WASHINGTON - Two bigtime duals are coming to Bender Arena this weekend as American University wrestling closes out the regular season with matches against Maryland and No. 19 Penn. The Terps will visit at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19, and the Quakers close out the weekend for Senior Day at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 20. Tickets for both matches are available HERE.

Health & Safety Protocols for Bender Arena

• American University Athletics has a number of safety measures in place for events at Bender Arena.
• AU Athletics requires proof of vaccination for all spectators 12 and older when attending sporting events at Bender.
• Proof of vaccination can be achieved by showing one's vaccine card, a photo of one's card or a digital vaccine record.
• Due to AU's requirement that current students and faculty/staff be vaccinated, those with a current AU ID will not need to show further proof of vaccination.
• All patrons must wear masks at all times while inside Bender Arena, and social distancing is encouraged.

Enhanced Bender Arena Concessions for 2021-22 Home Duals

• AU Athletics has partnered with Gregorio's Trattoria to provide an enhanced concessions menu that is returning this weekend to Bender Arena.
• Fans can enjoy Gregorio's favorites  including menu selections of pizza, Italian sausage and peppers, hot and cold sub sandwiches and wraps, chicken fingers, hot dogs, chips and more, as well as a full selection of refreshing Pepsi products. 
• Credit cards and cash accepted. 
• No outside food or beverages permitted into Bender Arena.

Inside the Series

• Maryland leads the all-time series 8-1 vs. AU since 2005, with the Eagles not having won since the very first meeting. Most recently, the Terps won 23-9 in 2014.
• Penn has won both meetings against AU in recent years, posting a 24-18 neutral-site victory in 2011 and a 21-14 win in Philadelphia in 2017.

What to Know About American

• The Eagles are closing out the regular season at home with two duals before heading to the EIWA Championships at Cornell in early March. American has just a single dual win so far, prevailing 22-18 vs. Duke on December 5.
• Three graduating seniors will be honored prior to the Penn dual on Sunday. Tim Fitzpatrick, Cole Painter and Ben Root will participate in the 2022 Senior Day ceremony.
• American head coach Jason Borrelli is in his first season after 13 years at Stanford. 
• Fitzpatrick is riding a hot streak at 174 pounds, having won six straight matches. He is tied with sophomore Andy Fallon (133) and redshirt sophomore Patrick Ryan (149) for the team lead with 16 wins. Right behind them is freshman Max Leete (125) with 15 wins.
• Five wrestlers earned placewinner finishes at the Bearcat Open on Nov. 14, led by Isaac Righter (285) who took second. Four Eagles were placewinners at the Navy Classic on Nov. 20, all taking fifth (Andy Fallon at 125, Patrick Ryan at 149, Tim Fitzpatrick at 165 and Colin Shannon at 174). Leete was a placewinner at the Reno Tournament of Champions, taking sixth place by default at 125 pounds after reaching the NCAA daily limit of six matches.
• The team captains for 2021-22 are Fitzpatrick, Ryan, and junior Will Jarrell.
• American went without a dual match in 2020-21 due to a variety of factors including health & safety protocols and team readiness. Three wrestlers competed at the EIWA Championships and two of those advanced to the NCAA Championships including Fitzpatrick.
• Of the 25 wrestlers on the roster this season, just seven had ever competed collegiately prior to November. Ten are true freshmen, and another eight joined the team last season but did not see action on the competition mat.

American (1-10, 0-4) Probable Starters

• 125 - Max Leete (Fr.) 15-6
• 133 - Jack Maida (Fr.) 11-8 
• 141 - Ethan Szerencsits (So.) 8-16
• 149 - Patrick Ryan (RSo.) 16-12
• 157 - Antonio Segura (Fr.) 11-14
• 165 - Breon Phifer (Fr.) 4-14
• 174 - Tim Fitzpatrick (Sr.) 16-12
• 184 - Colin Shannon (RSr.) 4-15
• 197 - Carsten Rawls (Fr.) 5-14
• HWT - Isaac Righter (So.) 12-12

