Tar Heel wrestling hopes to take down Terps

North Carolina is looking to upset the balance of power in the ACC by defeating Maryland Friday night at home.

Coach C.D. Mock said knocking off Maryland (12-0, 2-0) would be monumental. The Terrapins have handled each of their dual opponents by at least six points.

“On paper, we can’t beat Maryland,” he said. “It would be bigger than just ACC news. It would be national news.”

UNC (2-11, 1-2) will also host Navy (3-6) on Saturday in a task less imposing than Maryland.

Six of Maryland’s wrestlers slated to compete Friday are ranked in the top 20 in their respective weight classes, including No. 2 Josh Asper (20-0) in the 165-pound division and No. 5 Christian Boley (25-1) in the 197-pound class.

The matchup of the meet, though, could be UNC sophomore No. 19 Corey Mock (22-8) going up against Maryland’s No. 11 Kyle John (18-7) in the 157-pound class.

Corey Mock has been one of the more consistent wrestlers for UNC this season. He has won six matches in a row, dating back to Jan. 2.

“Just everything’s going right,” Corey Mock said.

“I’m cutting my weight right and just feeling good when I get out there.”

Corey Mock said he plans to keep the same formula this weekend.

“Just don’t change anything,” he said. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, you know?”

UNC 174-pounder Alex Utley (11-12) will also face a nationally ranked opponent in No. 15 Jimmy Sheptock.

Utley, a freshman, posted his first shoutout win last weekend against Virginia.

“I just want to keep improving and keep winning (and) hopefully get some more wins under my belt,” Utley said.

He said that fighting in front of the home crowd at Carmichael is advantageous and mitigates some of the external factors that come with traveling and competing on the road.

“(Fighting at home) is definitely an advantage. I mean, you got the home fans there to support you. … We had a good crowd last time — you don’t have that on the road,” he said.

C.D. Mock doesn’t dismiss the magnitude of a potential win against the Terrapins, but knows his team must wrestle one of its best meets of the season.

“We’re looking for more consistency, and I expect to see it,” he said. “It would be a huge feat.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.