A year ago, the Terrapin wrestling team placed its ACC Championship hopes on the shoulders of four seniors who provided the team with a wealth of experience and seven combined individual championships.

In Raleigh, N.C., 133-pound Steve Bell, 141-pound Alex Krom and 197-pound Hudson Taylor all won individual titles, while 125-pound James Knox finished third. But they couldn’t do enough to lead the Terps to their third consecutive ACC title, instead finishing second to Virginia.

At tomorrow’s conference championship in Charlottesville, Va., the No. 22 Terps (16-4, 4-1 ACC) will replace those four departed leaders with a quartet of freshmen competing in their first-ever ACC Championship.

Even though his veteran Terp team of 2010 was able to secure only a second-place finish, coach Kerry McCoy has little doubt the youth on this year’s team can do one better and take home its third title in four seasons.

“Our goal is to be the tournament champions,” McCoy said. “We expect to have our guys go out there and compete, challenge for individual titles and help the team win the championship.”

Overall, five Terp wrestlers will have their first taste of postseason play tomorrow, including four freshmen — 125-pound Shane Gentry, 149-pound Justin Cash, 197-pound Christian Boley and heavyweight Spencer Myers — and 133-pound senior Lou Ruland.

“They’re ready for it, they just have to go out there and get after it,” McCoy said. “It’s just another event for them. If they do what we’ve done all year, it shouldn’t be too big of a deal.”

That’s not to say the Terps are entirely inexperienced, however. The team does feature five wrestlers with previous championship success. Seniors 141-pound Jon Kohler and 174-pound Mike Letts have three combined titles under their belts, while 157-pound junior Kyle John and 165-pound sophomore Josh Asper each finished runner-up in their weight classes last season.

But the veterans’ significance to the team won’t be judged solely on their performance on the mat. They will be relied upon to set an example for the younger wrestlers experiencing the pressures of a conference tournament for the first time.

“They just have to go out there, set the tone and lead by example,” McCoy said. “They just need to focus on themselves, not try to win the championship, and go out there and wrestle to the best of their ability. If they do all that, the rest will take care of itself.”

“There’s a little bit of added pressure to do well, but I have no doubt in my mind that I’ll be able to show up this weekend and perform like I should,” John added. “As far as helping the younger guys, we just have to let them know they’re here. Relax, just have fun and wrestle like you know how to wrestle, and we’re going to come out on top.”

They may not be as experienced as they were a season ago, but the young Terps aren’t lacking confidence. Asked about his expectations for a tournament he’s never been to, Gentry dismissed any notion that youth would be an impediment to the Terps’ title aspirations.

“We have a job we need to get done,” he said. “We need to wrap up this team title and bring it back to College Park.”

vitale@umdbk.com