One superstar can carry a team, and two can usually guarantee at least a playoff berth in most major sports. But three stars? Three stars can lead to championships. Just ask the Terrapin wrestling team.
The No. 22 Terps boast a fearsome trio in the heart of their lineup – the triple threat of Josh Haines, Mike Letts and Hudson Taylor. The team’s three ranked wrestlers deserve recognition and maybe a nickname of their own.
“We’ve definitely all grown this year. We’re more intense,” sophomore Letts said. “And now we’re coming in on the last round together. We’ve only got a short time left to accomplish what we want to accomplish.”
Letts, redshirt sophomore Taylor and redshirt junior Haines have stormed the mats this season, leading the Terps to a 14-4 record heading into the last matches of the season.
The three are a dominant force on the mat for the Terps. They wrestle their individual matches consecutively, overwhelming opponents.
No. 9 Letts begins the murderer’s row sequence at the 174-pound weight class, where he carries an 17-4 record.
No. 19 Haines, the only starting upperclassman, follows at 184-pounds with a 14-7 record.
Finally, ranked No. 5 at 197-pounds, Taylor rounds out the group. The sophomore has a 26-2 record and a team-leading total of 16 pins.
This trio has often proved lethal to other team’s chances this season, giving the Terps a boost in the middle of meets. The most recent example of how devastating the group can be came against American on Feb. 13.
Down 14-3 going into the final four matches, the three all pinned their opponents, giving the Terps three consecutive falls. Letts and Haines felled their opponents in 26 and 22 seconds, respectively. The performance was even more impressive, considering Haines was coming off two weeks of rest because of a concussion.
“I told coach I wanted to wrestle,” Haines said. “I hadn’t been wrestling too well before Penn. I wanted to get back on my game. It was nice to get my momentum back.”
With the trio’s big production, the Terps went ahead by 17, leaving the Eagles with no hope for recovery.
And it’s not only on the mat that these wrestlers work together.
After a hard practice yesterday, the three wrestlers sat down to discuss the season.
After months of practicing and training together, the three have become close enough to finish each others’ sentences, joking around while discussing the importance of their respective rankings.
“It’s kind of nice to see your progression in the rankings, but … ,” Letts began.
“… once you get into the nationals, rankings don’t matter. What really matters is who shows up on any given day,” Taylor said.
“Yeah. Hey, you would know. You guys are both ranked higher than me,” Haines finished.
But though they joke, all three are staying focused on closing out the season with road matches against George Mason and Virginia.
The Viriginia match will decide the ACC regular season champion. With a win, the Terps would clinch this title improving upon their second-place finish last year.
The wrestlers believe in the team’s and their own abilities.
“We’re looking good,” Taylor said. “We’ve faced these teams before, so we know what to expect. Against Virginia, it’s going to be intense. Both teams are going to show a lot of emotion.”
“[Virginia’s] always a big match,” Haines agreed. “But whenever we put a lot on a match, we usually end up losing. So we’re working hard just to stay calm and play well.”
Letts closed out the group’s talk with a warning, saying, “The team’s pretty focused. We just need to stay on track. If we don’t, then in a few weeks, our season will be over, and that’s the one thing we don’t want.”
But with these three wrestlers working together to lead the team, the Terps remain confident as they head into last few days of the season.
n TERP NOTE – The team’s match at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., has been moved from Saturday to Thursday at 6:00 p.m.
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