Archive for the ‘Wrestling’ Category

January 22nd, 2012 | 07:32 pm

Terps wrestling defeats NC State, improves undefeated record

The Terrapins wrestling team won its second ACC match Sunday afternoon, maintaining its undefeated record. The No. 12 Terps took down the No. 49 NC State 27-12 at the Comcast Pavilion.

The 12-0 Terps (2-0 ACC) won six of its first seven matches, including a pin from second-ranked, 165-pound Josh Asper – his fifth this season – to improve his personal record to 19-0.

Shane Gentry’s victory at 125 pounds propelled the Terps into its 12th dual victory, coach Kerry McCoy said in a press release after the match. Gentry won 8-4 over the Wolfpack’s Colin Fought, and Terrapin Geoffrey Alexander followed with a technical fall over Ben Elliot.

“The 125 pounder is the catalyst for everything,” McCoy said in a press release. “It was a huge win for Shane. Geoff fed off of that. I tell our guys to focus on wrestling well. I think Geoff did a good job with that. He had confidence and went out there looking to score points. He knew he had to go out there and give a good performance for himself and his team.”

At 157 pounds, No. 12 Kyle John won a major decision over Colton Palmer without surrendering a point.

“The guys wrestled well. It’s the first time in a while we put forth the overall, solid team effort. Things we were talking about and things we are doing are starting to show and it’s at the right time. We are peaking towards the end of the year. This is a solid win to show we are doing the right things,” McCoy said.

The Terps face the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Friday night.

January 21st, 2012 | 12:03 pm

Terps wrestling beats Navy, remains undefeated

With a 23-12 victory over in-state rival Navy on Friday night, the Terrapins wrestling team increased their unblemished record to 11-0.

The No. 12 Terps split the first four matches with the No. 49 Midshipmen, but the in the fifth match, at 157-pounds, No. 12 Kyle John recorded his seventh pin-fall of the season – the highest single-season total of his career – with 1:36 remaining in the first period.

“This was a great win,” coach Kerry McCoy said in a press release. “Navy is such a big rivalry, and it feels so good to come out on top, especially in Annapolis. Kyle getting another pin was huge. I’m really happy with the effort we are giving and the results are showing.”

Also showing results was second-ranked 165-pound Josh Asper, who recorded a 9-4 decision over Navy’s Mike Brant, improving his personal record to 19-0.

The Terps return home Sunday to face ACC-rival NC State at 2 p.m. at Comcast Pavilion.

January 8th, 2012 | 11:08 pm

Terps wrestling team wins first ACC match

The Terrapins’ wrestling team defeated Virginia Tech at Cassell Coliseum Sunday in its first ACC match of the season, improving its unblemished record to 10-0.

The No. 21 Hokies earned seven straight points in the first three matches, but the No. 13 Terps grappled its way to a 25-10 victory.

Kyle John, 157 pounds, grabbed the lead for his team with a third period pin over Matt Stephens, recording a team-high sixth fall. The No. 13 John recorded the pin with only ten seconds left in the match.

“Kyle getting the pin really opened things up,” coach Kerry McCoy said in a press release. “He has been a huge factor in our success and this weekend is a tribute to that.”

In addition to John’s victory, Shane Gentry (125), Ben Dorsay (149), Josh Asper (165), Jimmy Sheptock (174), Ty Snook (184) and Christian Boley (197) each grabbed points for the Terps.

“The guys wrestled with the right attitude and the results showed,” McCoy said. “It’s great to keep rolling and get our first conference win.”

The Terps will face Navy in Annapolis on Friday, Jan. 20.

January 7th, 2012 | 10:10 am

Terps wrestling still undefeated

The no. 13 Terrapins’ wrestling team advanced its undefeated record Friday night with a 22-15 victory over West Virginia. The 9-0 Terps clinched its win with a pin from no. 6 Christian Boley with five seconds left in the second period.

Boley was down 1-0 after Mountaineer Nicholas Hylton escaped to start the second period. In the final seconds of the period, Boley powered Hylton down for the pin and to win the meet for his team.

“West Virginia wrestled hard and did a good job,” coach Kerry McCoy said in a press release. “We knew it was going to be a battle, but our guys rose to the challenge.”

The meet opened with a Terps loss: a 10-3 decision over no. 20 Shane Gentry at 125 pounds. The loss was followed by an important three points earned by 133-pound Geoffrey Alexander with a 6-2 decision over Nathan Pennesi – who usually wrestles at 141 pounds.

“We knew we had to win at least two of the first three to have a chance, so to get three [points] put us in a great position,” McCoy said.

No. 13 Kyle John also earned valuable points for the Terps at 157 pounds with a 14-6 major decision over Mountaineer Dominic Prezzia, and no. 2 Josh Asper improved his undefeated individual record at 165 pounds to 17-0 with a 4-0 decision over Kyle Eason. No. 15 Jimmy Sheptock added a decision over Mountaineer Lance Bryson.

“Kyle put us in the driver seat with his major decision win,” McCoy said. “Josh and Jimmy’s wins were crucial. It was a great win and a great way to start the second semester.”

The Terps travel to Blacksburg Sunday to face No. 20 Virginia Tech.

December 31st, 2011 | 12:36 pm

Terps’ wrestling finishes ninth; Boley finishes third

The Terrapins’ wrestling team finished in ninth place Friday at the 49th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships in Illinois, and 197-pound Christian Boley earned the bronze medal for his weight class.

This was the third year out of the last four that the No. 15 Terps finished in the top ten at the Northwestern tournament.

