After competing against two of the nation's elite programs last weekend, the Terrapin wrestling team will spend its final week of the regular season facing an easier level of competition.
A week removed from victories over No. 32 Virginia and No. 8 American, the No. 26 Terps (13-4, 2-1 ACC) will travel down Tobacco Road tonight for matches with Duke (2-5-1, 0-4) and No. 24 N.C. State (9-9, 1-3) before returning home Sunday for Senior Night against George Mason (0-19).
But coach Kerry McCoy sees no reason for the Terps to take any of these opponents lightly. With the conference tournament just two weeks away, every match becomes important to the team's goal of an ACC Championship.
"Typically, they haven't been the most dangerous teams," McCoy said. "But we've got to be ready. These matches are very important for conference seeding, and it's important for us to continue our momentum and finish the season strong."
"It's always good to go into your next tournament on a win," 141-pound Jon Kohler said. "We just need to keep doing what we did last weekend. Everybody has to wrestle hard."
On Sunday, the Terps will honor a senior class that features three starters — Kohler, 133-pound Lou Ruland and 174-pound Mike Letts. All have been important contributors for the Terps throughout their careers, boasting a combined 205-110 record.
"It's just great to finish your career at home," McCoy said. "As a team, if we keep that momentum going and finish with a ‘W,' that's going to be huge for them. I know these guys wanted to finish their senior seasons the right way."
All three squads will offer the Terps easier tests than their opponents from this past weekend, but McCoy understands how important it will be for his team to remain sharp. A loss to any of these teams could have a negative effect on the Terps' conference tournament seeding.
"Don't overlook anybody," McCoy said. "When you come down to the last weekend and you're two weeks away from the ACC Tournament, it can be really easy to only focus on the ACCs. Our guys can't take anything for granted."
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