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Jaxon Smith

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Maryland Wrestling Set To Open Season With Tri-Meet Against Kent State & Bucknell

Maryland Terrapins (0-0) (0-0 B1G)
vs.
Kent State Flashes (0-0) (0-0 MAC)
November 3, 2024
XFINITY Center Pavilion
2:00 p.m.
B1G+
Watch
Maryland Terrapins (0-0) (0-0 B1G)
vs.
Bucknell Bison (0-0) (0-0 EIWA)
November 3, 2024
XFINITY Center Pavilion
4:00 p.m.
B1G+
Watch
COLLEGE PARK, MD -- Maryland will kick off its 2024-25 season on Sunday, Nov. 3, the sixth season under head coach Alex Clemsen. The Terps will host a tri-meet at the XFINITY Center Pavilion, facing Kent State from the MAC and Bucknell from the EIWA. The Flashes and Bison will meet at noon, the Terps will face the Flashes at 2 pm, and the day will conclude with a battle between Maryland and Bucknell at 4 pm.   

Probables
Maryland Weight Kent State
Tyler Garvin or Presden Sanchez 125 Nico Calello or Tyeler Hagensen
No. 15 Braxton Brown 133 Jordan Decatur
Michael Pizzuto or Clayton Gabrielson  141 Eli Ashcroft or Mason Tieffel
No. 27 Kal Miller 149 Billy Meiszner
No. 19 Ethen Miller or Kevin Schork  157 Aaron Ferguson or Charles Spencer
  Ryan Money or John Martin Best 165 Ethan Barr or Hunter Andel
Branson John or Alex Uryniak 174 Waylon Wehler
No. 9 Jaxon Smith 184 Trent Thomas or Holden Martin
Chase Mielnik 197 Blake Schaffer
No. 23 Seth Nevills or Sam O'Brian HWT Brentan Simmerman or Abel Ngoh
*Intermat Rankings

