No. 23 Maryland wrestling splits Saturday showing to finish 3-1 in Virginia Duals

No. 23 Maryland wrestling overcame some adversity on the final day of the Virginia Duals. After going down to Campbell in the first dual of the day, the Terps bounced back against a solid Virginia team to finish the event with a 3-1 overall record.

Maryland came away with multiple big wins against high-level opponents on the weekend, entering the BIg Ten season with momentum.

“I really liked the way our kids battled up and down the ten weights,” coach Alex Clemsen said. “When we responded Saturday morning after taking a tough loss to finish out the weekend right said a lot about our young group and their perseverance and resilience.”

No. 23 Braxton Brown was the opening act for the Terps, matching up against Campbell’s Anthony Molton at 125. In an action-packed first, Brown got an escape after a quick Molton takedown and returned the favor with a takedown of his own. He built his lead up to 6-2 in the second with a takedown and stalling point, and closed things out in the third to win a 9-4 decision to give the Terps a 3-0 lead. The redshirt freshman remained dominant in his second match, controlling Patrick McCormick on his way to a 9-0 majority decision win to give Maryland a 4-0 lead against Virginia. Brown continues to be an excellent opener for the Terps, with a 10-0 record in dual matches. 

Conner Quinn continued to represent the Terps at 133. In his first match of the day against Gabe Hixenbaugh, the sophomore had no answers to Hixenbaugh’s pressure, losing by a 16-0 technical fall that put Campbell up 5-3. Quinn continued to struggle in his next bout, losing a 22-9 majority decision to Garrett Grice that tied the dual with Virginia at four. 

At 141, No. 33 Kal Miller came out for the Terps. Facing Shannon Hanna, the freshman trailed 2-1 after one due to a Hanna takedown. Miller got an escape point in the third to tie it at two and send it to his third overtime this week, where Hanna recorded a takedown to take the 4-2 win and grow Campbell’s lead to 8-3. Miller’s next action was with Brian Courtney. The match was tied at three after the first, and after a scoreless second Miller obtained an escape and takedown, as well as a point for riding time, to get a 7-3 decision that gave the Terps a 7-4 lead over the Cavaliers. 

No. 28 Ethen Miller wrestled for Maryland at 149, taking on Chris Rivera in his opening match. The redshirt freshman cruised against Rivera, getting multiple takedowns and escapes on his way to a 10-1 majority decision that brought the Terps within one against Campbell, 8-7. Miller’s final match of the day was against Michael Gioffre. After a scoreless first, Miller got a quick escape from the bottom to take a 1-0 lead. In the final period, Miller secured a last-second takedown after a Gioffre escape to record the win and grow Maryland’s lead over Virginia to 10-4. 

No. 33 Michael North went out for Maryland at 157. The redshirt junior controlled his first opponent, Hagen Heinstand, getting a takedown in the first and lots of riding time in both the first and second to take a 3-0 lead. In the third, North got a takedown along with more riding time to win a 5-0 shutout decision and give Maryland a 10-8 lead over the Camels. Against Virginia, the redshirt junior faced No. 26 Jake Keating in a clash between elite wrestlers. North was down 5-0 heading into the third, but then staged a furious comeback with four takedowns in the round to send it to sudden victory tied at eight. There, he recorded a quick takedown for yet another win against a ranked opponent to add to his impressive resume this season, and add to the Terps’ lead over the Cavaliers.

Redshirt freshman John Martin Best competed for the Terps at 165. Best’s opponent in the Campbell dual, Dominic Baker, took a 1-0 lead with an escape in the second after a scoreless first. In the third, Best matched Baker with an escape point of his own to send it to sudden victory, where Baker won in the second overtime to put the Camels back up 11-10. Best’s second bout was shockingly similar to the first: a 1-1 match that headed into overtime. However, his opponent, Nick Hamilton, finished things faster — compared to Best’s first match — with a quick takedown in sudden victory to notch the win and bring the Cavaliers within six, 13-7. 

Sophomore Dominic Solis battled for the Terps at 174. Against Brant Cracraft, Solis was tenacious, with two takedowns in a 4-1 first and an explosive second round where he gained 13 points to take a 17-6 lead. The third was more of the same, as Solis piled on another seven points in a 24-10 majority decision win that gave Maryland a 14-11 lead over Campbell. Solis’ second match of the day had considerably less offense. Facing Justin Phillips, Solis trailed 1-0 after two, but a big third period with an escape and takedown gave him his second win of the day in a 3-1 decision that stretched Maryland’s lead over Virginia to 16-7. 

Chase Mielnik wrestled for the Terps at 184. The sophomore struggled against Caleb Hopkins, dropping a 9-0 majority decision that put Campbell back in front, 15-14. Mielnik’s second match ended the same way as the first: a majority decision loss, this time to No. 16 Neil Antrassian. The loss brought Virginia within five at 16-11. 

No. 11 Jaxon Smith looked to continue dominating at 197 for Maryland. The redshirt freshman’s first opponent, Levi Hopkins, came out of the gates battling, tying it at three after the first. In overtime, Hopkins notched a takedown for the upset victory to give the Camels an 18-14 lead. Smith’s next bout was with Michael Battista. After three periods, the only scoring was both wrestlers’ escape points, sending it into sudden victory. Smith’s off day continued with a Battista takedown that gave him a 3-1 victory, sending things to the final match with Virginia with Maryland hanging on to a slim 16-14 lead. 

No. 30 Jaron Smith finished things up to the Terps at heavyweight. In his first match against No. 12 Taye Ghadiali, Maryland needed a majority decision or win by fall to tie or win the dual. Smith fought well in a low-scoring affair that had to be decided in sudden victory, but the skilled Ghandiali came away with a 3-2 decision to clinch the win for the Camels. Smith’s final match was a dominant showing, as the graduate student powered through Colden Dorfman to get a pin in the second after two near falls in the first to lock down the win for the Terps over the Cavaliers, 22-14. 

Maryland’s next dual is a massive Big Ten match against No. 7 Ohio State Jan. 20.