Photo courtesy of Ian Cox/Maryland Terrapins
Maryland (2-0) opened their wrestling season with two victories in a tri-meet against Kent State and Bucknell, downing Kent State (0-2) 29-10 and Bucknell (1-1) 22-8.
It was Jaxon Smith’s debut in the 184-pound class. The redshirt Junior reached the Big Ten conference championship last season in the 197-pound weight class, finishing fourth in the tournament. Smith started his season with the Terps’ first technical fall victory of the 2024-25 season, defeating Kent State’s Trent Thomas 20-3. Against Bucknell’s Logan Deacetis, Smith secured a 16-5 major decision victory.
Taking Smith’s place in the 197-pound slot is redshirt senior Chase Mielnik, who gave up a 10-2 major decision to Kent State’s Blake Schaffer and a 9-6 decision to Bucknell’s Dillon Bechtold.
Ethen Miller, another member of Maryland’s Big Ten championship squad, moved up a weight class from last year, going from 141 pounds to 157 pounds to take Michael North’s place from a year ago. Miller secured an 11-3 decision over Kent State’s Aaron Ferguson and a 10-3 decision over Bucknell’s Cade Wirnsberger.
With the graduation of Tommy Capul, the Terps needed to find a new opener in the 125-pound weight class. Freshmen Presden Sanchez and Tyler Garvin both got opportunities to wrestle in the Terps’ home opener, with Sanchez falling 11-4 to Kent State’s Nico Calello and Garvin picking up a 10-3 decision victory against Bucknell’s Kade Davidheiser.
Redshirt Junior John Martin Best missed the majority of the 2023-24 season due to an ACL tear, leaving the 165-pound slot to Gaven Bell. Best returned to the mat for the first time since his injury and picked up a major decision victory over Kent State’s Ethan Barr, finishing the bout 13-4. Terps sophomore Ryan Money was inserted into the lineup against Bucknell, though he won by forfeit.
Coach Alex Clemsen made it clear at the end of the 2023-24 season that junior Kal Miller would be redshirting this season. However, Miller fought in two bouts in the tri-meet, defeating Kent State’s Billy Meiszner 8-3 and Bucknell’s Braden Bower 10-4.
Like his brother Ethen, Kal Miller has moved up a weight class for this season, going from the 135-pound weight class to the 141-pound slot which Ethen occupied last season. Wrestling in Maryland’s opening meet did not risk Miller’s redshirt status.
After an up-and-down season for graduate student Seth Nevills which culminated in a Big Ten championship appearance, the heavyweight secured two convincing victories for the Terps. First he defeated Kent State’s Brentan Simmerman by technical fall with a score of 18-1. He then beat Bucknell’s Logan Shephard 9-1.
Nevills was Marylands’ marquee transfer portal pickup from Penn State, which he joined as the number one prospect coming out of high school. In the middle of the 2023-24 season, Nevills had difficulty finishing out bouts, notably dropping a match in the Pitt dual meet that would have secured the meet victory for the Terps.
The Terps will next compete as individual wrestlers in Missouri’s Tiger Style Invite on Nov. 9.
