March 1, 2001

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The Maryland wrestling team (6-6, 1-3 ACC) ended the regular season on Feb. 16 with dual victories over Howard and Old Dominion. The Terps had a two-week hiatus from competition to prepare for the ACC Championships to be held on March 3. The Terps go into the tournament in fourth place in the conference and boast two possible first-seed entries, two-time ACC champion at 133, junior Brandon York (Gaithersburg, Md.) and redshirt-sophomore Jake Stork (Mohrsville, Pa.), who enters the tournament having swept all four ACC dual matches. The ACC wrestling championships will be held as part of MatJam on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Carmichael Auditorium. Also taking part in MatJam are the Colonial Athletic Association and the Southern Conference.

York Looks to Repeat First Place Finish at 133

Brandon York will be looking to take a third consecutive conference title at 133 and make a third trip to the NCAA tournament when he enters the conference championships as the probable No. 1 seed with a 27-3 overall mark. If history repeats itself, York may meet North Carolina's Brad Byers in the championship round. York defeated Byers in 2000 to earn first place and an automatic bid to nationals. York topped Byers in dual competition 8-2 when the two last met on Feb. 11 this year. Byers owns three conference dual wins for a possible No. 2 seed. York is the favorite at 133 and will be the first Maryland wrestler since Steve Peperack, who competed at 177 pounds in 1987, to earn three consecutive conference titles.

Redshirt-sophomore Jake Stork is poised to take his first trip to nationals, after sweeping the conference duals at 184, as the probable No.1 seed going into the tournament. Stork's biggest competition for the title will come at the hands of Virginia's Jimi Massey, who Stork pinned in 1:29 on Feb. 14. Massey is 3-1 in conference competition and stands in second place. Stork also owns a team-high record for pins this season with 12.

Maryland also returns three NCAA qualifiers in 2001, juniors Mark Mansueto (West Chester, Pa.) at 141, Rob Booth (Atco, N.J.) at 157 and Josh Weidman (Hershey, Pa.) at 165. All fell in the conference finals last season but earned wildcard bids to the NCAA tournament. Mansueto is tied with NC State's Oraefo Brown and Virginia's Bob Seidel for first place going into the tournament with three conference wins. Mansueto will most likely draw the No. 1 seed. Brown will probably draw the No. 2 seed, having been defeated three times by Mansueto since last year. Booth, who recorded an 0-4 conference record, will draw a No. 5 seed. NC State's Pierre Pryor may be the No. 1 seed at 157 with a perfect conference dual record. Weidman is a possible No. 2 seed at 165 having fallen to Virginia's Greg Francesca on Feb. 14 in a dual. This dropped Weidman's record to 3-1 and boosted Francesca's to 4-0. Look for these two to meet in the championship round.

Other Terps looking to make a mark this weekend are Joe Guzzio (Greensboro, N.C.) at 125 who recorded 18 wins this season. Redshirt-sophomore Sal Aquia (Baltimore, Md.) owns a 15-9 overall record. Both wrestlers stumbled in dual competition but have a shot at a top-three finish.