COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Maryland wrestling team heads to the Wolverine state this weekend as it kicks off the 2023 Big Ten Championships.

The Terps are led by a trio of standout redshirt freshman Jaxon Smith (16-5), Braxton Brown (21-4) and Ethen Miller (25-6). Eighth-year veteran and former NCAA Qualifier Jaron Smith rounds out the Terps' top-10 seeds at the tournament. 

Last year, Jaron Smith, Dominic Solis and Kyle Cochran all qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Solis and Cochran earned their qualifications through their finishes at the Big Ten Championships while Smith earned an at-large bid. 

Action will be feature on Big Ten Network throughout the weekend, but B1G+ will feature coverage of all four mats. Fans can also follow the action by following the program's official Twitter account @TerpsWrestling.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (All times Eastern)
Saturday, March 4

10:00 AM: Session One - First Round, Quarterfinals, Wrestlebacks
6:30 PM: Session Two - Consolation Matches, Wrestlebacks
7:30 PM: Semifinals

Sunday, March 5

1:00 PM: Session Three - Consolation Semis, 7th-place matches
4:30 PM: Session 4 - Placement matches

TERPS ENTRIES

125: 7-seed Braxton Brown
133: 14-seed Jackson Cockrell
141: 14-seed Kal Miller
149: 8-seed Ethen Miller
157: 14-seed Michael North
165: 14-seed John Martin Best
174: 12-seed Dominic Solis
184: 14-seed Kevin Makosy
197: 6-seed Jaxon Smith
HWT: 9-seed Jaron Smith


THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES

• On Friday, Feb. 10, Maryland won its first Big Ten match since Jan. 10, 2016, defeating Purdue 19-18. It was the Terps' second Big Ten win since joining the conference and first for head coach Alex Clemsen. 
•  Eighth-year senior Jaron Smith clinched the win for the Terps with a 3-2 decision at heavyweight, sending the crowd and team into a frenzy. 
• Maryland rallied by winning four of the final five matches. After trailing 9-0 and 15-4, the Terps made the comeback. John Martin Best won in overtime, 6-5 at 165. Then Dominic Solis captured a 5-4 decision. 
• In his return to action after an injury, No. 17 Jaxon Smith pinned Hayden Filipovichin at 2:00 to bring the Terps within 18-16, setting the stage for Jaron Smith's 3-2 victory. 

• The Terps won all three matches in the Nov. 5 home quad meet in dominant fashion, beating Bloomsburg 37-6, Duke 37-0 and American 29-10. In total, Maryland won 27 of 30 bouts. Braxton Brown, Kal Miller, Ethen Miller, Michael North, Dominic Solis, Jaxon Smith and Jaron Smith all went 3-0 in their individual bouts. 
• Maryland came away with its biggest victory in nearly a decade with an 18-16 win over No. 16 Pittsburgh on the road. Brown, Ethen Miller, North, Solis and Jaron Smith all won their bouts, with Brown winning by fall for a pivotal six-points.
• Maryland improved to 5-0 with an 18-15 win over local rivalry Navy, marking the second year in a row the Terps topped the Midshipmen. Jaxon Smith, Brown and Ethen Miller all won by major decisions and the Terps didn't allow Navy to get any bonus points on their end. 
• Jaxon Smith (4th), Ethen Miller (4th) and Brown (7th) all placed at the 2023 Southern Scuffle. 14 Terps competed overall.
• The Terps responded to a tough Big Ten opening loss on criteria points with a 3-1 mark at the Virginia Duals, including the first win over Oklahoma in program history. Maryland's 8-2 mark through the first ten matches was the best since the 2011-12 season. Braxton Brown, Ethen Miller and Michael North each put together 4-0 weekends.

• 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. 

• The Terrapins have a variety of weapons across the lineup. Four wrestlers are ranked in both FloWrestling and Intermat's individual rankings (Braxton Brown, Ethen Miller, Jaron Smith, Jaxon Smith). While Michael North appears in FloWrestling's ranked. All five of those guys appeared in the most recent NCAA Coaches' Poll. In the past Coaches' Poll, Braxton Brown (125) came in at #15, Ethen Miller (149) at #19, Michael North (157) at #31, Jaxon Smith (197) at #19 and Jaron Smith (HWT) at #26. 

• Braxton Brown and Ethen Miller are a combined 30-5 in dual matches this season.  

• Seven Terps have picked up ranked victories this season (Braxton Brown, Kal Miller, Ethen Miller, Michael North, Dom Solis, Jaron Smith, Jaxon Smith). Four of Maryland's top six wrestlers in terms of total wins are freshman. Ethen Miller (25), Braxton Brown (21) and Jaxon Smith (16) are all redshirt freshmen while Kal Miller (12) is a true freshman. 

• The Terps also have a big veteran presence at heavyweight with eighth-year Jaron Smith. Smith turned down an offer from the WWE to come back and wrestle at Maryland, moving up to hevayweight for the first time in his career. He holds a 13-8 record overall this season.