By Ana Blickenstaff

The University of Maryland men’s wrestling team came up short Friday when they competed against No. 14 Illinois at Huff Hall in Urbana-Champaign.

Senior Terp, Ben Dorsey closed the night out right for the Terrapins when he won with a takedown and 3-1 decision over Illinois’ Kyle Langenderfer in the 149 lbs class. The win was right at the buzzer and put numbers on the scoreboard for the Terps.

The Terp’s kept each match competitive, and lost by just a few points in several of the matches. Illinois two-time national champion, Jesse Delgado didn’t intimidate junior Josh Polacek (125) where he fought hard until the final score portrayed a 3-2 decision for Delgado.

Dorsey and Polacek weren’t the only wrestlers leaving an impression. Sophomore Shyheim Brown for the 141 weight class started his match out right with a takedown against Steven Rodriquez. As the match continued, the takedown wasn’t quite enough to bring home a victory for the Terp’s when Brown was victim to a 3-2 decision.

The Terp’s can look to build upon the matches when they face nationally ranked Minnesota and Iowa next weekend. Each Terrapin fought to the end and this was demonstrated through the tight final scores in each of the weight classes.