Photo courtesy of Samantha Osborne/Maryland Terrapins
The Terrapins (6-5, 1-0 Big Ten) fended off an eleventh-hour comeback attempt from No. 10 Michigan, but ultimately secured their first dual meet win against the Wolverines since the turn of the century thanks to a tiebreaker pin early in the match.
The match ended 18-18, however, NCAA wrestling rules dictate that the first tiebreaker criterion is the number of pins each team had. The Terps had the only pin of the night, giving Maryland the win.
The first key victory for the Terps came in the second bout of the night. No. 14 Braxton Brown built a 3-1 lead over Michigan’s Nolan Wertanen in the first period before pinning him in the second. Brown’s pin was the only one of the night, giving Maryland the match win even though the team points were tied at 18 after the heavyweight bout. Brown is undefeated this season in dual meets and has not lost in any capacity since Nov. 6.
True freshman No. 32 Branson John pulled off a critical upset over No. 25 Joseph Walker. John erased a 4-2 deficit going into the third period by ending up on Walker’s back after a scramble, securing the 5-4 decision. The win gave Maryland a 15-10 buffer against Michigan and set up Jaxon Smith to complete the dual meet upset.
Jaxon Smith hit a takedown at the last possible second to give Maryland the 18-10 lead that would eventually win them the match. It is the third time in 2025 that a Maryland wrestler has won a match with only seconds remaining in the third period, with Kal Miller winning consecutive buzzer-beater matches at Armbar at the Armory. In similar fashion, Smith got one last takedown against No. 19 Jaden Bullock as time expired to secure the 4-1 decision.
Michigan was able to tie the match in the final two bouts. No. 3 Jacob Cardenas played catch-and-release to earn a technical fall against Chase Mielnik for five points, and No. 10 Josh Heindselman defeated No. 13 Seth Nevills 3-2 for three points.
Last season, Michigan defeated an injured Maryland team 38-3, with Jaxon Smith securing the lone decision for the Terps. It was the second consecutive year in which Maryland had given up more than 30 points to the Wolverines.
Maryland will stay in Michigan to take on the Michigan St. Spartans on Sunday, giving them a 48-hour turnaround time between matches.
