No. 22 Maryland wrestling falls to Indiana in tight battle, 17-16

Maryland had the Hoosiers right where it wanted them: holding a three-point lead with No. 25 Ethen Miller, one of its best, coming up for the final bout of the night as the Pavillion echoed with the applause of Kal Miller’s comeback win the match before. 

Less than 10 minutes later, the Terps found themselves on the losing side for the first time this season after Graham Rooks gave Miller his first dual meet loss of the year to secure the victory for Indiana. 

The Terps will have to wait a little longer for their first Big Ten win since the 2015-16 season. No. 22 Maryland wrestling lost a nailbiter to Indiana, where it came down to the tiebreaker of total match points, with a 17-16 final score. 

Redshirt junior Michael North got things started for the Terps with a matchup against No. 20 Derek Gilcher at 157. North fell behind early after a Gilcher takedown in the first, and the deficit only grew after multiple Gilcher takedowns in the second. Gilcher held onto his lead in the third to take a 7-3 decision win and put Indiana up 3-0. 

At 165, redshirt freshman John Martin Best represented Maryland against freshman Tyler Lillard. After an uneventful first period, Lillard went up in the second to take a 2-1 lead. Best got an escape in the third to send the match into sudden victory at 2-2, when he set off an explosion of sound in the Pavillion with a takedown to get the 4-2 decision win and tie the score even at three. 

Sophomore Dominic Solis squared off with redshirt junior DJ Washington at 174. Washington took an early lead against Solis that he never relinquished, building from 5-2 to the eventual final score of 11-6. This victory gave Indiana a 6-3 lead after three matches. 

Sophomore Chase Mielnik wrestled for the Terps at 184 in a contest against redshirt junior Nick South. South had a 4-3 lead heading into the third, and Maryland fans saw another potential comeback victory shaping up for Mielnik. However, South got the best of him in the final period, taking a 10-3 decision to expand Indiana’s lead to 9-3.

No. 11 Jaxon Smith looked to right the ship for Maryland in a matchup with senior Nick Willham at 197. Smith got two early takedowns in the first to take a 4-2 lead, but a Wilham escape point in the second made it anyone’s match at 4-3 heading into the third. Maryland’s redshirt freshman held onto his lead with an escape point in the final period, giving him a 5-3 decision win. This was a big win for the Terps, halting Indiana’s momentum as it brought the score to 9-6 as it headed to Intermission. 

Action resumed at 285, where No. 32 Jaron Smith battled with No. 31 senior Jacob Bullock. Neither wrestler scored in the first or second round, sending it to third with the score knotted up at zero. There, the Terps’ graduate student got an escape point and a huge single leg takedown to take a 3-2 decision win and tie the score up at nine. 

No. 26 Braxton Brown faced junior Jacob Moran in a big matchup at 125. The redshirt freshman was in complete control throughout the match, building from a 3-0 lead after one to a 6-0 lead after two with powerful takedowns on his way to an eventual 9-0 decision win. This gave the Terps their first lead of the night at 13-9. 

At 133, the Terps sent out sophomore Conner Quinn to match up with No. 32 Henry Porter. Indiana’s freshman took a 6-2 lead after the second period with multiple takedowns, and then pulled away in the third to win a majority decision. Porter’s win tied it up at 13 as the teams headed into the final two matches of the night. 

The first part of Miller Time occurred at 141, where Kal Miller took on No. 33 senior Caden Rooks. The freshman took a 2-1 advantage after one with a takedown, but Rooks bounced back in the second to get a 4-3 lead. In the third, Miller got an escape point to tie things up at four, sending it to sudden victory. There, Miller obtained a sudden victory takedown to win the match and set the pavilion aflame. Miller’s upset victory gave the Terps a 16-13 lead. 

To end the night, Miller Time finished up with redshirt freshman Ethen Miller’s match against No. 33 Graham Rooks. After a scoreless first, Indiana’s redshirt senior got a takedown in the second to give himself a 3-1 lead heading into the third. Rooks matched Miller in points in the third, taking the 5-3 decision. With this win, the score was tied at 16, but Indiana had the tiebreaker due to having scored more total match points. 

The loss was the first of the season for the Terps, and they will look to bounce back Jan. 13 and Jan. 14 at the Virginia Duals, where they will wrestle against Oklahoma, Ohio, Campbell, and Virginia.