteur&style=FS&choix_poids=970&choix_pays=&id_inscrit=25981&act2=resultat
The U.S. team finished in fourth place finish with 34 points. Russia claimed the championship with 69 points, while Iran earned second (49) and Georgia was third (41).
http://www.themat.com/section.php?section_id=3&page=showarticle&ArticleID=19300
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
University of Maryland Wrestling updates-2008-09 schedule
I am sorry it has taken me so long to write to you, but that last few weeks have been crazy. I am happy to say my family has officially relocated to Maryland. The house is slowly getting unpacked and set up, but its going well. My wife and son are doing well.
I am currently in Colorado Springs for the 2nd Olympic Training camp. There are a few other Terps in Colorado right now. Sophomores Hudson Taylor, Steven Bell, Lou Ruland, freshmen Kyle John and incoming freshmen Ryan Gray and Corey Peltier are spending the week training with both the FILA Jr World and the US Olympic Freestyle teams. This is a great opportunity for the guys and I am sure it will pay off.
Sophomore Mike Letts is here as well. He will be representing the US at 185lbs in the FILA Jr (20 and under age group) World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. Mike will train in Colorado Springs through July 28 then he will be in Turkey until August 4th. Visit themat.com for updates.
The attached schedule is about 99% final. We are hoping to find another home dual in the first semester, but if it does not work out I am sure you will agree its a great schedule. The dates in italics are events that we do not plan on sending a full team. Some of the dates and times may change also but this will give you an idea of what to expect this season.
You may already know that Todd Beckerman has decided to remain on the coaching staff. Hopefully by next week we will have the rest of the staff in place.
Finally, if your contact information has changed (phone, address, preferred email, etc.), please let me know so I can keep you up to date with the program.
I look forward to hearing from you and keeping in touch.
I hope to here from you soon. Feel free to contact me anytime.
Take care
Kerry
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