Anthony Ashnault of Rutgers is currently ranked No. 6 at 141 pounds (Photo/Mark Lundy, Lutte-Lens.com)Maryland hosts Rutgers on Sunday at noon ET at the XFinity Center Pavilion.
The Terrapins have a 2-4 dual meet record this season, and are coming off a split on Friday. Maryland fell to North Dakota State 22-12 before dominating George Mason 38-3.
Rutgers opened its season by winning its first five dual meets before losing to Cornell 28-10 at the Grapple at the Garden on Nov. 27. Rutgers will be looking for its third straight victory over Maryland.
Sunday's dual meet will be broadcast live on the Big Tent Network and BTN2Go. Visit BTN's wrestling page for the latest news on Big Ten wrestling.
Below are five matchups to watch on Sunday.
125: Alex Vargas (Maryland) or Michael Beck vs. Sean McCabe (Rutgers)
Vargas, a true freshman from New York, improved his record to 8-6 after getting a pin against George Mason on Friday. He was shown steady improvement in the early part of his college wrestling career. He opened his career by placing fourth at the Southeast Open, and the next week notched his first career win over a ranked opponent at the Bearcat Open when he defeated Cornell's Dalton Macri. Beck, a junior with a 2-4 record this season, is also an option for Maryland. McCabe, a senior, is a returning NCAA qualifier. Like Vargas, he has a victory over Cornell's Macri, which came last season. McCabe earned a 13-4 major decision over Beck when these two programs met last season.
141: Billy Rappo (Maryland) vs. No. 6 Anthony Ashnault (Rutgers)
Rappo, a two-time Pennsylvania state champion, was second on the Maryland team in wins last season with 16. The Terrapin senior captain has gotten off to a bit of a slow start this season, but picked up two wins on Friday to get back to .500. Two of his five losses, though, have come to ranked wrestlers. He held Princeton's Matt Kolodzik, ranked No. 4, to a regular decision. Rappo will have his hands full when he faces two-time All-American Ashnault, who enters the match with a 7-2 record and No. 6 ranking. Ashnault opened his season by defeating returning NCAA runner-up Bryce Meredith at the NWCA All-Star Classic. He has since taken a couple losses -- one to Kolodzik and one to NC State's Kevin Jack. It's unlikely Rappo will pull the upset, but don't be surprised if he holds Ashnault to a decision.
149: No. 12 Alfred Bannister (Maryland) vs. No. 15 Ken Theobold (Rutgers) or Anthony Giraldo
Bannister, known as "Baby J" has been impressive this season after moving up a weight class. Last season Bannister, a two-time National Prep champion, was a .500 wrestler (10-10). He has started this season 11-0 after two victories on Friday night. Theobold is a two-time NCAA qualifier who redshirted last season. After winning his first nine matches to start this season, Theobold suffered his first defeat of the season last weekend at the Journeymen Tussle at the hands of NC State's Sam Speno. Giraldo, an NCAA qualifier at 133 pounds last season, could also get the call for Rutgers. He has posted a 10-3 record this season.
157: Danny Boychuck (Maryland) or Justin Alexander vs. No. 20 John Van Brill (Rutgers)
The Terrapins could use either Boychuck or Alexander against Rutgers. The two wrestlers shared starting duties on Friday night, with each getting a match. Boychuck had a productive redshirt season in 2015-16, going 15-10, and has started this season 12-4. Alexander has wrestled just two matches this season, going 1-1. Van Brill has stepped in the Rutgers lineup, replacing NCAA qualifier Richie Lewis, who is expected to have surgery. Van Brill, who has a 10-2 record, entered the InterMat rankings this week after notching victories over two ranked wrestlers last weekend at Journeymen Tussle. His most notable victory came by pin over NC State's Max Rohskopf, who was ranked No. 4 at the time.
197: David-Brian Whisler (Maryland) vs. Matt Correnti (Rutgers)
Whisler, a redshirt freshman, has been one of Maryland's top performers this season. He opened his season by winning the Southeast Open, and has carried that momentum into mid-December. Whisler improved his record 9-2 after two victories on Friday night. One of Whisler's two losses came to All-American Brett Harner of Princeton, while the other came to Lock Haven's Tristan Sponseller. Correnti, a New Jersey native, has been called upon to start for Rutgers as a true freshman. He was the nation's No. 34 recruit by InterMat in the Class of 2016. He has compiled a 6-4 record in his first 10 matches, which includes a win over Cal Poly's J.T. Goodwin, and his coming off a dominating 16-6 major decision victory at the Rob Ng of Penn at the Journeymen Tussle.
Dual Meet Prediction: Rutgers 23, Maryland 9
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