March 13, 2001

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Junior co-captain Brandon York (Gaithersburg, Md.) defended his ACC title at 133 on March 3 when he claimed his third conference championship and becomes the first Maryland wrestler to achieve this feat since Steve Peperack more than a decade ago. York makes his third trip to the NCAA tournament accompanied by three teammates. Junior Mark Mansueto (West Chester, Pa.) claimed his first conference title at 141 . His first place win this year is an automatic trip to the NCAA tournament beginning on March 15 at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena at the University of Iowa. Redshirt-sophomore Jake Stork (Mohrsville, Pa.) took second place at 184 pounds and earned a wildcard. Junior Josh Weidman (Hershey, Pa.) battled back after a loss in the first round to capture third place and a second consecutive wildcard berth. Maryland finished fourth at the ACC championships with a team score of 52.5. NC State emerged the winner with a combined team score of 78.5 and will take six qualifiers to the NCAA tournament.

A Look at the 2001 NCAA Qualifiers

Brandon York (133 pounds), Jr., Gaithersburg, Md.: York captured his third consecutive ACC title in 2001 and makes his third trip to nationals with a 29-3 overall record. At 133, he is a consistent competitor and owns four top-three tournament finishes. In addition to his first-place title at the conference championships, he also placed first at the Millersville Invitational, second at the Penn State Open and third at the Sunshine Open. His 4-0 conference record led to a No.1 seed and secured his place as one of the top wrestlers in the ACC. York will meet Central Michigan's Jordan Webster in the first round at 11:00 a.m. on March 15.

Mark Mansueto (141 pounds), Jr., West Chester, Pa.: At 141, Mansueto had a stellar year, sweeping all four conference dual meets for a perfect 4-0 record and earned his first conference title at 141. He makes his second consecutive trip to nationals, having earned a wildcard bid last season. Mansueto recorded three top-three finishes in 2000-2001. He posted a 25-9 overall record and eight dual wins. Mansueto will square off against either Iowa State's Zach Roberson, who is seeded ninth, or Appalachian State's Jeremy Hart who will wrestle in a pigtail bout prior to the first round. Hart is the Southern Conference Champion at 141.

Josh Weidman (165 pounds), Jr., Hershey, Pa.: After fighting back after a devasting loss in the first round of the conference championships, Weidman took third place at 165 and earned a wildcard berth to the national championship. This marks his second trip to nationals with teammates York and Mansueto. He posted a 29-7 overall record this season and was the second seed in the conference tournament. Weidman earned four top-three finishes in tournament action this season including a first place finish at the Sunshine Open. He will meet the No. 11 seed, Edinboro's Ben Boozer, in the first round.

Jake Stork (184 pounds), R-So., Mohrsville, Pa.: Stork had a breakout season in 2000-2001 after sitting out last season with a redshirt. He recorded a 24-7 overall record and posted a team-high 12 falls on the season. He placed second at the ACC tournament, gaining a wildcard bid. He also placed second at the Millersville Invitational and ended the regular season with an 11-1 dual record. Stork meets Seton Hall's John Garrigues in the first round.