Probables
Maryland Weight Bucknell
Tyler Garvin or Presden Sanchez  125 Kade Davideiser
No. 15 Braxton Brown 133 No. 11 Kurt Phipps
Michael Pizzuto OR Clayton Gabrielson   141 No. 25 Dylan Chappell
No. 27 Kal Miller  149 Braden Bower
No. 19 Ethen Miller OR Kevin Schork 157 Cade Wirnsberger
 Ryan Money or John Martin Best 165 No. 14 Noah Mulvaney
Branson John or Alex Uryniak 174 No. 29 Myles Takats
No. 9 Jaxon Smith  184 Logan Deacetis
Chase Mielnik 197 Dillon Bechtold
No. 15 Seth Nevills OR Sam O'Brian HWT Logan Shephard
*Intermat Rankings
2023-24 Season Recap
  • The Terps are coming off a second straight strong Big Ten season under Clemsen, highlighted by the program's first-ever multi-win Big Ten season. First, the Terps dominated Northwestern on Jan. 14, marking the most points scored by the team in Big Ten competition since joining the league. Maryland added its second win by way of 28-15 victory over Michigan State on Feb. 11 with five total wins by bonus points. 
  • Maryland hosted the Big Ten Championships for the first time in program history. In front of over 10,000 people in each of the four sessions, the Terps set program-bests in points (39), place (10th) and placers (four: Jaxon Smith, Ethen Miller, Braxton Brown and Seth Nevills).
  • For the second straight season, the Terps had five NCAA qualifiers. Before 2023, five qualifiers were the most since 2014. At the 2024 NCAA Championships in Kansas City, MO, the hometown of Ethen and Kal Miller, Maryland finished with 8.5 team points, its most since 2019. Four of Maryland's five qualifiers picked up at least one victory, with Nevills leading the way with two.
  • The Terps also saw success at open tournaments. Kal Miller became a two-time Tiger Style Invite Champion in early November in his hometown. Smith finished in second place at the illustrious Cliff Keen Invitational, picking up a semifinal victory over former NCAA Runner-Up Tanner Sloan of South Dakota State. Finally, Brown took home first place at the George Mason Patriot Open that same weekend, just a couple weeks after bumping up to 133 pounds.
Ethen MillerMaryland Wrestling during the third session of the Big Ten Championship at Xfinity Center in College Park, MD on Sunday, Mar. 10, 2024. Mackenzie Miles/Maryland Terrapins
Four Terps finished on the podium at the 2024 Big Ten Championships. Jaxon Smith and Ethen Miller have both placed at Big Tens in each of the past two seasons. 
About the terps
  • The Terps return five 2024 NCAA Qualifiers (Braxton Brown, Kal Miller, Ethen Miller, Jaxon Smith and Seth Nevills) as well as 2022 Qualifier Dom Solis. Brown, both Millers and Smith are all two-time NCAA qualifiers, also qualifying in 2023.
  • Maryland also brings in another talented freshmen class including five on the MatScouts' 2024 Senior Big Board in Oscar Williams (No. 100), Mekhi Neal (No. 141), Abram Cline (No. 165), Branson John (No. 182) and Sammy Gautreau (No. 236). Tyler Garvin, Presden Sanchez and Alex Uryniak round out the stellar class.
  • Maryland made several staff changes during the offseason, first by promoting Nick Brascetta, who has been with Clemsen since he started in College Park, to Associate Head Coach. Additionally, with the departure of assistant coach Devin Mellon who left to pursue opportunities outside of wrestling, the Terps promoted Elijah Oliver and Ethan Laird to full-time assistant coaches. Finally, Pittsburgh alum Cole Matthews was brought in to replace Laird as the Special Assistant to the Head Coach.
Braxton BrownMaryland Wrestling at NCAA Championships at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City , MO on Thursday, Mar. 21, 2024. Geoffrey Riccio/Maryland Athletics
The Terps have four two-time NCAA Qualifiers on the roster in Braxton Brown, Kal Miller, Ethen Miller and Jaxon Smith.
Terps at new weights
  • This season will showcase several familiar faces in new places in the lineups as multiple weight classes shuffle. 
  • The Terrapins are set to have both Millers in the lineup once again this season---just in new spots. Both brothers will bump up one weight class, putting younger brother Kal at 149 pounds and older brother Ethen at 157. The Kansas City, MO natives who both wrestled at Park Hill High School are two-time qualifiers at their old weights.
  • Kal finished the 2023-24 season with a 13-12 record with four ranked wins in the regular season (Cole Matthews 2x, Dan Fongaro, Josh Edmond). He also won the Tiger Style Invite at 141 pounds. He holds a 31-30 career record. 
  • Ethen finished the 2023-24 season on an absolute tear, winning the final six Big Ten matches of the regular season, with three coming against ranked opponents and two of those by major decision. He carried that momentum into the Big Ten Championships in College Park where he took home 4th place on the heels of upset victories over Iowa's third-seeded Caleb Rathjen and Ohio State's Dylan D'Emilio. Ethen went 18-9 last season and is 64-24 for his career.
  • Last season, Chase Mielnik was at at 184 pounds while Jaxon Smith wrestled at 197---now the two will swap weights
  • Smith is the face of the program for the Terps, highlighted by a 2023 Third Place finish at the Big Ten Championships and a 2023 bloodround appearance at NCAA Championships. Ranked as high as No. 3 at points last season, he finished with an 18-7 record and is 62-21 all-time. Smith also has made waves in freestyle wrestling, winning the 2022 U20 US Open and the Pan-American Championships, earning him a spot on the 2022 World Team.
  • Mielnik, a redshirt senior from Downingtown, PA, finished the season on an incredibly high note, earning 9th place as the 14-seed at Big Ten Championships with three straight wins over No. 11, No. 9 and No. 13. Mielnik went 10-17 last season and is 33-49 all-time.
Kal and Ethen Miller
Both Miller brothers will be bumping up a weight class, with Kal wrestling at 149 this year and Ethen at 157. 
other lineup staples
  • After bumping up weights a couple weeks into the season last year, Braxton Brown returns for a complete season at 133. An NCAA qualifier at both weights, Brown finished the 2023-24 season as the team leader in wins (21) and technical falls (8). Brown beat three ranked opponents in the regular season (Pitt's No. 13 Vinnie Santianello, Campbell's No. 18 Dom Zaccone and Minnesota' No. 20 Tyler Wells). Brown also finished in sixth place at the 2024 Big Ten Championships, making him a Big Ten placer for the first time in his career.
  • Seth Nevills is back for his second year in College Park and is looking to build off two wins at his first-ever NCAA Tournament and a 17-10 overall season, despite missing several weeks due to injury. The former top-10 recruit and Penn State transfer is 35-18 for his career.
Seth NevillsMaryland wrestling has their first official practice at Xfinity Center Pavilion in College Park, MD on October 10, 2024.Ian Cox/Maryland Terrapins
Seth Nevills shined in his first season at Maryland, becoming a first-time NCAA Qualifier.
Freshmen poised to make big impact
  • Maryland enters the 2024-25 season with three 125-pounders on the roster---all true freshmen---in Abram Cline, Tyler Garvin and Presden Sanchez. At Maryland's wrestling Red-Black Match, Sanchez defeated Cline in overtime before Garvin won by decision over Sanchez.
  • Cline, a Chula Vista, CA native is a two-time California Third-Place winner and was the 2023 Doc B runner-up. Garvin joins the Terps as a local kid from Rising Sun, MD. A three-time Maryland state champion, Garvin remarkably never lost a high school match. Finally, Sanchez, hailing from Omaha, NE, is a four-time Nebraska state medalist, including a state champion in 2023.
  • After a redshirt freshman season where he was able to flash his greatness in spurts, Dario Lemus is primed to be the Terps' starting 141-pounder this season. The Clovis, CA native went 16-6 during his redshirt season including two dual wins in three appearances. He finished with six technical falls (third on the team) and three major decisions (tied for third on the team). Lemus, a 2023 California state champion and four-time state placer in high school, also won the Edinboro Open, wrestling unattached, and finished in third place at the Tiger Style Invite.
  • With Lemus sidelined for the first weekend due to injury, the Terps will turn to other redshirt freshman options in Michael Pizzuto and Clayton Gabrielson. Pizzuto finished his first season with a 12-10 record and represented Maryland at 149 pounds in a dual against Drexel, Pizzuto was a three-time Maryland state champion in high school. Gabrielson, a two-time Maryland state finalist, went 10-13 last season. Pizzuto defeated Gabrielson by decision in the Red-Black Match.
  • At 165, redshirt freshman Ryan Money will compete for a lineup spot. He defeated John Martin Best in overtime in Maryland's Red-Black match.  
  • Senior Dominic Solis, a 2022 National Qualifier who has been the veteran at 174 with a 7-11 record last season and a 33-43 all-time record, is set to redshirt this year. Talented true freshman Branson John is in the fold to earn a lineup spot. Hailing from Clovis, John finished in third at the 2024 California State Championships. True freshman Alex Uryniak, a two-time New Jersey state placer, is also in contention. John defeated Uryniak at the Red-Black Match on Oct. 25.
Tyler Garvin, Presden SanchezMaryland Wrestling Red vs. Black Match at The Xfinity Center Pavilion in College Park, MD on Friday, Oct 25, 2024.Rose Fernandes/ Maryland Athletics
Maryland will wrestle a true freshman at 125 pounds this season, either Tyler Garvin, Presden Sanchez or Abram Cline. 
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Players Mentioned

