Maryland wrestling routed by No. 7 Ohio State, 38-6

Maryland wrestling will have to wait a little longer to get its first Big Ten win in seven years. 

The Terps were overwhelmed by No. 7 Ohio State Friday night, losing by a final score of 38-6. The young Terps struggled against an experienced Ohio State squad in their first taste of some of the Big Ten’s best, winning only a single match. 

As the Terps embark on a difficult Big Ten schedule in the coming weeks, perhaps they can learn from this poor performance at home.

No. 20 Ethen Miller opened things up for the Terps in a matchup with No. 2 Sammy Sasso at 149. The redshirt senior took a 2-0 lead with a takedown in the first, and never looked back. Sasso went on to dominate the redshirt freshman in the second and third on his way to a 12-1 major decision win that gave Ohio State an early 4-0 lead. 

At 157, redshirt freshman Kevin Schork filled in for redshirt junior Michael North for Maryland. Facing off with No. 19 Paddy Gallagher, Schork struggled to generate offense while dealing with the Buckeyes’ redshirt freshman’s relentless pressure. Gallagher was in control of the match from the start, piling on points at will to take a 22-5 technical fall win to bring Ohio State’s lead up to 9-0.  

Redshirt freshman John Martin Best competed for the Terps against No. 8 Carson Kharchla at 165. Kharchla jumped out to an early lead with a first period takedown, and his lead only grew from there. Best hung around and competed hard, but the redshirt junior was too much for him in the end, getting a 7-2 decision win to put Ohio State up 12-0. 

At 174, No. 33 Dominic Solis looked to put some points on the board for Maryland. Against junior Isaac Wilcox, the sophomore took the lead in the second after a scoreless first with a quick escape point. Wilcox matched him with an escape point in the third, and things then went to sudden victory after a Wilcox takedown was overturned after review. In sudden victory, Wilcox got a takedown to take home the 3-1 victory and expand Ohio State’s lead to 15-0. 

Sophomore Chase Mielnik represented Maryland against No. 4 Kaleb Romero in a bout at 184. The redshirt senior overpowered Mielnik in the first, obtaining a 12-4 lead. This theme continued throughout the match, with Romero eventually getting the win by technical fall. This brought Ohio State’s lead up to 20-0 as the match entered intermission. 

After a forfeit at 197 from Maryland, action resumed in a heavyweight matchup between Maryland’s No. 25 Jaron Smith and Ohio State’s No. 14 Tate Orndoff. After a scoreless first, the Buckeyes’ redshirt senior first got a point with an escape in the second. In the third, the graduate student received an escape point, but Orndoff obtained a takedown to come away with a 3-1 decision win that gave Ohio State a 29-0 lead. 

No. 12 Braxton Brown came out for the Terps against freshman Brendan McCrone, looking to continue his dual match winning streak of ten matches at 125. In the first, the redshirt freshman attacked McCrone, quickly taking control on his way to yet another first period pin. The win improved Brown’s streak to 11 matches and gave the Terps their first points of the match, making the score 29-6 in favor of the Buckeyes. 

At 133, Conner Quinn represented the Terps in a matchup with No. 9 Jesse Mendez. Ohio State’s freshman made quick work of the sophomore, jumping out to an 8-2 lead early with a dominant position that led to a first period pin. The pin gave Ohio State a 35-6 lead. 

The final bout of the night was between Maryland’s No. 33 Kal Miller and No. 15 Dylan D’Emilio for the buckeyes. Miller and D’Emilio battled throughout the match, with the Buckeyes’ redshirt junior gaining the upper hand on his way to a 4-2 lead in the second. In the third, D’Emilio held the freshman off on his way to a 6-3 decision win. The win brought Ohio State to their final total of 38, while Maryland’s six points all came from Brown’s win. 

The loss dropped Maryland’s record to 8-3, 0-2 in Big Ten play. The Terps will look to get back in the win column in a matchup with No. 25 Illinois Jan. 22.