For wrestling, a perfect record with imperfect results

On paper, the Terrapins wrestling team's record is perfect. Most of the Terps who actually make up that roster, however, are not.

With the exception of the 165-pound Josh Asper (20-0), every Terp has a blemish on his individual record. But coach Kerry McCoy said wrestling, regardless of personal records, is just like any other sport, with an emphasis on shared responsibility.

"It's like if a quarterback throws an interception or a running back fumbles, that player didn't have the best game, but the team still won," McCoy said. "Just like any other situation, you may lose an individual match, but you win the duel as a team. Everybody's not undefeated individually, but as a team, we are."

McCoy said a wrestler's individual record comes into play at the end of the season, when ranked wrestlers are entered into the ACC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament. According to InterMat, the Terps currently have six wrestlers ranked nationally in the top 20.

Many of them will be in jeopardy this weekend, when the No. 9 Terps (12-0, 2-0 ACC) encounter another two important ACC duels. The team boarded a bus on Thursday afternoon headed to Chapel Hill, N.C., for tonight's match against No. 53 North Carolina, and will face No. 33 Virginia on Sunday.

"There isn't more pressure on these matches because every time we go out there, it's not necessarily pressure, it's just an opportunity," McCoy said. "Every time we step out on the mat, it's important because we have an opportunity to showcase our skills and what we've been working on. Conference matches are important for our guys, but we want to be the top team in the conference, so to be at the top, you have to beat everyone else."

Both opponents boast several nationally ranked wrestlers — Virginia has four and North Carolina two — but in preparing for these meets, the Terps haven't done anything out of the ordinary.

"They have some individually ranked guys and so do we," McCoy said. "It's important for us to go out there and wrestle our best. We have opportunities to knock guys down in their rankings and opportunities for us to get better. We're aware of it all, but we don't fixate on it."

But as the end of the season approaches, with only matches against North Carolina, Virginia, Duke and George Mason remaining, the team can't help but think of how important their individual wins and losses will be come March.

"It's funny," McCoy said. "Someone said a while back that the team ranking is for the coaches and individual ranking is for the guys, and it's kind of true. Your individual ranking will put you in a seed for that national tournament. At the end of the year, your individual ranking is important. But you still have to wrestle the matches. You could be ranked No. 1 on paper but still lose. Team rank is still important, but as the season goes on, individual rank becomes more important."

egan@umdbk.com