Preview: Maryland wrestling gets set for 2023 Big Ten Championships

Maryland wrestling (10-9, 1-7 Big Ten) heads to Ann Arbor, Michigan this weekend for the 2023 Big Ten Championships. 

The Terps are looking to improve on their performance last year, where they placed 13th out of 14 teams and finished with a team score of 15.5.

No. 15 Braxton Brown will represent the Terps at 125. The redshirt freshman was seeded No. 8 by the conference’s coaches behind the impressive body of work he built up this season. Brown finished the regular season with a 21-4 overall record, along with a 16-2 record in duals and a 6-1 mark in Big Ten duals. Brown will have his work cut out for him in a division with Iowa’s Spencer Lee, Nebraska’s Liam Cronin, and Purdue’s Matt Ramos, all ranked in the InterMat top five. 

At 133, redshirt freshman Jackson Cockrell will wrestle for Maryland. Cockrell, who holds the No. 14-seed, has struggled in limited action this year, with only one dual meet win in five matches. Cockrell will have his work cut out for him, with potential opponents being Penn State’s Roman Bravo-Young, Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez, and Illinois’ Lucas Byrd, all ranked in the InterMat top ten.

Freshman Kal Miller will compete for the Terps at 141. The No. 14-seed Miller got off to a solid start this season, but then went on a seven-match losing streak that dropped his record to under .500. Miller is competing in a top-heavy division, with Iowa’s Real Woods and Penn State’s Beau Bartlett holding the top spots in the pre-seeding. 

No. 20 Ethen Miller will come out for Maryland at 149. Miller is the No. 8-seed, with a 25-6 record in the regular season and a 3-3 record in Big Ten duals. The redshirt freshman is competing in a tough division filled with experienced and talented wrestlers. The top seeds are occupied by Ohio State’s Sammy Sasso, Wisconsin’s Austin Gomez, and Northwestern’s Yahya Thomas. 

No. 31 Michael North will battle for the Terps at 157. The redshirt junior is yet another Terp holding the No. 14-seed in their weight class. North started the season out on fire, pulling off multiple upset wins on his way to a 14-4 record, but then got sick and missed multiple duals. When he returned to action, he lost three of his final four matches. North will look to bounce back in a division led by Nebraska’s Peyton Robb, Penn State’s Levi Haines, and Purdue’s Kendall Coleman. 

At 165, redshirt freshman John Martin Best will represent Maryland. The No. 14-seed Best competed better than his 6-14 record indicates, with only one of his losses coming by more than a decision in a schedule filled with high-ranked opponents. 165 is another talented division, with three All-Americans in Carson Kharchla, Cameron Amine, and Dean Hamiti. 

Sophomore Dominic Solis will compete for the Terps at 174. Solis had a strong performance at the Big Ten Championships last year, where he finished in 7th place to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The No. 12-seed Solis will look for another solid showing in a division with InterMat’s number one and two at 174 in Penn State’s Carter Starocci and Nebraska’s Mikey Labriola. 

Redshirt junior Kevin Makosy will look to pull off the upset at 184. Makosy has lost all of his matches since returning from an injury sustained in Maryland’s match against American. The No. 14-seed will look for his first win since Nov. 5 in a division with Penn State’s Aaron Brooks, Ohio State’s Kaleb Romero, and Minnesota’s Isaiah Salazar. 

No. 14 Jaxon Smith will look for a bid in the NCAA Tournament at 197 for Maryland. The redshirt freshman is the highest-seeded Terp, holding the No. 6 spot. Smith will look to assert himself against top competition, with Penn State’s Max Dean, Nebraska’s Silas Allred, and Illinois’ Zac Braunagel being the wrestlers to beat. 

No. 24 Jaron Smith will compete in his final Big Ten Tournament of his collegiate career at 285 as the No. 9-seed. The graduate student has impressed in his new division, with a 12-8 record that includes wins over ranked opponents. Smith will look for his second NCAA Tournament appearance in two years, this time against top heavyweights like Michigan’s Mason Parris, Penn State’s Greg Kerkvliet, and Iowa’s Tony Cassioppi. 

“Our kids are excited for the Big Ten Championships,” coach Alex Clemsen said. “We’ll look to go out, compete our best and have some fun doing so, and hopefully knock a couple guys off just like Dom Solis did last year.”

Action will begin Saturday morning at 10:00.