Five Maryland wrestlers end their seasons on Day Two of NCAA Championships

Maryland wrestling came into the 2022-23 season looking to put itselves on the map in the best wrestling division in college. The Terps did that and more, finishing with a regular season record over .500 for the first time since 2013-14, putting up their highest point total at the Big Ten Tournament since 2018, and ending their season with the most points at the NCAA Championships since 2019. 

Maryland ended its season Friday night at the 2023 NCAA Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Every Terp participating picked up a win at the event, but none made it through the second day. All five Terps were still alive in their respective divisions to start Friday, which marked the highest number of wrestlers on Day Two of the NCAA Championships for the program since 2010. 

Redshirt freshman Jaxon Smith picked up the most wins out of all the Terps with two, but came up just short of becoming a NCAA All-American after losing his bouts in the Quarterfinals and Bloodround. 

No. 17 Braxton Brown represented the Terps at 125. In the Round of 32, the redshirt freshman faced the 14-seed in Missouri’s redshirt sophomore Noah Surtin. Brown broke away with a big second period, and took Surtin down twice and picked up two nearfall points for an 8-3 lead. He held Surtin off in the third for an 8-6 decision win to advance. In the Round of 16, Brown faced Nebraska’s No. 3 Liam Cronin. The graduate student was the first on the board after a scoreless opening period, getting a reversal for a 2-0 lead. Brown escaped to make it 2-1 heading into the third, but Cronin dominated the third to take an 8-4 decision, sending Brown to the wrestlebacks. There, Brown dropped a 6-0 decision against Rutgers’ No. 15 Dean Peterson, ending his season. 

No. 31 Kal Miller wrestled for Maryland at 141. The freshman faced Bloomsburg redshirt senior Josh Mason in a prelim match to get into the main bracket. The match was knotted at two after the second, but Miller found a late takedown to advance with a decision win. In Miller’s next match against No. 2 Real Woods, he was overmatched. The senior had his way with Miller, piling on points in an eventual 13-1 major decision. Miller went up against No. 23 Josh Koderhandt in the wrestlebacks, who he defeated 5-3 with a big third period. But Miller was eliminated in his next match, losing an 8-2 decision to No. 17 Frankie Tal-Shahar. 

No. 22 Ethen Miller came out for the Terps at 149. Against No. 13 Shayne Van Ness, Miller freshman jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first with a takedown and six combined nearfall points. Van Ness responded in the second, getting Miller on his back for a pin victory. In the wrestlebacks, Miller bounced back with a victory over No. 31 Alec Hagan. But Miller fell to No. 21 Chance Lamer in the second round of the wrestlebacks in a 4-2 decision, ending his redshirt freshman campaign. 

No. 10 Jaxon Smith represented Maryland at 197. He was dominant in his first two bouts, taking a 6-3 decision over No. 21 Michial Foy and pinning No. 6 Isaac Trumble to advance to the quarterfinals. There, Smith had a chance to become an All-American with a win. Facing the No. 3-seed in Missouri sophomore Rocky Elam, Smith went down 2-0 following a Elam takedown in the first. Elam added to his totals with an escape in the second, but Smith went on the offensive in the third, bringing the score to 5-3 late. Smith couldn’t close the gap in the end, as Elam took the decision 6-3. Smith had another chance at being an All-American in his next match, where he faced No. 9 Max Dean. After a scoreless first, Dean jumped ahead in the second with an escape and a takedown. Two Smith escapes brought him within one, and he spent the last 1:30 pressuring Dean, but the Penn State senior kept him contained to end his season with a 3-2 decision win. 

No. 26 Jaron Smith competed for the Terps at heavyweight. The graduate student looked to improve on his performance at the NCAA Championships last year, where he went 1-2. He faced No. 3 Tony Cassioppi in his opening match, where the Iowa senior had complete control en route to a 10-0 major decision. The loss put Smith in the wrestlebacks, where he faced No. 19 Konner Doucet. Smith took an early 3-2 lead but Doucet evened the score with an escape in the second. Smith dominated the third, escaping and getting a takedown to stay alive with a 7-3 decision win. Smith’s next match was against No. 14 AJ Nevills, where Nevills ended Smith’s illustrious Maryland career in sudden victory with a takedown off one of Smith’s shots.