John Martin Best

John Martin Best

165 lbs
Redshirt Sophomore
Braxton Brown

Braxton Brown

133 lbs
Redshirt Sophomore
Chase Mielnik

Chase Mielnik

184 lbs
Redshirt Junior
Ethen Miller

Ethen Miller

149 lbs
Redshirt Sophomore
Kal Miller

Kal Miller

141 lbs
Sophomore
Sam O

Sam O'Brian

HWT
Redshirt Sophomore
Kevin Schork

Kevin Schork

149/157 lbs
Redshirt Sophomore
Jaxon Smith

Jaxon Smith

197 lbs
Redshirt Sophomore
Dominic Solis

Dominic Solis

174 lbs
Junior
Seth Nevills

Seth Nevills

HWT
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

John Martin Best

John Martin Best

Redshirt Sophomore
165 lbs
Braxton Brown

Braxton Brown

Redshirt Sophomore
133 lbs
Chase Mielnik

Chase Mielnik

Redshirt Junior
184 lbs
Ethen Miller

Ethen Miller

Redshirt Sophomore
149 lbs
Kal Miller

Kal Miller

Sophomore
141 lbs
Sam O

Sam O'Brian

Redshirt Sophomore
HWT
Kevin Schork

Kevin Schork

Redshirt Sophomore
149/157 lbs
Jaxon Smith

Jaxon Smith

Redshirt Sophomore
197 lbs
Dominic Solis

Dominic Solis

Junior
174 lbs
Seth Nevills

Seth Nevills

Graduate Student
HWT