A move back to the mat

At this time last year, Mike Letts was resigned to remain on the sidelines as he watched the Terrapin wrestling team falter unexpectedly in a second-place showing at the ACC Championships.

This weekend, the 174-pound senior will be back on the mat for the Terps, attempting to lead the team to a conference title it came so close to winning last year.

His transformation from cheerleader to contender has hinged on the health of what might be his toughest adversary: his right knee. When he tore his ACL last year, his hopes of a second ACC title that season were damaged with it. But after a lengthy rehabilitation process, Letts resolved to claim the individual title he was unable to last year — and, if he can, the one that eluded the Terps as well.

"You work for years to get one chance to compete at the end of the season," Letts said. "Not getting that opportunity really hurts. I think that's what kept me motivated to come back harder the next year."

Letts had compiled a 19-4 record midway through the 2010 season before seeing it come to an abrupt end. As the Terps were practicing for January's Wendy's Dual meets in Ohio, Letts tore the ACL in his right knee, putting his competitive future on hold.

"I was really kind of shell-shocked," Letts said. "It's one of those things you hear about, but you never think it's going to happen to you."

With one year of eligibility remaining, Letts was determined to come back for his senior year with a clean bill of health. As the Parkesburg, Pa., native dedicated his entire offseason to restoring his knee, lifting weights and intense training became a staple of his daily routine.

"I was so determined that I came in here, by myself, just to do anything I could do to get better," Letts. "But it was difficult. Sometimes you feel like an outcast because you can't do everything that the other guys were doing. You want to, but you know you can't because it'll just hurt your recovery."

Since he's returned, however, Letts has found little but success. Letts is ranked No. 15 by Intermat in the 174-pound class, finishing the season with a 26-6 record, including a 15-2 mark in dual matches.

But his value to the team rises above his win-loss record. As a captain and a leader for the Terps, Letts is equally critical to the team's overall success, coach Kerry McCoy said.

"He leads by example, and it really helps all the guys on the team to have someone you can always count on to get a win," McCoy said. "Ultimately, to know that we've got that kind of success and that kind of character on the team is very important."

With Saturday's ACC Championships fast approaching, the Terps will need Letts' veteran touch. He has already secured one individual conference title in his career, taking home the 174-pound crown at the 2008 ACC Championships, and McCoy believes he has the ability to improve on those results this season.

"There's no doubt in my mind that he can win the ACCs and win the NCAA Tournament," McCoy said. "He's just got to go out there and wrestle one match at a time."

After spending an entire offseason rehabbing, Letts is more motivated than ever to compete. Just more than a year removed from a career-threatening injury, Letts knows only two victories this weekend will help him all but erase his painful memories of last year's ACC Tournament.

"I'm very motivated," Letts said. "I'm going to win the tournament."

vitale@umdbk.com