Just more than a minute into his match Friday, 133-pound Lou Ruland recorded a fall over Virginia's Joe Spisak, sending the Comcast Pavilion crowd into a frenzy.
For the Terrapin wrestling team, it turned out to be a sign of things to come.
After defeating the No. 32 Cavaliers, 19-16, the Terps found similar Ruland-inspired success in "The Battle of the Beltway" yesterday in a 19-17 victory over No. 11 American.
"That was huge," coach Kerry McCoy said of Ruland's pin Friday. "We talk about getting an opportunity and taking advantage of it; he got the kid on his back and didn't let him go."
"It was supposed to be a close bout. The kid was pretty tough, but I just caught him," Ruland said. "Truthfully, it didn't really hit me until right after. I just jumped up, and I was psyched."
Trailing 16-15 heading into their final bout against the Cavaliers (17-7, 3-2 ACC) on Friday, the Terps (13-5, 2-1) again placed their fate on the shoulders of heavyweight Spencer Myers. And for the second consecutive match, he did not disappoint, overcoming a mid-round visit from the trainer to score an 8-0 major decision over Jack Danilkowicz and clinch a Terp victory.
"I just clamped down and didn't want him to do anything," Myers said. "To get a win over a kid who has qualified for nationals once or twice is just huge for me and for the team."
Yesterday at American (13-7), the Terps used major decisions by Ruland and 184-pound Corey Peltier and a technical fall by 174-pound Mike Letts to distance themselves from the Eagles, eventually holding on to a two-point victory.
165-pound Josh Asper avenged his early-season loss to American's Patrick Graham, defeating him in the rematch, 7-1.
"We can compete with the best teams in the nation, individually and as a team," McCoy said. "Results are the only thing you can measure, and if you go out there and compete against the nation's best and do well against them, that proves that you are among the nation's best."
With just three matches remaining before the ACC Championships in March, the Terps believe their performance this weekend shows the wrestling community that they indeed belong among the nation's elite.
"Doesn't matter if we're in a home gym or an away gym," McCoy said. "Whatever the obstacle, we can go out there and perform."
"Everybody on our team just has to recognize our true potential," Ruland said. "As long as we all commit to one goal, we can get there."
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