Maryland Wrestling Hosts Quad Match On Saturday
11/3/2022 11:00:00 AM | Wrestling
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Maryland hosts a quad match to open its 2022-23 campaign on Saturday, Nov. 5, at the XFINITY Center Pavilion. The Terrapins welcome American, Bloomsburg, and former ACC foe Duke. Matches will begin at 10 am.
The Terrapins are coming off of a seven-win season in 2021-22, their best total since the 2013-14 campaign.
The Schedule:
10 AM: Maryland vs. Bloomsburg | Duke vs. American
Noon: Maryland vs. Duke | Bloomsburg vs. American
2 PM: Maryland vs. American | Bloomsburg vs. Duke
The Terrapins are coming off of a seven-win season in 2021-22, their best total since the 2013-14 campaign.
The Schedule:
10 AM: Maryland vs. Bloomsburg | Duke vs. American
Noon: Maryland vs. Duke | Bloomsburg vs. American
2 PM: Maryland vs. American | Bloomsburg vs. Duke
The Field
THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES
Season Outlook
- The Terps won seven duals last season, including victories over local foes Navy and American. It marked the highest total since they won nine in the 2013-14 campaign.
- Head coach Alex Clemsen enters his fourth season at the helm. He led the Maryland to a marked improvement in 2022 with three NCAA qualifiers and a 13th place finish at the Big Ten Championships. Clemsen also brought in the nation's eighth-ranked recruiting class in 2021.
- As always, the Terps will face the best of the best in the Big Ten, the nation's premier wrestling conference. Six of the Terps' eight B1G duals come against teams currently ranked 27th or better.
- Maryland's nonconference schedule is highlighted by this weekend's quad match, Missouri's Tiger Style Invite and duals at No. 18 Pittsburgh and local rival Navy.
Jaxon's sensational Summer
- Redshirt freshman Jaxon Smith represented Team USA all summer with great success.
- Smith claimed US Open and Pan-American titles, outscoring foes 54-2 in five bouts alongside a pin while regularly dispatching opponents in the first period.
- He capped off his summer with a trip to Bulgaria for the 2022 U20 World Championships on Aug. 16-17. Clemsen served as Smith's personal coach and accompanied the Cartersville, GA native to Bulgaria.
Key returners
- The Terps bring back multiple key wrestlers who competed in Big Ten duals last season.
- Jaron Smith headlines the group of returners as he is back in College Park for his eighth season. Last year, Smith placed seventh at the 2022 Southern Scuffle and went 1-2 at the 2022 NCAA Championships with a victory over Utah Valley's Evan Bockman. Smith will transition from the 197-weight class to a heavyweight this year.
- Dominic Solis returns for his third season. The Laurel native finished seventh at the 2022 Big Ten Championships with victories over Gerrit Nijenhuis, DJ Shannon, and Connor O'Neill. He also competed at the 2022 NCAA Championships.
Fantastic FreshMen
- Maryland has a plethora of redshirt freshmen poised to make a big impact this year.
- Jaxon Smith, Ethen Miller and Braxton Brown, the headliners of Clemsen's eighth-ranked 2021 recruiting class, will see their first full season on the mat after redshirting last year. All three guys had big showings at last year's Clarion Open.
- John Martin Best will also be back after going down with a knee injury that ended his freshman season on Dec. 4 against Duke. Best earned the first dual victory of career with a 5-0 decision victory over Duke's Brandon LaRue.
- Jackson Cockrell, a redshirt freshman due to the COVID-19 ruling, has two years of experience under his belt and is expected to play a big role at 133 pounds.
- Kal Miller, the younger brother of Ethen, will see a lot of action as a true freshman. Miller starred for Park Hill High School and was a two-time Missouri State Champion.
Scouting the Foes
- Bloomsburg finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 9-6 overall record. The Huskies finished 14th at the Clarion Open on Nov. 7. The Terps had 11 total placers in the same event.
- Duke went 7-10 overall last season. The Terps' beat the Blue Devil 23-17 on Dec. 4. Jaron Smith defeated Kaden Russell by major decision.
- The Terps bested American by a score of 31-12 last season on Feb. 19. Lucas Cordio and Jaron Smith both won by fall. American finished the year 1-12.
Wednesday, April 15
Wednesday, February 18
Saturday, February 08
Sunday, February 02
