Preview: Maryland wrestling prepares for matchup against No. 22 Michigan State

Maryland wrestling (8-4, 0-3 Big Ten) heads to East Lansing for a dual meet with No. 22 Michigan State (7-4, 0-4 Big Ten) Friday night, its third nationally ranked opponent in as many matches. 

The Terps are looking to get back in the win column after losses in their last two matches. Maryland’s most recent action came against No. 20 Illinois, where the Terps fell in a 29-11 contest that was closer than the final score indicated. 

“I’m excited for the opportunity for our guys to continue to wrestle some of the best individuals and teams in the country,” coach Alex Clemsen said. “That’s Big Ten wrestling, and that’s what guys when they come to Maryland sign up for, and our kids are hungry for the challenge.” 

No. 12 Braxton Brown will open things up for the Terps. Brown has been a force for the Terps this season, rapidly climbing the rankings while dominating opponents in dual matches. The redshirt freshman, who holds a 12-0 record in duals this season, will be tested by No. 17 Tristan Lujan. The junior holds a 14-5 record overall and is 6-4 in duals. 

At 133, Maryland will be represented by either sophomore Conner Quinn or redshirt freshman Jackson Cockrell. Both Terps have struggled to put points on the board, with a combined record of 1-17. Recently, Quinn has been the choice of the Maryland coach staff. Their opponent, No. 14 Rayvon Foley, is 10-5 with four tech wins on the season. 

No. 33 Kal Miller will wrestle for the Terps at 141. The freshman, who holds an 11-8 record, is coming off consecutive scraps with top-ranked wrestlers where he showed he can compete at the highest level. Miller will face redshirt junior Jordan Hamdan, who is 19-9 and 5-5 in duals. 

No. 20 Ethen Miller will compete for Maryland at 149. The redshirt freshman is coming off a dominant 18-3 tech fall win in Maryland’s bout with Illinois. Miller will match up with redshirt junior Peyton Omania, who holds a 12-7 record with three fall victories. 

At 157, the Terps will send out either redshirt freshman Kevin Schork or No. 24 Michael North. North is 14-4, while Schork is still searching for his first win. Michigan State will answer with No. 13 Chase Saldate. The junior holds an impressive 17-4 record with six fall wins. 

Redshirt freshman John Martin Best will battle for the Terps at 165. Best has been challenged as of late, dropping his last two matches against two top 20 ranked opponents. The level of competition won’t waver for Best this week, as he’ll go up against No. 25 Caleb Fish. The junior is 20-5, with a 7-3 record in duals. 

Sophomore Dominic Solis will wrestle for Maryland at 174. Solis dropped a close 2-0 decision in his last bout to drop his record to 9-6. He’ll look to bounce back against Ceasar Garza. The freshman is 12-7 with a 1-4 record in dual meets. 

At 184, sophomore Chase Mielnik will look to get back on track for Maryland. Mielnik, who had an excellent showing at the Tiger Style Invite in Missouri in his first action after filling in for the injured Kevin Makosy, has been cold since, dropping his last nine dual matches. Mielnik will try to turn things around against No. 13 Layne Malczewski, who is 17-3 and leads the Spartans in fall wins with eight. 

At 197, Maryland will look for the return of No. 15 Jaxon Smith. The redshirt freshman has been sidelined in the last two dual meets for the Terps due to lingering injuries. If Smith is healthy enough, he will compete against No. 12 Cameron Caffey in a big ranked matchup. Caffey is 14-2 and 9-2 in duals. 

No. 25 Jaron Smith will close things out for the Terps at heavyweight. The graduate student has been a consistent performer for the Terps, with a 9-6 record that includes multiple clutch wins. Smith will match up with a fellow graduate student in Ryan Vasbinder, who holds a 14-9 record with six fall victories. 

Action will get underway at 6:30 in the Jenison Field House.