Preview: Maryland wrestling prepares for its season opening quad match

Maryland wrestling will play host to American, Bloomsburg and Duke on Saturday as the Terps open their 2022-23 season at the Xfinity Center Pavilion with a quad match. 

The Terps look to start their season off strong against some familiar nonconference foes. 

Maryland defeated Duke 23-17 last year in a season where the Blue Devils finished with a 7-10 record. American, who finished its 2021-22 campaign with a 1-12 record, was defeated by Maryland 31-12 last February. Bloomsburg didn’t face the Terps in a dual last season, but the 9-6 Huskies saw Maryland in the Clarion Open. In that event, Bloomsburg finished 14th, while Maryland registered 11 total placers and one champion. 

A key storyline to look out for is graduate student Jaron Smith moving up to heavyweight. Smith has been wrestling at 197 for a majority of his collegiate career, so it’ll be interesting to see how he looks against opposing heavyweights. If his performance at the Maryland Red vs Black match was any indication, Smith should be more than capable of finding success at heavyweight. 

Expect to see him against redshirt junior Will Jarrell of American, senior Jonah Niesenbaum of Duke and redshirt junior Shane Noonan of Bloomsburg.

Jaxon Smith building off of his dominant summer is another key storyline to watch. Smith dominated his competition this summer, earning gold in the 2022 US Open and the Pan-American Championships. Look for Smith to showcase his diverse skill set as he attempts to build upon his already impressive resume at 197, one of the toughest weight classes in the Big Ten this year. 

Expect to see him against American redshirt junior Connor Bourne, Duke redshirt senior Brayden Ray and Bloomsburg junior David Tuttle.

Maryland’s Miller brothers, Ethen and Kal, are in a position to play a big role this year for the Terps. Ethen, part of Coach Clemsen’s 2021 recruiting class, is coming off a strong 26-6 redshirt season and appears ready to make a big impact during his first full year. Kal is a true freshman with an impressive resume that includes two Missouri State Championships, a top 100 ranking in the class of 2022 according to FloWrestling, a NHSCA National Championship, and many other accolades. These brothers will see a lot of action and tough competition this year, and Saturday’s matchups will be a glimpse of what’s to come for them this season. 

Ethen will wrestle in the 141-pound weight class, while Kal will wrestle in the 149-pound weight class.

Maryland will look to kick off its season on the right foot with a good showing at the quad match. The match will begin at 10 a.m. and will take place in the Xfinity Center Pavilion in College Park.