Boley won four matches on the last day of the three-day tournament to secure his medal and help his team finish with 51 points. Iowa finished in first place with 152 points.

“We finished on a high note today,” coach Kerry McCoy said in a press release. “Christian did a great job. His attitude made the difference.”

No. 10 Boley defeated No. 15 Daniel Mitchell of American for the third time this season for the third-place title.

Heavyweight Spencer Myers placed sixth and 174-pound Jimmy Sheptock finished seventh.

“Jimmy and Spencer wrestled tough as well,” McCoy said. “We have a lot to be proud of and some things to improve.”

The Terps’ next opportunity to improve is on Jan. 6 against the West Virginia Mountaineers in Morgantown.

December 30th, 2011 | 12:07 pm

Terps tied for 14th at the Midlands Championships

The No. 15 Terrapins (8-0) wrestling team is tied for 14th heading into the final day of competition at the 49th annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships at Northwestern University with 28 points and five wrestlers still fighting to place in the consolation bracket.

Christian Boley (197), Spencer Myers (285), Kyle John (157), Jimmy Sheptock (174) and Frank Goodwin (141) will compete Friday in Illinois in the consolation round.

The Terps began day two of the tournament on Thursday in sixth place, but after suffering several close losses, it dropped to 14th place. Boley, John, Myers and Sheptock each lost in the quarterfinals by one-point decisions.

“We had a bunch of guys with winnable matches this evening and we didn’t get it done,” coach Kerry McCoy said in a press release. “Every year we’ve had four guys place. There is a chance that tomorrow could still be the best performance ever.”

The third session of wrestling will begin at 1 p.m. on Friday.

March 20th, 2011 | 03:31 pm

Wrestling finishes 18th at NCAA Championships

For the third straight season, the Terrapin wrestling team is a top-20 program.

Lead by the efforts of 165-pound Josh Asper, 174-pound Mike Letts and heavyweight Spencer Myers, the Terps finished 18th at this season’s NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia.

Asper, Letts and Myers each finished the tournament with All-America Honors. Asper dropped a 5-4 decision to Wyoming’s Shane Onufer to finish in sixth place, while Letts defeated Central Michigan’s Ben Bennett, 7-2, to secure seventh place.

Myers, a true freshman, fell, 2-0, to Missouri’s Dom Bradley in the fifth-place match, but nonetheless secured a sixth place finish in his first ever championships. The top eight wrestlers in each weight class receive All-America honors.

As a team, the Terps compiled 35.5 points, which placed them 18th in the competition. Penn State finished in first with 107.5 points, while traditional powerhouses Iowa, Oklahoma State and Minnesota finished third, fourth and seventh, respectively.

Check The Diamondback on Monday, March 28 for a full recap of the Terps’ championship performance.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondbacks wrestling beat writer. He can be reached at vitale@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JoshVitale.

February 19th, 2011 | 06:40 pm

Wrestling dominates competition on Tobacco Road

The Terrapin wrestling team was dominant on their two-match road trip down Tobacco Road, defeating both Duke and N.C. State by large margins.

Against the Blue Devils the Terps were near perfect, winning five matches by falls and three more by forfeit en route to a 48-0 shutout. The Terps were just as impressive a few hours later against the Wolfpack, as they used five technical falls to score a 35-5 victory.

Overall, the Terps recorded five pins, five technical falls, and three victories by forfeit today, winning 19 of the day’s 20 matches. Their only loss of the day was 149-pound Dex Lederer’s loss to N.C. State’s Darrion Caldwell, who is the nations No. 1 wrestler at 149 pounds.

The No. 26 Terps (15-4, 4-1 ACC) return home Sunday for their Senior Night match against George Mason at 1:00 p.m. in the Comcast Pavilion. The team will honor a group of seniors that include three starters; 133-pound Lou Ruland, 141-pound Jon Kohler and 174-pound Mike Letts.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s wrestling beat reporter. He can be reached at bitale@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JoshVitale.

January 16th, 2011 | 03:18 pm

Wrestling defeats Bucknell for fourth consecutive road victory

The Terrapin wrestling team continued its 2011 hot streak on Saturday, defeating Bucknell, 23-10.

It was the fourth consecutive road win for the No. 33 Terps (9-3) who are still undefeated in duals matches in 2011.

The No. 35 Bison started the match with a victory, but their lead did not last long. Terps’ wrestlers won seven of the nine remaining weight classes, cruising to an easy double-digit victory.

The Terps will return for a four-match homestand next weekend, starting with matches against Navy on Saturday and Virginia Tech on Sunday in the Comcast Center Pavilion.

Josh Vitale is The Diamondback’s wrestling beat reporter. He can be reached at vitale@umdbk.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JoshVitale.

January 9th, 2011 | 12:54 pm

Wrestling sweeps three weekend opponents

After a grueling two-day Midlands Championship in late December, the Terrapin wrestling traveled north to face three New England opponents.

Luckily, Boston, Harvard and Brown did not provide much of a test for the Terps, as they breezed by each of their opponents this week.

On Friday, the No. 56 Boston proved to be the No. 33 Terps’ toughest test this weekend as they just squeaked by the Terriers, 20-16. Following that match, the Terps traveled to No. 46 Harvard where they faced a much easier challenge, defeating the Crimson handily, 31-10.

On Saturday, the Terps traveled to Rhode Island for a match with Brown, where they again won in convincing fashion. Brown started the match with an early lead, but the Terps stormed back quickly en route to a 38-15 victory.

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