AU Wrestling head coach Mark Cody got together with his staff last weekend to hatch a plan to challenge a full-sized Maryland squad the Eagles hadn't beaten in 20 years. The lineup shuffle paid off Sunday as the Eagles (3-9) overcame their customary forfeit deficit to break an 11-match losing streak to the Terps (3-11-1) at Bender Arena, 23-21.
The best move in Sunday's match may have been strategic, not physical, with Cody shifting junior Muzaffar Rakhmanov, ranked No. 7 nationally among 157-pounders, to the 165-pound class to face Maryland's best athlete, Jason Kiessling. The upgrade didn't faze Rakhmanov, who sprang five takedowns in an 11-5 decision that gave him his 20th win and neutralized the big Maryland team.
"He's the one guy that when I'm watching him, I'm not totally relaxed, but pretty confident," Cody said of Rakhmanov, who won two junior college championships at different weight classes. "School and wrestling are so important to him. If something's important to you, you're going to win."
The Eagles begin every match with an 18-point disadvantage for not competing in three weight classes, but on Sunday they got two huge wins to just barely bridge the deficit.
In the last match of the evening, with the Eagles needing five points to win, freshman heavyweight Adam LoPiccolo pinnned Maryland's overmatched 174-pound Mark Maceroli in the final period for six points. Freshman Josh Glenn got AU's first big victory of the evening in the 185-pound class when he settled for a technical fall that was ensured by takedown in the closing seconds of the match.
"I was actually going for the pin, but it's hard when he's just trying not to get in a pin," Glenn said.
Two other freshmen took advantage of Cody's new lineup: 149-pound Christopher Stout got his third win in nine tries, and 197-pound Tyler Flatt got his third victory in six outings.
Senior Daniel Waters, ranked No. 21 in the nation at the 184-pound level, wrestled one weight level below his usual to win an 11-5 decision.
Sunday's victory win followed a 32-13 loss Friday night at Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association foe Navy (11-3). The No. 21 Midshipmen bounced the Eagles with four major decisions and three forfeits.
Abdurakhmanov had the best performance on the AU side, winning with a major decision, while Glenn, Waters and junior Tom Kniezeweski also picked up wins.
Navy, the EIWA's third-ranked team, gave the Eagles a taste of the elite competition they will face during the association's tournament March 4. The conference also features No. 4 Lehigh and No. 17 Cornell.
The AU squad will always have to battle the forfeit deficit, but Glenn said the personnel it does have gives him a positive feeling.
"I think we're a small team, but with the talent we've got, we can win a few matches," Glenn said.
