WrestlingTerp

Mike Letts wins Bronze at 84 kg. Not bad for a guy what won the US FILA Jrs. at 79kg and was the third alternate for the Jr. Worlds.

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"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government!”

Big

Letts all join in on congratulating him!

Jointdoc55

Terp - Maryland seems to be on the upswing in college wrestling lately. Any theories as to why? (yes, this the old jointdoc who lost his Themat.com password 2 1/2 years ago...)

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"There are those who celebrate "peace" no matter what the cost, yet reject war no matter what the benefit. Such persons should not be entrusted in matters of national security. Peace should be defined - not as the absence of conflict, but rather, the absence of conflict in the context of true liberty." Jointdoc55, 2002

WrestlingTerp

WIN printed an article I wrote last Fall that sort of covers it, but:

1. John McHugh kept the program alive, with a handful of supporters. He had 5 scholarships, a roster limit of 30, and one part-time assistant coach (until his last two years).
2. Debbie Yow added two women's sports, which allowed the 8 underfunded men's teams to compete with each other to raise money for more scholarships.
3. Pat Santoro came to Maryland as a leap of faith on the premise that we could raise the money, which we did, to reach 9.9. Dr. Yow also increased our full time assistants to two.
4. Pat took some lumps for a couple of years but we could see the tide shifting. Funny that a lot of other "experts" still don't see it. But he recruited good kids, many of whom redshirted right away, so we didn't get the benefit of their talents. By Pat's third year we tied for the ACC dual meet title, won it outright in 2007 while finishing 2nd in the ACC, and had a banner year last year.
5. A slight shift in culture perhaps with Kerry McCoy assuming the reigns. But we're all VERY excited about where things are going. Even sweeter after nearly losing the program over 15 years ago.

The "experts" won't agree, but I see the potential for Maryland to finish in the top 10 at NCAAs with a shot at two champions in Taylor and Letts and perhaps a total of 4 or 5 all americans. Not blowing smoke like on the "other boards" but looking at the team objectively.

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"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government!”