At Big Ten Tournament, three Maryland wrestlers qualify for NCAA Championships

In Ann Arbor, Michigan this weekend, Maryland wrestling showed the rest of the Big Ten just how bright its future is. 

The Terps finished with 23 team points at the Big Ten Championships, their highest total since 2018. The youth of Maryland wrestling led the way, with Kal Miller, Ethen Miller and Jaxon Smith all placing and qualifying for the NCAA Championships. 

Braxton Brown got things started for the Terps at 125 with a victory over Penn State’s Gary Steen to advance to the quarterfinals. There, the redshirt freshman faced Nebraska’s Liam Cronin, and he fell 11-7 and was sent to the wrestleback round. In his next match, Brown dropped an 8-3 decision to Rutgers’ Dean Peterson, which put him in the ninth-place bracket. He then made quick work of Indiana’s Jacob Moran, getting a pin in 58 seconds to move into the 9th-place final. Against Michigan State’s Tristan Lujan, Brown got two early takedowns for an early 4-3 lead and eventually took a 7-4 decision win.

At 133, redshirt freshman Jackson Cockrell went up against Illinois’ Lucas Byrd. This match was all Byrd and Cockrell had no answers as he was finished off with a fall defeat. He fared no better in his second and third bouts of the day, losing to Indiana’s Henry Porter in both, ending his tournament. 

At 141, freshman Kal Miller represented the Terps. He struggled to generate offense in his first round matchup with Nebraska’s Brock Hardy, falling 6-0. In Miller’s next match, he faced Illinois’ Danny Pucino, who he defeated 4-1 to advance in the wrestlebacks. Miller’s next match was a tough sudden victory loss against Minnesota’s Jacob Bergeland, which sent him to the ninth-place bracket. There, Miller won two straight decisions to advance to the 9th-place championship against Rutgers’ Joe Olivieri. It was 1-1 in the third, but Miller secured a late takedown to come away with the 3-2 victory and lock up another NCAA bid for the Terps. 

Redshirt freshman Ethen Miller wrestled for Maryland at 149. Against Michigan’s Chance Lamer, Miller stormed back after an early deficit but fell in overtime. Miller’s next match was against Wisconsin’s Austin Gomez, who was called for an illegal slam while trying to finish a takedown, giving Miller the disqualification win and an automatic spot in the placement matches. Miller medically forfeited his next match, putting him in the seventh-place match, where a double forfeit occurred. Miller’s win over Gomez qualified him for the NCAA Wrestling Championship. 

Redshirt junior Michael North went up against Purdue’s Kendall Coleman in the first round, who he fell in a major decision win to, 12-3. North’s next match was against Minnesota’s Brayton Lee. North wasted no time, forcing Lee to his back in just 38 seconds for the pin victory. But North lost his next two matches against Iowa’s Cole Siebrecht and Rutgers’ Andrew Clark to end his Big Ten Tournament. 

At 165, redshirt freshman John Martin Best battled for the Terps. He lost his first two bouts against Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy, and Indiana’s Nick South, which put him in the 9th-place quarterfinals. Best was slated to face South again, but he medically forfeited, which put Best in the semifinals against Michigan State’s Caleb Fish. Fish sent Best home in overtime with a takedown to come away with the win. 

Sophomore Dominic Solis came out for Maryland at 174. He fell 5-1 in his opening match against Illinois’ Edmond Ruth, but stayed alive in his next one, taking a 5-1 decision over Wisconsin’s Josh Otto in the first round of the consolation bracket. He was eliminated in the next round with an 11-6 decision loss to Indiana’s Donnell Washington. 

Kevin Makosy continued to struggle at 184 for the Terps since returning from his injury. The redshirt junior lost all three of his bouts by a combined total of 32-1.

Redshirt freshman Jaxon Smith represented Maryland at 197, with his first match coming against Rutgers’ Billy Janzer. He secured an 8-3 decision win, setting up his next bout against Illinois’ Zach Braunagel. The match was a tight contest, with Braunagel finding a takedown in overtime to get the 6-4 decision. Smith won his next two matches in back-to-back 3-1 decisions, which sent him to the consolation semifinals against Iowa’s Jacob Warner. Smith took down Warner in overtime, which put him in the bout for third place. There, he faced Braunagel. Smith shot a single leg at the 1:15 mark, and when Braunagel tried to escape he jumped on top of him for the takedown victory. Smith’s performance on the weekend — which was the highest finish by a Maryland wrestler since 2019 — gave the Terps another wrestler with a bid at the NCAAs. 

Graduate student Jaron Smith closed things out for the Terps at heavyweight, taking on Indiana’s Jacob Bullock, who he fell 3-1 to. Smith then faced Ohio State’s Tate Orndorff, who he also fell to, this time 4-2. The loss sent Smith to the 9th-place semifinals, where he was defeated in an 11-6 decision against Minnesota’s Garrett Joles. 

Kal and Ethen Miller and Jaxon Smith will all end their season with the NCAA Championships, which begin March 16.