Jimmy Sheptock is one of the most accomplished wrestlers in Maryland history. The former two-time All-American and NCAA tournament finalist left a lasting legacy with the Maryland wrestling team, terrorizing opponents on the mat through five seasons.
Undecided about his future after graduating in 2014, Sheptock went to grad school at Drexel to study sports management. He also joined the Dragons’ wrestling team as a graduate assistant for two seasons.
Now, after earning his master’s degree, Sheptock is back at his alma mater, giving the Terps advice on how he achieved so much success.
“Coming back here was kind of a no-brainer for me,” Sheptock said. “I really owe this place everything that I have from a wrestling standpoint and from a personal standpoint.”
Sheptock came to Maryland in 2009 out of Northampton, Pennsylvania. Coach Kerry McCoy and Sheptock had a long-standing relationship dating back to when McCoy coached at Lehigh and Sheptock attended wrestling camps there. So when McCoy became the Terps’ coach, Sheptock was his first commit.
And after redshirting as a freshman, Sheptock began what would become one of the finest careers in Maryland wrestling history.
Sheptock finished 51-0 in duals and 129-20 overall. He was a three-time ACC champion, once at 174 pounds and twice at 184, and became the first NCAA finalist from Maryland since 1969. Despite placing second his senior year, he was the first Maryland grappler ever to be ranked No. 1.
After graduating with a bachelor’s in communication, he eventually found his passion for coaching while helping out Drexel’s wrestling program.
“Over the two years that I was there, just seeing the daily duties of being a coach and some of the things that you learn, I really saw the sport in a different light and I really became interested,” Sheptock said. “That’s kind of what led me here.”
Sheptock learned he had a different appreciation for wrestling as a coach than when he competed on the mat. He couldn’t wrestle the match himself but still enjoyed watching his wrestlers implement the techniques he taught them.
That satisfaction, combined with his relationship with McCoy, brought Sheptock back to College Park to help the Terps compete in the nation’s premier conference.
“I felt like this was the place that I wanted to be, under coach McCoy who had been a good mentor to me as a student athlete, thinking that he could be a great mentor to me as a coach now,” Sheptock said. “But also, I want to see success for this program, more than any other team I’ve been around.”
At the Terps’ media day on Oct. 27, McCoy spoke glowingly of Sheptock as he discussed the new coach’s influence heading into the season. He said having one of his former athletes coach with him is “an awesome experience,” and added Sheptock’s familiarity with his expectations as a bonus.
“Knowing that you have somebody that has gone through the process, gone through everything, believes in the system, and to be able to come back and reinforce that, it’s a great thing,” McCoy said. “The level of success that he had during his time here, that’s huge for us.”
Sheptock’s roles vary from recruiting to scouting opponents and even running practices at times. He believes those tasks and responsibilities are good ways to build toward his future in wrestling.
But for Sheptock, less than three years removed from the end of his own athletic career, being a young coach has been a learning process. Though the current Maryland squad has a lot of underclassmen, a few grapplers were a part of the Maryland program when Sheptock was still competing in College Park. He said going from a teammate to a coach of some of those wrestlers has been different, but believes having already established relationships will be beneficial moving forward.
“We have that mutual respect, where they understand what the boundaries are, and I understand what the boundaries are,” Sheptock said. “But at the same time, I’m going to be someone that they can go to and talk to, and I think that’s good.”
Sheptock credits McCoy for the successful transition. He learned valuable wrestling and life lessons when he competed for McCoy, and is now gaining valuable insight into what his former coach preached to him as an undergrad.
Seeing it through a different lens has had a significant influence on Sheptock’s development as a coach.
“When you see it from a broader standpoint, and you see what the overall goal is, you have a much deeper appreciation for what he’s trying to accomplish,” Sheptock said. “Then you just have to preach that on the new crop of guys. So that’s what I’ve been trying to do, and hopefully we’re getting across to some of them.”
Sheptock’s goal is to become a head coach, but he’s in no hurry. He’s enjoyed rejoining the Terps in a different role.
“I still have a lot that I want to learn, dissect and try to figure out,” Sheptock said. “I know that I’ve got coach McCoy and Mike [Catullo] that are two guys that have been in the business for a long time. I have a lot to learn from them, and I want to get as much as I can every day from them.”
