Down two points heading into the third period, Terrapin wrestler Steve Fehnel found a way to battle back in dramatic fashion with a 6-4 decision in sudden death, using two takedowns and an escape.
The victory was just a small part of a dominant afternoon for the Terps against Princeton yesterday.
"He has been banged up all week, and for him to suck it up and go get that win was huge for him as well as for the rest of the guys to keep that momentum rolling," coach Kerry McCoy said.
Starting the match with a 12-point advantage because of two forfeits, the Terrapin wrestling team rolled through the Tigers, winning 46-3 in their home opener.
Four pins led the Terps, including three straight to start the match. One major decision and two regular decisions completed the score. The win was Maryland's third of the season, and by far their easiest.
"The guys went out there and had a fire underneath them to go out and perform," McCoy said. "They fought hard and some of the things we worked on during the week showed today. It was a good overall performance, and I'm glad it went the way it did."
The Tigers never seemed to have a chance with the Terps dominating them in almost every facet.
Sophomore Lou Ruland started the romp with an early takedown and a pin with only one second remaining in the first period against Princeton's Robert Benitez.
After Ruland, two of the Terp's ranked wrestlers, junior Steven Bell, ninth, and redshirt junior Alex Krom, 18th, both dispatched their opponents with pins.
The final fall for the Terps was brought by redshirt freshman Kyle John at 157 pounds, who took down Princeton's Marty Everin in 4:30.
Princeton's lone points in the match came at the very end, as the Tiger's Kurt Brednel beat freshman Owen Smith, 5-1.
The two forfeits in the match were in the 197 and heavyweight matches, helping seventh-ranked Hudson Taylor and Patrick Gilmore gain victories. Taylor improves to 15-2 on the season.
The wrestling team is off for two weeks for finals, then will go to the Wilkes Open on Dec. 28. Their next home game, and conference opener, will be on Jan. 11 against North Carolina.
"We're looking forward to next year, and we believe that '09 will be a great year for this program," McCoy said.
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