The wrestling team was very successful last year in the NCWA, and will look to build on that during this upcoming season. UMBC is a part of the Mid-East Conference, which contains 12 teams that are located along the East Coast. Last year the team placed 7th at the conferences tournament, scoring in the 133,141,157, and 235 weight classes. The Retrievers will be returning three of their four top eight conference finishers to the team this year.
Club president and returning senior Brandon Buckingham says he is looking forward to the season he and junior Miles Franklin have cut out for themselves.These two are expected to have a breakout year, and place in the top eight at nationals. Last year both, Miles Franklin and Tyler Rending finished as a runners up to the conference champion in their respective weight classes. The team will also be looking for opportunities to score with two new Freshman Rick Corte and Tim Carter, who wrestled together at Walter Johnson High School.
Overall, the team’s goal this season is to win conferences and place within the top eight at national duals in January. Brandon’s personal goal is to individually win conferences and nationals. All in all, he is happy with what they have gotten done in the pre-season, and feels that the team is looking very strong. They are excited to see how the year will unfold, and can’t wait to represent UMBC to the best of their ability.
On Oct. 28, the team will be heading up to New York for its first dual meet of the season. They plan on showcasing some of their new talent, as well as watching their returners lead them through a successful first weekend of competition.
