The Terrapins take to the mat every day to prepare for the postseason, practicing takedowns and reversals and pins until their bodies cannot take any more. On the walls around them are pictures of former seniors who led their teams to championships.

This year, the No. 22 Terrapin wrestling team is headed into the ACC tournament with no seniors in sight. But the team refuses to see its youth or lack of experience as disadvantages.

“No more excuses,” coach Pat Santoro said. “They’re young, but age is just a number. We’ll have the home crowds behind us; we just need to deliver.”

For the Terps (16-4, 5-0 ACC), seniors have had little presence on the mat this season. The team’s starting lineups have been made up almost exclusively of underclassmen. Only one upperclassman, redshirt junior Josh Haines, starts regularly.

When the season began, the team did not expect the starting lineup to be devoid of seniors.

After open competitions in every weight class, a surprisingly young lineup emerged, a result of the nationally ranked recruiting classes Santoro signed the past two seasons and the relative dearth of seniors – only eight of the 38 roster spots.

One senior, Charlie Pinto, 2005 ACC champion at 141 pounds, started the year splitting starting time with sophomore Jon Kohler. But Pinto was injured in mid-November, and aside from returning briefly for two matches in January, he hasn’t wrestled since.

Losing the only senior starter could have been devastating. But when Kohler became the main starter, he made the most of his opportunity and has won his last four dual matches for a 14-12 record.

As the year progressed, seniors have fallen further from the spotlight.

Even in the Senior Night victory over American on Feb. 13, only one senior, Ryan Kennett, was in the starting lineup, and he lost.

Seniors Kennett and Clint Stout have seen limited time, mainly in tournament play. The rest of the seniors have been confined to contributing off the mat.

The Terps have not let the lack of senior leadership affect their approach to competition.

“We still have to go out and get our jobs done,” redshirt sophomore Brendan Byrne said.

In fact, the absence of seniors has allowed other wrestlers to flourish.

The team’s three ranked wrestlers, Haines, ranked No. 19 at 184 pounds, redshirt sophomore Hudson Taylor, No. 5 at 197 pounds, and sophomore Mike Letts, No. 9 at 174 pounds, have taken the lead.

Taylor and Letts especially need to set examples for their teammates in the days leading up to the postseason. They both made it to the NCAA tournament last year, and they need to use their experience to educate their teammates.

But not only the top Terps are taking responsibility for their team.

Sophomores such as Kohler and Byrne make up most of the lineup and have been a driving force behind the Terps’ success.

Even freshmen have stepped into starting spots without missing a beat, using talent to trump experience. Eric Medina and Brian Letters are nearly permanent fixtures in the starting lineup, and both boast winning records, 19-10 and 15-13 respectively.

With the postseason starting Saturday, the Terps are working harder than ever to prove themselves, still disregarding any mention of their youth.

“No one cares how old you are. They’ve got the experience,” Santoro said. “It’s the end of the season. We’ve got to be ready.”

Next, the Terps host the ACC tournament at Comcast Center Pavilion at 2 p.m. on Saturday. They believe they are prepared to fight in every weight class, despite often facing older or more experienced opponents.

“We are doing whatever it takes to stay crisp,” Byrne said. “We are peaking at the right time.”

The team hopes to match its ACC regular-season title with an ACC tournament championship and as many bids to the NCAA tournament as possible.

“Every match in the ACC tournament will be a battle,” Santoro said. “Everybody’s ready to work hard. We just want champions.”

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