A Showcase And An Opportunity

The University of Maryland is set to host the 2024 Big Ten Wrestling Championships on March 9-10 at the XFINITY Center. It’s the first time in school history Maryland will host the event. 

The Big Ten Wrestling Championships are one of the premier college athletics events. The tournament houses the best individual wrestlers from all over the country for a spectacle like no other conference qualifying event.

Maryland hosting the event encapsulates the trajectory of its wrestling program. The Terps have improved every year under head coach Alex Clemsen and now have an opportunity to showcase how far the program has come since joining the conference and continue its ascent as a nationally recognized program. 

The Terps hosted the ACC Championships 15 times from 1954-2014. Since joining the Big Ten Conference for the 2014-15 wrestling season, however, they’ve never had the luxury of competing on one of the biggest stages in front of a home crowd.

Clemsen expressed his excitement and the significance of hosting the prestigious event.

“I'm excited for our program to be on display,” Clemsen said. “I'm excited for the region and our department to get a feel of just how special Big Ten wrestling is. I think when you watch a dual meet, you get a glimpse of it. One team against another team at a time. When you put 14 teams in a building for two days, you really get a different feel of how special Big Ten wrestling is.”

Maryland had just two Big Ten wins in its program’s history entering the 2023-24 season. With wins over Northwestern and Michigan State, Maryland matched that total and won two conference matches in a season for the first time ever.

Clemsen says the weekend is a gauge to see where he wants the program to be and what it’s going to take and look like with the ever-changing landscape of college athletics.

"We won’t get it for 14 years and we haven't hosted since coming into the league,” Clemsen said. “I think where our program is in terms of trajectory and the rebuild since we came to College Park, it's a great time to kind of continue to build momentum and showcase our program.”

The Terps’ 10 competitors in each weight class include Tommy Capul (125), Braxton Brown (133), Kal Miller (141), Ethen Miller (149), Michael North (157), AJ Rodrigues (165), Dominic Solis (174), Chase Mielnik (184), Jaxon Smith (197) and Seth Nevills (285).

Maryland’s lineup is bolstered by its trio of redshirt sophomores in Ethen Miller, Smith, and Brown. All three wrestlers were NCAA qualifiers last season and competed at the 2023 Big Ten Championships.

Smith took third place at last year’s championships as a sixth seed. He had the highest finish for a Terp since 2019. This year, he’s the second seed, the highest for a Maryland wrestler at the Big Ten Championships ever.

Smith’s mindset is the same as his teammates’ - They expect to win.

“We have it written on our walls,” Smith said. “We talked about it a lot with our team. I think that's something that we value as a team. It's something that we say quite frequently.”

Miller placed eighth at last year’s championships. He enters the weekend of competition as a sixth seed. He has won five consecutive matches, including two over top-15 opponents in Big Ten competition.

“I just feel like this year I got my mind in the right spot and I’m just telling myself that I'm one of those guys that's a top guy,” Miller said. “I got to go out there and show it and I think the spot that I'm at right now for Big Ten's, I can see myself in the finals. …I think I can be a Big Ten champ this weekend.”

Brown finished ninth at the 2023 championships and will compete this weekend as a seventh seed. He says just having the prior experience has allowed him to prepare differently.

“There were a lot of nerves going on last year being a redshirt freshman there,” Brown said. “There was a lot on the line. But going into this year, I'm ready for the big crowd and all the noises and screaming. It has prepared me for this moment.”

Clemsen stated he believed in every one of his competitors. However, he also made it clear that his belief in his wrestlers extends to his entire roster.

“I believe in the other 22 guys that aren't going to wrestle in the championship as well,” Clemsen said. “The way that they've prepared in the atmosphere that they've created in our room and the sacrifices that they've made to help their friends and their teammates. It’s been a fun six weeks.”

All the preparation will come to fruition on Saturday and will continue Sunday. Clemsen and his Terps understand the importance and opportunity that awaits. Many Maryland wrestling alumni will be in attendance.

“It's a huge opportunity that we have right now to be able to showcase our talent and the skill that our team has developed over these past three years that we've been here,” Smith said. “It's a big opportunity for people to come and see what we've developed as a team. …I think that's just going to continue to grow.”