Star of The Scuffle: Kyle Cochran’s Remarkable Run

After three-straight dual wins against Drexel, Duke, and Navy, Maryland wrestling was riding high heading into one of the most prestigious midseason tournaments of the season, the Southern Scuffle. 

Kyle Cochran, a 184-pound senior, has been one of the focal points of the season, winning all three of his bouts in those duals and holding victories over Pittsburgh and Virginia as well. Still, very few people, outside of those in the Maryland wrestling room, could've expected what the Paramus, New Jersey, native would do in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the 2022 Southern Scuffle. 

Cochran would catch fire and go on an incredible run, pinning Xavier Vasquez of Northern Colorado, defeating Conor Becker of Duke by major division, shutting out No.15 Jeremiah Kent of Missouri, knocking off No. 14 Hunter Bolen of Virginia Tech, and defeating No. 13 Jon Loew to capture the Southern Scuffle crown.

Most impressively of all, Cochran did not allow a single offensive point during his championship run, dominating his opponents in the standing position. 

“It was great…starting off, right when I got there, I felt good vibes,” Cochran said. “I felt like I was wrestling well, all my preparation I've put in for many months, I felt really good, right from the start. As the momentum started to build, I just took every chance I had to take what's mine, and it ended up working out, so it feels good.”

Cochran’s run to glory may have been unexpected by some, but it was the product of a lot of hard work. The 184-pounder’s mindset was very strategic and calculated, right down to how he controls his body before, during, and after a match. 

If you see Cochran warming up before a match, you’ll notice something different about him compared to other wrestlers. Others are hitting the mat with their headphones in, music blaring in their ears, psyching themselves up for the impending battle. 

For Cochran, it’s the opposite. He actively dislikes listening to music before his matches, believing it to be more a hindrance than beneficial. He likes to be in his own mind, drowning out the outside noise and focusing on nothing but his match. 

Cochran learned that this was how he’d be successful at a young age and learned it in a very embarrassing way.  

“I'm pretty superstitious. When I was in like fourth grade, I put on my new Skullcandy headphones. And I started listening to Eminem before a match, and I got put on my back and pinned. I don't like to have music in my head. I like to just focus on my breathing. So like, I think it's just I think I just would rather be in my own head and just like thinking about all the different possibilities of what I'm going to do on the mat or how I'm going to do this. I'm going to do that. I think the music just gets in the way.”

Coming out of Paramus, New Jersey, Cochran wasn’t always pegged as a top guy. Even during his time at Maryland, which wrestles inside the most daunting conference, Cochran didn’t see the returns that he wanted to. 

Cochran has stayed the course and chosen to work even harder instead of throwing in the towel through those ebbs and flows. Now, as a redshirt senior, that hard work is starting to pay off as his strong start to the dual season carried over to the midseason tournaments.

“When I was a freshman [and] sophomore in high school, I didn't really have a big name, I wasn't performing how I wanted to. Then I finally started making a name for myself towards my last two years. Now at Maryland, I didn't really have much success my freshman, sophomore, even junior year. So now, things feel like [they] are coming full circle and finally starting to shine through. It feels really good.”

One of the biggest key differences between Cochran the past few years and now this year has been his mindset and a slight change to his philosophy.  

“I always keep guys at a pretty far distance from me because I'm always thumb blocking,” Cochran said. “When people are wrestling me, it feels weird for them trying to close distance. I'm always trying to work to be in the positions that I want to be in. So I'm always trying to keep them far away from me, but then I'll try to bring it closer when I want to get to my positions and get to my shots and then when I get the takedown I'm gonna…just ride that clock out and get riding time.”

After years not living up to the expectations that he set for himself, Cochran entered 2021-22 as a man on a mission looking to prove that he’s every bit the wrestler that he knows himself to be. 

Not only has he changed up his physical wrestling style, but he’s also undergone a change in how he mentally prepares for the rigorous season and tournaments.

“I just feel like a completely different person physically and mentally, especially mentally,” Cochran said. “I feel like I've been going into my matches just knowing that I have the capabilities to be very successful this year. Especially because this is probably my last year, I just feel like I have nothing to lose, and it's a lot of weight off my shoulders. I feel more confident, I feel more loose.

Cochran is considered to be one of the leaders of the team and finds himself in a position of great influence. Head coach Alex Clemsen entered his third season as the Terps coach, but Cochran is one of the few wrestlers who saw extended action prior to Clemsen’s arrival. 

During his four years in College Park, Cochran has relished every individual win he’s gotten and every dual that his team has won. This season, though, has already given him incredible memories as a teammate, especially the team's win against Navy on Dec. 11. 

“That is probably my favorite victory that the team has ever gotten since I've been at Maryland,” Cochran said. When you see us celebrating at the end, it just shows how hard we've worked to get to this moment. I'm not saying that we're where we want to be, but I'm saying to finally see that the bricks that we’re laying down are finally almost there to building something big.”

Now with his name fully in the mix for All-American status going into the rest of the season, Cochran is pleased with where he’s at, but knows there’s one final gear he can get to in order to finish out his season strong. 

Not only that, but he believes that what he and his team are doing is setting the standard for what is yet to come.

“It's finally paying off,” Cochran said. “I think these victories are really building up the team, and I love it. I love everything about it.”