141-pound Alfred Bannister takes on an opponent during the Terps’ 24-10 win over Drexel at the Xfinity Pavilion on Dec. 5, 2015.

The Terrapins wrestling team has suffered from slow starts all season. At their season-opening Terrapin Duals, the Terps dropped their first two matches before beating Davidson. Coach Kerry McCoy attributed the issues to not being focused from the get-go.

At the Grapple at the Garden on Nov. 29, the Terps again struggled early, falling to No. 11 Illinois before recovering to defeat Hofstra. Freshman 149-pounder Wade Hodges attributed the team’s loss to poor pregame preparation. 

“Against Illinois, we came out a little cold,” Hodges said. “We could’ve had a little better warm-up preparation.”

So last week, the Terps changed their work ethic and came out with an increased aggression against Drexel on Saturday. McCoy’s squad notched the first 12 points en route to a 24-10 victory over the Dragons.

READ MORE: Maryland coasts past the Dragons

The Terps started the dual with the 174-pound weight class instead of the usual 125, a way for McCoy to get the team to approach the match differently. 

The first three Terps wrestlers scored the first points of their matches. Josh Snook, 174 pounds, gave the Terps a 3-0 lead, 184-pound Jaron Smith pinned his foe, and a minor decision from 197-pound Garrett Wesneski drove the Terps’ lead to 12-0. 

McCoy made changes leading up to Saturday’s match. He modified practice to push his wrestlers to their limits and make them feel uneasy. 

“For the last few weeks they’ve been grinding it out,” McCoy said. “You’ve got to make it a little uncomfortable. We’ve had to rattle the cage in practice a little. These guys may not have the best feeling towards me at the end of practice.”

But this wasn’t the first match for which the coaching staff has urged the wrestlers to be more prepared at the start. During a practice two weeks ago, assistant coach Rob Eiter told his team to consider how its slow starts in matches were linked to performance in training.

Since then, the coaches have seen improvement.

“At the end of the day, you walk out knowing you put the work in,” 141-pound Alfred Bannister said. “You walk on the mat there’s no doubt you put the work in this week. That’s what we need.”

For the Terps to bounce back from a winless inaugural Big Ten slate, McCoy is trying to get the Terps to pay attention to details, no matter how small. 

“I talk to our team about cracks in the foundation,” McCoy said. “If we want to be the best program, we gotta seal all those cracks.”

While different coaches have described the team’s mentality in past years as “stubborn” or “questioning,” the Terps appear to be turning a corner this season. They stepped on the mat prepared Saturday, and they hope to continue that readiness as the competition gets tougher. “A lot of work to do moving forward, but we’re willing to put in the work,” 157-pound Lou Mascola said. “We’re building, learning from mistakes.”