Bertoni beat the first-period buzzer to earn his fall at 141, while Hemida worked a cradle to get his pin in the second period of the 285-pound bout. Both earned their first pins in a dual match this season.
The win also made it the second-consecutive season where Maryland won its dual season finale as it topped Ohio by a score of 33-14 last season.
Maryland got out to a fast start behind a win from redshirt sophomore Brandon Cray, who picked up a decision victory at 125 pounds over Rider's Jonathan Tropea. Cray got out to a big lead to start the match and then held off a frantic attack from Tropea in the third period to get the one-point victory. It was the third-straight dual win for Cray, who has now run off three-straight wins twice in his dual career.
Rider then evened the score with a sudden victory win at 133, but Bertoni responded with his fall at 141. The true sophomore was able to put six points on the board before putting Rider's Travis Layton on his back to get the fall a lone second before the buzzer sounded. Bertoni's first dual pin made it two wins in his last three matches as he picked up a win in Maryland's dual at George Mason last weekend.
Redshirt senior Alfred Bannister then made it back-to-back wins for the Terps as he picked up a decision victory at 149. Wrestling in the final dual of his collegiate career, Bannister grabbed a double overtime win over Gary Dinomore to help distance Maryland from the Broncs early. It was his fourth overtime win of the season, which is three more than anyone on the Maryland roster. It was also his second-consecutive win that came in an overtime period as he bested George Mason's Tejon Anthony in sudden victory last week.
The Broncs then turned the momentum back in their favor with a decision victory at 157 and a major decision win at 165, bringing them back within two points of the Terps entering the final four bouts of the day.
New Jersey native Josh Ugalde then answered for Maryland, picking up a major decision win over Dean Sherry at 174. Ugalde used a big third period where he scored seven points to beat Sherry for the first time in their collegiate careers. The redshirt junior now has four dual wins this season, good for the most in his career. Three of those wins have come with bonus points, which is also a career-high. He has now won three of his last four dual appearances.
Once again, however, the Broncs were able to cut into Maryland's lead with consecutive victories. A pair of decisions from Rider's 184 and 197-pounders evened the score at 16 as the teams entered the final bout of the day at heavyweight.
Hemida was then able to show why he's one of the top-ranked heavyweights in the country, as the ninth-ranked 285-pounder pinned Rider's James Brady early in the second period. It was the second-consecutive season where Hemida bested a Rider heavyweight by fall, previously sticking Ryan Cloud in the 2018 meeting. It was the returning All-American's first dual win by fall this season and his second overall pin of the season.
The win over Rider avenged a tight 23-18 loss for Maryland last season and concludes the regular season for the Terps. Maryland will now look ahead to the 2019 Big Ten Championships on March 9-10 in Minneapolis. For full results from Maryland's 22-16 win over Rider, please see below.
Results:
125 – Brandon Cray (Maryland) dec. Jonathan Tropea (Rider), 11-10
133 – Anthony Cefolo (Rider) dec. Orion Anderson (Maryland), 10-4 SV-1
141 – Danny Bertoni (Maryland) fall Travis Layton (Rider), 2:59
149 – Alfred Bannister (Maryland) dec. Gary Dinomore, 4-2 OT-2
157 – Gino Fluri (Rider) dec. Adam Whitesell (Maryland), 7-3
165 – #14 Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider) maj. dec. Phil Spadafora (Maryland), 10-1
174 – Josh Ugalde (Maryland) maj. dec. Dean Sherry (Rider), 11-2
184 – Michale Fagg-Daves (Rider) dec. Kyle Jasenski (Maryland), 14-7
197 – Ethan Laird (Rider) dec. Niko Cappello (Maryland), 5-1
285 – #9 Youssif Hemida (Maryland) fall James Brady (Rider), 3:58
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