Maryland wrestling takes 2 of 3 weekend duals

Maryland wrestling had a jam-packed weekend, with three away duals and the “Shorty” Hitchcock Memorial Classic. The Terps came away with a 2-1 record in the dual meets, moving their record to 5-7 this season.

On Friday, the Terps traveled to Annapolis to face off against No. 23 Navy, losing 29-10 to the Midshipmen (5-0, 2-0 EIWA). They fell victim to two major decisions and two falls, but No. 6 heavyweight Youssif Hemida was able to win his 18th match of the season, a major decision victory over Austin Faunce. Alfred Bannister and Brandon Cray also secured victories for Maryland in the loss.

On Saturday, the Terps sent some wrestlers to the Hitchcock Classic in Millersville, Pennsylvania. Three Maryland wrestlers placed in the tournament: Idris White, Michael Doetsch, and Garrett Burnham. White placed fourth, Doetsch placed fifth, and Burnham placed seventh. Maryland finished 13th overall in the classic.

To round out the weekend, Maryland traveled to Harvard and Brown on Sunday for two duals. For the first time since November, the Terps were able to secure a dual win on Sunday, sweeping the away duals against the Crimson and the Bears.

The first dual, against Harvard (1-1), was initially ruled a 22-21 loss for the Terps, due to an officiating error; The Crimson’s Angus Cowell was called for stalling too many times, which should have resulted in a disqualification. Maryland challenged the decision, the call was overturned and Cowell was disqualified, giving Youssif Hemida the win. As a result, the Terps won 23-22.

Hemida won his 19th match of the season, and the Terps benefitted from a fall by Alfred Bannister and a tech fall victory for Kyle Cochran. The Crimson came back strong, winning four matches in a row, including two technical falls and one fall, but ended up falling just short of victory.

The Terps then traveled to Brown, looking to end the weekend on a positive note. Maryland defeated the Bears (0-3, 0-1 EIWA), 19-16, thanks to Hemida’s 20th win of the season, a 13-5 major decision over Ian Butterbrodt. Hemida finished the weekend with a 3-0 record in duals. Marylnd benefitted from an injury default victory for Jhared Simmons (133), but almost lost the dual thanks to a five-match winning streak for the Bears, making Hemida’s match a must-win, and Hemida was more than up to the challenge.

Overall, Maryland is 5-1 in non-conference duals and 0-6 in Big Ten duals, two polarizing records. Kerry McCoy and the Terps are still seeking that elusive Big Ten dual victory—their first since the 2014-2015 season—in the coming weeks.

Maryland returns home for its next dual, a meeting with No. 1 Penn State on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.