As Alex Krom left the gym with a teammate on a fateful day last spring, he had no idea what the rest of his career would hold for him.

The pair swiftly exited the meeting before it was finished. Former Terrapin wrestling coach Pat Santoro had just announced that he would be accepting a job at Lehigh University.

Shock. Confusion. Anger.

After a season in which he had redshirted in preparation for a national championship under Santoro, Krom was suddenly losing his mentor.

“Santoro was one of the main reasons I even came to Maryland to wrestle,” Krom said. “I was really wondering what I would do.”

Krom, from Easton, Pa., was part of the No. 20-ranked recruiting class in 2005 when Santoro began to build the Terrapin team into the program it is now.

With both Krom and Santoro hailing from Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley area, Krom joined Santoro for training in the offseason. The former Terp coach urged Krom to give his newly named replacement, Kerry McCoy, a chance.

That is exactly what Krom has done this season, establishing himself as one of the Terps’ premier wrestlers and dominating the ACC. Krom has won 11 straight matches entering this weekend’s ACC tournament, including four against top-20 opponents.

“[Krom] was one of the guys I was looking forward to working with when I first accepted the coaching position here,” McCoy said. “I was excited to get started with him.”

McCoy had known Krom for a long time as an outsider. When McCoy was at Lehigh, his roommate was actually one of Krom’s high school coaches.

From day one, McCoy nitpicked at all the intricacies of Krom’s technique. But the 141-pounder was not ready to take advice from a coach who had yet to earn his trust.

After getting over those feelings, Krom began to fully take advantage of McCoy as a head coach, and he has soared ever since.

In ACC competition this season, Krom is 5-0. In four of those matches, Krom won by major decision, carrying a 19-4 overall record. He has not lost a single match in 2009.

“I picked up things easily from McCoy,” Krom said. “But I have been real eager to learn at every level, which has really helped my growth.”

Krom’s development began at an early age.

At five years old, Krom was pressured by his grandfather to find a new sport after his football season concluded. His grandfather suggested wrestling.

In his first-ever season, Krom went 16-0 with a championship berth, where he wound up losing. That first loss would be the one that pushed him to get to where he is now.

Krom wound up going to school at Easton High in Pennsylvania’s District 11, one of the most prestigious wrestling areas in the country. During his time there, Krom was a four-time All-American and three-time District 11 champion.

But the most significant accomplishment for Krom in the Lehigh Valley was his record. By compiling 161 career wins, he became District 11’s all-time winningest wrestler, surpassing former Terp Josh Haines.

With his Lehigh Valley ties, Santoro was able to convince Krom to come grapple for the Terps.

In his first season as a Terp, Krom was thrust into the starting role after defending ACC champion Terp Charlie Pinto went down with an injury. Krom turned everyone’s head by winning 26 matches and finishing third in the ACC championship.

During the next season, Krom solidified his place in the lineup with another third-place finish in the ACC, registering six falls.

Which brings Krom to his junior season, Santoro’s last as head coach of the Terps. That season, Santoro convinced Krom to redshirt and focus on tournaments.

Krom agreed, having no idea the Terrapins would finish by winning the ACC championship.

“It was difficult to watch, especially with how well our team was doing,” Krom said. “But it made me push even harder.”

This season, Krom was back winning on the mats, with a new coach.

After coping with Santoro leaving, Krom regained focus and became calmer with the team.

“We have a great group of guys here. The camaraderie and everything is perfect, and everyone is here for the right reasons,” Krom said.

As the season is coming to a close, Krom is at his highest level. With the ACC championships and NCAA championships around the corner, maybe his former coach was right.

Now with an extra year due to his redshirt, Krom is in prime position to do well in the national spotlight.

“I want to win it. I expect to win it. I’m going to win it.”

eckarddbk@gmail.com