Jimmy Sheptock
The then-No. 15 Terrapins wrestling team entered the season with hopes of earning its third straight ACC title.
But inconsistency plagued the Terps’ campaign. They fell from the Top 25, failed to defend their ACC championship and finished the season with a 27th-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
The team’s struggles were predominantly in the middleweight classes: 141, 149, 157 and 165 pounds. It seemed every time the Terps had an opportunity to win a match, the middleweights were unable to limit opponents’ bonus points.
In a 22-18 loss to Navy on Jan. 19, the Terps dropped all four matches at the middleweights, surrendering two matches by major decision, one by technical fall and one by fall for 19 total dual points.
The Terps’ one-point loss to Virginia Tech was a similar story. The 141-pound Shane Arechiga earned six points by medical forfeit, but 149-pound Lou Mascola, 157-pound Danny Orem and 165-pound Domenic DeRobertis lost by major decision, major decision and technical fall, respectively.
If any of those wrestlers had limited his opponents’ bonus points, the Terps would have had an opportunity to knock off the then-No. 9 Hokies.
The middleweights finished the season with a 23-62 dual record, giving up a staggering 244 dual points among the four weight classes in the process.
The Terps had some positives, though, particularly 184-pound Jimmy Sheptock. The junior, who went 21-0 in dual meets and notched a team-high 81 points, placed sixth at nationals and was the Terps’ lone All-American.
“I accomplished my goal from the beginning of the year,” Sheptock said after the NCAA Championships. “My goals were to win ACCs and get on the podium [at nationals], so I’m pretty happy with my performance.”
With the team’s latest campaign now over, it’s time for coach Kerry McCoy and his team to start looking toward a seemingly bright future.
Josh Asper is the Terps’ only graduating contributor, and the team will return several of its key grapplers. Sheptock, 197-pound Christian Boley, 133-pound Geoffrey Alexander and 125-pound Shane Gentry all figure to headline the Terps’ roster next season.
“It’s awesome,” McCoy said. “You don’t want to look forward until you have to, and during this whole season we know we made a few decisions that were going to be a little more cautious for this year but would pay off in the future. We’re really looking forward to it.”
McCoy will also get 141-pound Frank Goodwin, who was sidelined for seven weeks after suffering a torn LCL and sprained ACL against Navy, back at full strength next season. Two redshirts — heavyweight Spencer Myers and 157-pound Ben Dorsay — are slated to return, too.
“There are guys that have been around for a couple years who have really helped shape where this program is and are coming back,” said McCoy, who will return three wrestlers — Sheptock, Boley and Alexander — who have appeared in multiple NCAA Championships. “It’s going to be really exciting for what we have got going next year.”
And when next season arrives, the Terps won’t just focus on moving past a disappointing 2012-13 campaign. They’ll eye a national championship.
“Having guys who have been there before will definitely help the team,” Sheptock said. “Once you’ve been to nationals, you’re not blinded by the light any more.”
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