What to Know About Maryland

• The Terps are 5-12 overall, matching their highest win total since the 2017-18 season. Maryland was 0-8 in a shortened season last year, and 2-17 the year before. One more victory would be the program's best total since a nine-win finish in the 2013-14 season.
• In the powerhouse Big Ten Conference, Maryland went winless this season at 0-8, and the Terps have just one Big Ten victory since joining in 2014-15.
• Redshirt senior Kyle Cochran (184) is ranked 13th in the latest NCAA Coaches Panel through matches of Feb. 6. Cochran is 20-6 overall and 11-5 in dual meets.
• Graduate student Jaron Smith (197) is ranked 26th with a record of 15-9, and redshirt senior heavyweight Zach Schrader is ranked 33rd at 12-14 overall.

Maryland (5-12, 0-8) Probable Starters

• 125 - Tommy Capul (1-8) or Zach Spence (0-15)
• 133 - King Sandoval (14-12)
• 141 - Danny Bertoni (11-14) 
• 149 - Michael North (4-13)
• 157 - Lucas Cordio (6-16) or Conner Decker (6-15)
• 165 - Gaven Bell (3-20)
• 174 - Dominic Solis (12-11)
• 184 - #13 Kyle Cochran (20-6)
• 197 - #26 Jaron Smith (15-9) or Kevin Makosy (2-9)
• HWT - Zach Schrader (12-14)
• *Rankings from NCAA Coaches Panel

What to Know About Penn

• The 19th-ranked Quakers have won three straight duals including a 20-13 victory over No. 20 Princeton on Feb. 12.
• Eight Penn wrestlers are ranked in the NCAA Coaches Panel's latest rankings. The highest of those are Michael Colaiocco (133) at No. 14 and CJ Composto (141) at No. 15.
• Head coach Roger Reina is in his second stint as head coach at Penn and in his 24th overall season with the Quakers.
• Team captains for Penn are Carmen Ferrante, Doug Zapf and Ben Goldin. 
• It was 616 days between matches for Penn without a season in 2020-21. Returners this season included 2019 EIWA champion and NCAA championships qualifier Anthony Artalona and NCAA championships qualifier Ferrante. Zapf qualified for the 2020 NCAA championships.

Penn (7-2, 7-1) Probable Starters

• 125 - #24 Ryan Miller or Blair Orr
• 133 - #14 Michael Colaiocco
• 141 - #15 CJ Composto 
• 149 - #22 Anthony Artalona, Carmen Ferrante or Kaya Sement
• 157 - #21 Doug Zapf
• 165 - #22 Lucas Revano
• 174 - #20 Nick Incontrera
• 184 - Neil Antrassian
• 197 - Cole Urbas 
• 285 - #31 Ben Goldin or Nate Hoaglund
• *Rankings from NCAA Coaches Panel

Season Tickets on Sale Now -- Save Big

• Cheer loud and proud for the AU Wrestling team in Bender Arena with friends, family, and colleagues by purchasing your season ticket to all home duals!
  • Adult: $45
  • Youth (17 and below): $20
  • Senior (65+): $20
  • Pricing subject to 6% DC sales tax
• Click here to purchase your tickets online at AUeagles.com/TIckets
• Require Accessible Seating? Interested in group tickets of 10+, or renting out the Bender Arena Skybox to watch a match in style? Email clawed@american.edu or call 202.885.TIXX.

Not in the DMV or Can't Make all the Matches?

• Purchase a season ticket to support the wrestling program and return any unwanted tickets back to the ticket office and we will donate your ticket(s) to a local youth wrestling club or organization.
• This program will allow the youth wrestlers of the DMV to experience high-quality Division-I wrestling in person.
• For questions on this community give-back program please email clawed@american.edu.

How to Watch ESPN+

• A subscription to ESPN+ is available for purchase via ESPN.com, ESPNPlus.com, or the ESPN App. Fans can access ESPN+ content only after they have subscribed. To subscribe, click here. It costs $6.99/month or $69.99/year. 
• On the call for Sunday's dual will be Jason Grimes and Jeric Kasunic.

Stay Connected

• For more information on AU Wrestling, follow the team on Twitter @AU_Wrestling, Instagram @au_wrestling and Facebook @AU.Wrestling.
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