By Juan Herrera
The University of Maryland wrestling team (5-12, 1-8 Big Ten) took on Wisconsin and George Mason at the Xfinity Center on Sunday, in a doubleheader match that showcased the talent and resiliency of Maryland’s senior wrestlers.
The Terps kicked off the doubleheader by taking on Big Ten rival Wisconsin. The two teams were scheduled to compete on Jan. 24, but the match was postponed because of the snowstorm that hit the area.
The match kicked off at the 149-pound weight class, where Maryland’s Wade Hodges suffered a narrow 5-3 loss to Andrew Crone. The Terps were able to respond in the next bout between Redshirt Senior Lou Mascola and Wisconsin’s TJ Ruschell.
After getting an early 4-1 lead, Mascola was able to extend it to 10-1 in the next period thanks to a reversal and near fall points. Ruschell was able to collect a takedown and a few near fall points to cut Mascola’s lead to 10-7. In the final seconds of the match, Mascola was able to hold on to win and snap his four match-losing streak.
“It felt different because I haven’t been winning a lot lately but I know it’s only going to keep happening now,” Mascola said. “We’re moving in the right direction towards the end of the year.”
The bout of the night came at the 133-pound matchup between the No.16 ranked senior Geoffrey Alexander and Wisconsin’s No.7 Ryan Taylor.
Alexander was able to build an early 6-0 lead off of a throw that put Taylor on his back. Just when the match seemed over, Taylor was able to collect several takedowns in the third period to cut the lead to 8-6. Alexander held on in the final seconds to secure an impressive win over a ranked opponent.
Despite Alexander’s win, the Terps still dropped seven bouts in the match to lose 25-12 to Wisconsin. The team had an opportunity to bounce back in the next match against George Mason.
After an hour-long intermission, the match kicked off at the 149-pound weight class. Maryland’s Redshirt freshman Ryan Diehl wrestled in place of Wade Hodges, but the match was stopped due to his stalling in the first period.
The Terps went on to win the next eight bouts of the match. Freshmen wrestlers Brendan Burnham, Michael Beck, and Garrett Wesneski got their chance to shine for Maryland against George Mason. Beck was able to pin his opponent and Wesneski won with a 15-0 technical fall.
“It was tough losing that first one close,” Wesneski said. “But coming back in that second match and dominating him like I did, I feel like is going to help me going into next week.”
Seniors Geoffrey Alexander, Lou Mascola, Josh Snook and Mark Colabucci showed their experience by picking up wins against George Mason. Colabucci in particular, won his first match since Nov. 20 with an impressive 17-2 technical fall.
Despite losing the first match against Wisconsin, the Terps were able to bounce back with a 31-9 win over George Mason.
“I’m really happy the way our guys responded after the tough match against Wisconsin,” coach Kerry McCoy said. “They came back and really fought hard.”
