University of Maryland head wrestling coach Kerry McCoy was voted the Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year and Terrapin wrestlers Brendan Byrne, Steven Bell, Alex Krom and Hudson Taylor were selected to the all-conference team, the league announced Friday.
McCoy is the second consecutive Maryland coach to win coach of the year honors and fourth, overall. Former head coach Pat Santoro won the award last year and John McHugh won it in 1990 and 1993. It is McCoy’s first-ever coach of the year award as a Division I head coach.
“This is very humbling. It feels awesome,” McCoy said. “The ACC had a great year and I am very fortunate to be a part of it. This award goes to my assistants, as well. I could not do it without them. It’s also an honor to be associated with the other great Maryland coaches that won the award before me.”
In his first year in College Park, McCoy guided the Terps to a 10-8-1 dual-meet record and 3-2 mark in conference competition. The Terps finished the regular season strong, winning six of their final seven duals heading into the ACC Championship. After a third-place regular-season finish, Maryland peaked at the ACC Championship, repeating as conference champions with Byrne, Bell and Krom winning individual championships.
Last weekend at the NCAA Championships, the Terps finished 10th, overall, the second-best NCAA finish in program history. Bell, Krom and Taylor all earned all-American status, tying the school record for all-Americans in a season.
Taylor (197 pounds) was named all-ACC for the third consecutive season while Bell (133 pounds) was named to the team for the second year in a row. Byrne (125 pounds) and Krom (141 pounds) are first-time honorees.
Taylor finished the season with a 38-8 record and team-high 19 pins. Taylor was a perfect 5-0 in conference duals and finished third at last week’s NCAA Championships, his second straight third-place national finish. Taylor earned all-American status for the second year in a row.
Bell finished 29-7, 5-0 in the ACC and 15-1 overall in dual meets. Bell was the ACC champion at 133 pounds and finished sixth at the NCAA Championships, earning all-American status for the first time in his career.
After redshirting last season, Krom was dominant at 141 pounds this season. Krom finished fifth nationally and also went undefeated in the ACC en route to a conference championship. Krom finished 25-6, overall, and advanced to the NCAA semifinals to earn his first all-American nod.
Byrne went 22-10 and 4-1 in the ACC. Byrne’s only loss in ACC competition was to Virginia Tech freshman Jarrod Garnett. However, Byrne avenged that loss at the ACC Championship, defeating Garnett in the 125-pound championship match at Virginia Tech’s home gym.
NC State junior Darrion Caldwell (149 pounds) was named the conference wrestler of the year after winning an individual national title last weekend in St. Louis.
Garnett was named freshman of the year.
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