Entering its dual with No. 12 Rutgers on Friday night, the Terrapins wrestling team seemed upbeat and ready to battle the other new member of the Big Ten. Captains 141-pound Alfred Bannister and 157-pound Lou Mascola traveled to New Jersey for the match confident in their abilities to pull off upsets over ranked foes, even if their hopes seemed slim with their recent struggles.
The rest of the Terps supported their leaders, knowing if they were able to turn things around it could have an immediate impact on the team’s morale and energy. By the end of the match, though, the Terps found themselves unable to pull off the upset while both Mascola and Bannister had fallen to their elite competition.
The Terps won just one match and dropped the dual, 30-3, to Rutgers. The 27-point loss is tied for the worst by the Terps this season and extends their losing streak to four since their victory over Michigan St.
“We’re not wrestling to our capabilities. It’s mental,” coach Kerry McCoy said. “[Rutgers] went out and fought hard. They outwrestled us.”
McCoy said his team wasn’t surprised by anything the Scarlet Knights did. Still, the Terps struggled to match their opponents intensity level, falling flat despite their week of preparation.
No. 16 133-pound Geoffrey Alexander was the lone Terp able to upend a Scarlet Knight. Alexander took on No. 18 Anthony Giraldo in the only battle of the night that featured multiple ranked wrestlers. The redshirt senior notched a 9-2 victory after only allowing two escapes.
“It honestly just has felt like things have fit together and been going my way of late,” Alexander said.
The night began with yet another opening loss for the Terps (4-10, 1-6 Big Ten), a trend that’s popped up throughout the season. Taking on No. 20 Sean McCabe of Rutgers (12-3, 3-2), 125-pound Michael Beck struggled to get things going, and McCabe turned a close battle into a major decision. The loss marks Beck’s fifth straight defeat.
Later in the dual, Bannister and Mascola couldn’t end their losing streaks. Bannister was unable to rally when he took on No. 6 Anthony Ashnault and fell, 7-3. Dating back to November, the redshirt freshman has lost six of his last seven bouts.
In Mascola’s bout, he fell to No. 17 Richie Lewis, 6-2.
Having wrestled competitively for much of the past decade, Alexander has gone through some of the struggles his fellow captains have, so he doesn’t feel worried about them turning it around.
“Everyone goes through this. I certainly have,” Alexander said. “It’s that time of the season where you get worn down. Wrestling is one of the more mentally and physically demanding sports.”
In between Bannister and Mascola’s matches, Ryan Diehl made his first dual meet appearance of the season at 149 pounds after gaining eligibility for the second semester. He was shut out by Tyson Dippery.
Tyler Manion, wrestling at 165 pounds, made his first appearance since the season-opening Terrapin Duals on Nov. 1 after returning from an injury. Manion dropped his bout to No. 8 Anthony Perrotti, 15-0, a technical fall, but McCoy still expects him to share playing time with fellow 165-pounder Brendan Burnham.
In the heavyweight bout, Dawson Peck pushed No. 13 Billy Smith into sudden victory as the two met for the third time this season. Peck’s effort was to no avail, with Smith notching a takedown to cap the Scarlet Knights’ dominating victory.
The resounding defeat wasn’t easy for the Terps to digest as they traveled back from Piscataway, New Jersey late Friday night. Just weeks after sticking closer with other elite teams such as No.1 Iowa and No. 8 Nebraska, the Terps regressed against Rutgers.
And it left McCoy without a complete answer as to why.
“I can’t truly put my finger on it,” McCoy said. “I have no philosophical or deep answer. We just got beat.”
