Maryland wrestling falls to No. 25 Illinois, 29-11

No. 12 Braxton Brown continues to give the Terps momentum right out of the gates. Brown started Maryland’s dual match with his 12th straight dual win, giving them an important early lead.

However, that was the only time the Terps led in their match against the Fighting Illini. Maryland wrestling continued to struggle in Big Ten matches, falling to No. 25 Illinois, 29-11. 

There were more bright spots for the Terps compared to their last match, as three wrestlers picked up wins compared to just one against Ohio State. The injury to redshirt freshman Jaxon Smith continues to hurt the Terps, automatically putting them in a six-point hole with a forfeit due to lack of other options at 197. 

Brown opened things up for Maryland in a matchup with redshirt freshman Maximo Renteria at 125. The redshirt freshman Brown got a quick takedown to open things up, but Renteria got a reversal to even the score at two in the first. In the second, Brown got a late takedown after scoring from both sides to grab a 7-6 lead heading into the third. There, Brown shut the door with a big period to take the 13-9 win and put the Terps up 3-0. With the win, Brown is now an outstanding 12-0 in all dual action. 

At 133, sophomore Conner Quinn faced No. 8 Lucas Byrd. Quinn had no response to Byrd’s relentless pressure, falling behind early. Byrd continued to attack Quinn, piling on points on his way to an eventual 22-7 tech fall win that gave Illinois a 5-3 lead. 

No. 33 Kal Miller wrestled for the Terps in a big ranked matchup with No. 21 Danny Pucino. Pucino scored first, taking down the freshman late in the opening period to go ahead 2-0. After a scoreless second, Miller got an early escape in the third to bring the score to 2-1, but Pucino was too much in the end, taking a 5-1 decision to bring the Illini’s lead to 8-3. 

No. 20 Ethen Miller went up against redshirt freshman Jake Harrier. Miller took an early 2-0 lead with a takedown in the first, then expanded his lead to 6-0 in the second. In the third period, Miller was relentless, dominating Harrier to get the 18-3 technical fall win. The huge win from the redshirt freshman tied things even at eight. 

At 157, redshirt freshman Kevin Schork represented the Terps. Against sixth year Mike Carr, Schork struggled to contain Carr’s offense. Carr continued to add to his point total, eventually taking a 15-point lead at the 6:26 mark in the match to win by tech fall. The win gave Illinois a 13-8 lead as the match headed to intermission.  

Action resumed at 165 in a contest between redshirt freshman John Martin Best and No. 11  Danny Braunagel. Braunagel took a 4-2 lead after a competitive first, then grew his lead with a full arsenal of attacks in the next two periods to get to the final score of 13-6, giving the Illini a 16-8 lead. 

No. 33 Dominic Solis battled for Maryland at 174. In a matchup with No. 9 Edmond Ruth, the sophomore fell behind early, as Ruth got a takedown and held a 2-0 lead through the second. Solis started the third on the bottom, but failed to manufacture offense as Ruth held on for a 2-0 decision win. The win pushed the Terps deeper into a hole, giving Illinois an 11-point lead. 

At 184, sophomore Chase Mielnik tried to turn things around for the Terps, going up against No. 22 Dylan Connell. Mielnik had no answers for Connell, who took an early lead and continued to increase his total. Mielnik battled, but Connell was too much in the end, taking an 11-2 major decision win to grow Illinois’s lead to 23-8. 

The Terps then forfeited the match at 197 due to the nagging injury to Smith, giving Illinois a 29-8 lead.

No. 25 Jaron Smith closed things out for Maryland against redshirt senior Matt Wroblewski at 285. After a scoreless first, Smith got an escape in the second to take a 1-0 lead. In the third, Smith rode the period out to come away with the 2-0 decision victory. 

Maryland will look for a win when it’s back in action Jan. 27, with a big dual meet against No. 20 Michigan State.