A competitive blend of returning talent and fresh faces has the Terps ready for another season in the Big Ten.
Brady Ruth, Staff Writer
10/30/2026
The calendar is turning to November and the attention is shifting back to the mat.
In collegiate wrestling, the Big Ten is king and the Terps are ready for another exciting season competing among the nation’s best.
Head coach Alex Clemsen enters his eighth year at the helm with a roster that blends returning production with fresh talent. With 30 wrestlers representing 13 states, the Terps have assembled a group with different backgrounds and experiences but a common goal: pushing one another to new heights.
“We have a really competitive team,” Clemsen said. “The guys really like to mix it up, and they’re not afraid of work. This group comes in every day ready to go.”
Gallery: Maryland Wrestling Red & Black Match
That competitive spirit has already begun to take shape as established veterans and newcomers alike are battling for opportunities to represent Maryland. For a team looking to make its mark in the Big Ten, the daily work may prove just as important as the results on match day.
“I feel like everyone’s hungry,” Branson John said. “Everyone has something to prove, so it’s been a good mix of everyone putting in work.”
John knows what it takes to compete at the highest level. Last season, he became the 22nd All-American in program history and the first since 2019, establishing himself as one of the Terps’ top performers. Now ranked No. 7 at 197 pounds by both InterMat and FloWrestling, he returns with an opportunity to build on that breakthrough campaign.
I’m looking forward to getting opportunities to compete. Whether that’s against the top guy in the country or someone that’s not ranked, any opportunity to compete and go out there and put the things I’ve worked on this season on display is exciting. I believe I can compete with anyone. It’s just about finding those small margins and flipping them.Branson John
John is one of two returning NCAA qualifiers, alongside Dario Lemus. The addition of transfer Nicolar Rivera, who also qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2025-26, gives Maryland three wrestlers who understand the demands of a full season culminating in a run at the national tournament.
“We have three qualifiers that can talk through what it feels like and what it takes all year long,” Clemsen said. “I hope each of those guys can impact another guy or their weight class around them and lift them up. You saw that last year, and I hope we can do that again this year and double that number.”
Rivera is one of five transfers joining the Terps this season, alongside Caio Aron, Carson Thomas, Latrell Schafer and Julian George. The group brings more than 70 collegiate wins to College Park, adding experience and depth to a lineup that will benefit from their contributions throughout the season.
Just as importantly, the newcomers have found a place within a team culture that emphasizes brotherhood alongside competition.
This is a very close team. Everyone is very involved and the coaches are super supportive. There’s a lot that I can take from each guy on the team. Everyone’s very motivated and hungry.Nicolar Rivera
Clemsen and his staff also reloaded the squad with an eight-member freshman class that ranked No. 25 nationally by InterMat, giving the Terps one of their strongest incoming groups in years.
“We needed to continue to bolster our roster,” Clemsen said. “Credit to our staff for not only bringing in a strong freshmen class, but also a strong transfer group. Those 13 guys have assimilated really quickly, and that’s a credit to them, but also the returning 17 embracing them and bringing them into the fold. It’s been a pretty good blend from the jump.”
The newcomers have already begun making their marks. Several freshmen stood out during Maryland's preseason Red vs. Black matches, helping create competition across multiple weight classes. That balance between competing against and supporting one another is central to the team's identity.
“We mesh really well,” Liston Seibert said. “We come here and compete, but outside of practice we’re all good friends. That’s going to make our team so much stronger. Iron sharpens iron.”
For the optimism surrounding the newcomers, however, Maryland's foundation remains the 17 wrestlers returning from last season. Each brings a different set of experiences into the new campaign, whether building on individual success, learning from difficult results or working to return to form after time away from competition.
“This is what I love to do,” heavyweight Chase Horne said. “This is what I want to do for my whole life, so it’s really special to do it, especially with the team we have now. It’s super exciting.”
Horne and the Terps will have an abundance of opportunities to grow and compete this season. The schedule consists of four weekend tournaments, a Home Quad, and a trip to South Carroll High school before Big Ten season ramps up in January.
I like our schedule a lot. It’s a really challenging schedule with a lot of quality opponents. The Big Ten conference is always great, but we’re able to challenge our guys in the non-conference as well. Our guys should be battle tested for March for sure.Head coach Alex Clemsen
The conference slate features eight Big Ten duals, including four at home against Michigan State on Jan. 15, Nebraska on Jan. 22, Northwestern on Feb. 7 and Rutgers on Feb. 12. Those matchups will provide the Terps with opportunities to measure their progress against some of the nation's top competition before the postseason arrives.
Ultimately, Maryland's ambitions will be measured by what happens in March at the Big Ten and NCAA Championships. Reaching those stages will require more than a handful of standout performances. It will take a deep roster, a willingness to embrace competition and a team capable of bringing out the best in one another.
With a mix of proven performers, experienced newcomers and freshmen eager to make their mark, the Terps believe they have the pieces to take that next step. Now, with a new season on the horizon, the work begins to turn that potential into results.
