Jan. 10, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Just four bouts into the match, a 5-2 win by 18th-ranked Josh Haines over Casey Caldwell (Liberty, Ind.) broke a 6-6 tie, giving the 21st-ranked Maryland wrestling team a lead it would not relinquish as the Terps defeated the No. 22 Navy Midshipmen, 21-18, Thursday night in front of 1,025 fans at Halsey Field House in Annapolis, Md. The Terrapins won six of the 10 matches en route to snapping the Mids' 10-match winning streak over Maryland. The win was Maryland's first against Navy since 1997 (24-13) and its first win in Annapolis since Feb. 12, 1986.

"I'm disappointed with the outcome tonight," said eighth-year Navy head coach Bruce Burnett. "There are three things I ask of this team and that is that they battle in mind, body and more than anything heart. Clearly we didn't win the battle of heart in two of our matches tonight. Had we, maybe we could have won one more match and possibly the entire match.

"Honestly, Maryland was the better team tonight. They have had the talent in the room, but it takes awhile to learn to win. I think Pat has done a tremendous job developing his wrestlers and his program."

Early on it looked as though it might be a long evening for the Midshipmen as Maryland jumped out to a 6-0 lead thanks to decisions by rookie Brian Letters at 157 pounds and senior Ryan Kennett at 165. Letters led the entire match against Navy senior Spencer Manley (Chattanooga, Tenn.), who was asked to step in for an ailing Joel Ahern. Manley, who has spent the year wrestling at 149 pounds, closed to within one in the final period, but a takedown by Letters with 38 seconds left provided a buffer and with riding time, Letters claimed the 9-6 win.

Navy's Matt DeMichiel (Whitesboro, N.Y.) looked to be the dominate wrestler through the first two periods at 165 pounds, but Kennett used his experience to overpower DeMichiel in the final period. Kennett knotted up the scored eight seconds into the final period before taking the go-ahead takedown with 33 ticks left on the clock. He extended his lead and almost pinned DeMichiel as Kennett was awarded a three-point near fall to take the 10-4 win.

It was the clash of the Titans at 174 pounds as No. 9 Matt Stolpinski (Westfield, Mass.) battled seventh-ranked Mike Letts of Maryland. Letts dominated Stolpinski early in the match, earning three takedowns and a 6-3 advantage by the end of the opening period. Stolpinski managed to cut Letts' lead to one after a takedown with seven seconds left in the second and trailed 7-8 going into the final period. Letts opened up with an escape, but less than 30 seconds later, Navy's team captain was able to turn Letts and pinned the 2007 NCAA qualifier at the 5:38 mark.

"Letts is a tremendous wrestler," said Stolpinski, who was has now won 125 career matches, just two off the Navy school record set by Greg Gingeleskie who produced 127 victories from 1996-99. "I wasn't doing what I needed to do and was making some mistakes along the way. I know Coach Burnett was frustrated with me and I have a lot to work on in the coming weeks."

With the match tied up at six points apiece, Navy turned to Caldwell to carry the torch at 184 pounds. Caldwell got the starting nod because of an injury to regular starter Matt Parsons (Dunkirk, Md.). Haines owned a 4-1 lead after the first two periods, however, Caldwell made a run, narrowing the score after a takedown early in the final stanza. Despite a valiant effort, Caldwell dropped a 5-2 decision to Haines.

Maryland extended its lead to to nine when just 59 seconds into the 197-pound bout, eighth-ranked Hudson Taylor pinned Navy's Tyler Moyer (Bremerton, Wash.).

However, Navy answered with an even more impressive pin, as third-ranked heavyweight Ed Prendergast (St. Louis, Mo.) earned a fall over Terrapin rookie Patrick Gilmore with just 14 ticks off the clock. It was the fastest pin in Prendergast's career and it moved him into a tied for fourth on Navy's all-time pins list with the great Pete Blair (1951-55). Meanwhile, Prendergast extended his winning streak to 12 in a row dating back to the opening round of the Reno Tournament of Champions on Dec. 18.

Down just three points, Navy would trade victories with Maryland over the final four matches. The Terps pushed their lead to 18-12 behind a 6-2 victory by second-year standout Brendan Byrne at 125 pounds. Tied at two apiece midway through the second period, Byrne took the lead for good when he was awarded a takedown against Navy rookie Allan Stein (Portland, Maine) on the edge of the mat as time expired.

Junior Joe Baker (Poway, Calif.) took the lead less than a minute into his match against sophomore Steven Bell at 133 pounds and would push it to as large as seven points in the third period before taking the match, 12-6. Baker's 10-3 lead was with 41 seconds left, but he could not hold Bell in his grasp as he surrendered the escape, followed by a Bell takedown with 13 seconds remaining. Baker escaped with just four seconds left and added riding time to claim the match.

Thanks to the efforts of senior Charlie Pinto, Maryland assured itself at least a tie in the match with the veteran 141-pounder turned in an 8-2 victory over Navy sophomore Glenn Shober (Reading, Pa.). After a scoreless first period, Shober opened the second with an escape. Pinto, though, answered almost immediately with a takedown to lead 2-1 heading into the final stanza. Pinto turned in a pair of takedowns and an escape to Shober's escape in the final period to take the win with riding time.

Down three points heading into the final match, Navy needed a pin from rookie 149-pounder Bryce Saddoris (Spring Creek, Nev.). Saddoris, who has won 24 matches this season, was battled by fellow freshman Eric Medina. Medina scored his only takedown of the match with just under a minute left in the opening period and Saddoris tied up the match with 27 seconds to go. Saddoris took the lead for good at 1:17 mark in the second period. The Navy newcomer tied to get Medina turned in the closing seconds of the match, but was unable to get the extra-point win for the Mids, as Saddoris earned a 7-3 win in the final match of the evening.

"There were a few guys in particular that I thought wrestled really tough," added Burnett. "Ed went out there and there was no doubt what he was going out there to do. A few matches later, Joe Baker went out and made something happen in his match. Though Allan Stein and Casey Caldwell lost their matches, I felt like they really battled and worked hard. I don't ask that our guys win every match, but I do ask them to compete.

"We are going to have to get back in the wrestling room and learn to compete with our conference tournament and nationals just around the corner."

The Midshipmen, who are now 1-3 in dual matches, return to action Saturday when they travel to Washington, D.C. to face unranked American. Action is slated to begin at 7:00 pm at Bender Arena.

#21 Maryland 21, #22 Navy 18157 - Brian Letters (M) dec. Spencer Manley (N), 9-6 w/ riding time (M3, N0)165 - Ryan Kennett (M) dec. Matt DeMichiel (N), 10-4 w/ riding time (M6, N0)174 - #9 Matt Stolpinski (N) fall #7 Mike Letts (M), 5:38 (M6, N6)184 - #18 Josh Haines (M) dec. Casey Caldwell (M), 5-2 w/ riding time (M9, N6)197 - #8 Hudson Taylor (M) fall Tyler Moyer (N), 0:59 (M15, N6)285 - #3 Ed Prendergast (N) fall Patrick Gilmore (M), 0:12 (M15, N12)125 - Brendan Byrne (M) dec. Allan Stein (N), 6-2 w/ riding time (M18, N12)133 - Joe Baker (N) dec. Steven Bell (M), 12-6 w/ riding time (M18, N15)141 - Charlie Pinto (M) dec. Glenn Shober (N), 8-2 w/ riding time (M21, N15)149 - Bryce Saddoris (N) dec. Eric Medina (M), 7-3 w/ riding time (M21, N18)