Preview: Maryland wrestling prepares for weekend duals against Binghamton and Columbia

Maryland wrestling (9-8, 1-7 Big Ten) will end its dual season this weekend with matches against Binghamton (4-12, 3-5 EIWA) on Friday and Columbia (5-7, 5-3 EIWA) on Sunday. 

Friday night’s match is part of Maryland’s Beauty and the Beast event, where wrestling and women’s gymnastics will compete side-by-side in the XFINITY Center. Both dual matches will serve as a tune-up for Maryland before it heads to the Big Ten Championships in early March. 

No. 15 Braxton Brown will open things up for the Terps at 125. The redshirt freshman has been phenomenal in duals for Maryland this season with a 15-1 record. Brown’s only dual loss this season came last Friday at the hands of No. 3 Matt Ramos. Brown will compete against Binghamton sophomore Micah Roes and Columbia junior Nick Babin. Roes is 10-10 this season, while Babin holds a 16-10 record. 

Redshirt senior King Sandoval will wrestle for Maryland at 133. Sandoval still appears to be a little rusty due to his prolonged absence from the mat, dropping his first three matches since his return. Sandoval will look for his first win this season in matchups with Binghamton sophomore Ivan Garcia and Columbia junior Angelo Rini. Garcia is 18-12 with seven pin wins, while Rini is 8-14 in all action. 

At 141, freshman Kal Miller will compete for the Terps. Miller’s slump continued this past weekend, where he lost his only two matches to send his losing streak to seven. Miller will look to get back in the win column against Binghamton’s Nate Lucier and Columbia’s Matt Kazimir. The redshirt freshman Lucier is 16-14 on the year, while the senior Kazimir is 16-7. 

No. 18 Ethen Miller will represent Maryland at 149. The redshirt freshman has been a consistent contributor for the Terps in duals this season, with an overall dual record of 12-3. Miller will look to keep rolling while facing Binghamton’s Michael Zarif and Columbia’s Danny Fongaro. The graduate student Zarif is 13-13, while the senior Fongaro is 15-12. 

At 157, redshirt junior Michael North will come out for the Terps. North, who holds a 14-6 record, has dropped his last two matches since returning from injury. He’ll look to bounce back against Binghamton’s Conner Decker and Columbia’s Cesar Alvan. The sophomore Decker has struggled in duals this season, with a 3-10 record, while the sophomore Alvan is 17-5. 

Redshirt freshman John Martin Best will battle for the Terps at 165. Best’s last action was against Purdue, where he came away with a huge comeback victory in overtime to put the Terps back in the match. Best will look to stay hot in matchups with Binghamton’s No. 31 Brevin Cassella and Columbia’s Joshua Ogunsanya. The sophomore Cassella is 15-4 overall, while the junior Ogunsanya is 15-5. 

At 174, sophomore Dominic Solis will represent the Terps. Solis ended his five-match losing streak in Maryland’s dual with Purdue, rallying after going down early to take a 5-4 decision win. Solis’s opponents this weekend will be Binghamton’s Sam DePrez and Columbia’s Lennox Wolak. The redshirt junior DePrez is 10-9 with five majority decisions, while the junior Wolak holds a record of 14-8. 

Redshirt junior Kevin Makosy will compete for the Terps at 184. Makosy is 2-4 in limited action this season, with an 0-3 record since returning from the injury he sustained Nov. 5 against American. Makosy will face Binghamton’s No. 23 Jacob Nolan and Columbia’s Aaron Ayzerov. The redshirt junior Nolan is 12-4 in dual action, while the sophomore Ayzerov is 15-8 in all matches this season. 

At 197, No. 13 Jaron Smith will look to continue building positive momentum before the Big Ten Championships. After missing five straight matches due to injury, Smith made his return and dominated, picking up a win by fall in the first that was instrumental in Maryland’s victory over Purdue. Smith will match up against Binghamton sophomore Dimitri Gamkrelidze and Columbia freshman Jack Wehmeyer. Gamkrelidze is 9-8, while Wehmeyer holds a 9-9 record. 

No. 24 Jaxon Smith will close things out for Maryland at 285. The graduate student is 11-8 in all action this season, with his most recent win being one of the biggest of his career. Smith clinched a 19-18 win for the Terps by coming away with a 3-2 decision against Purdue, giving Maryland its first Big Ten win since the 2015-16 season. 

“I knew when the match was in the balance, and we had that guy, I felt pretty dang good about it,” coach Alex Clemsen said. 

Smith will wrestle against Binghamton’s No. 26 Cory Day and Columbia’s Billy McChesney. The redshirt junior Day is 11-5 in dual action, while McChesney is 11-14 overall. 

The Binghamton match will begin Friday night at 7:00 at the Xfinity Center, and the Columbia match will get underway Sunday at 1:00 p.m at the Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium.