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Braxton Brown poses against white backdrop in a varsity Jacket

Wrestling

Maryland Wrestling Set to Close Out Regular Season against Drexel on Senior Day


Maryland Terrapins (4-9, 0-8 B1G)
vs.
Drexel Dragons (13-5, 5-1 EIWA)
February 20, 2026
Schanwald Pavilion
7:30 p.m. EST
B1G+
COLLEGE PARK, MD — The Terps will close out the 2025–26 regular season with their final home dual against Drexel at 7:30 p.m. in the Schanwald Pavilion. The dual will be broadcast on B1G+.

Friday's matchup marks the ninth all-time meeting between Maryland and Drexel, a series that dates back to 2006. The Terps have won seven of the first eight matchups and enter the contest on a three-dual winning streak in the series, most recently defeating the Dragons, 23–13, to close the 2024–25 season.

The dual will also serve as Senior and Alumni Night, as the Terps will recognize seven seniors prior to the match for their contributions to the program: John Martin Best, Anthony Bradley, Braxton Brown, Luke Jacobs, Ryan Money, Dom Solis and Carter Young

Probables
Maryland Weight Drexel
Abram Cline or Presden Sanchez 125 No. NR/26 Dez Pleasant or Oumar Tounkara
No. 20/17 Braxton Brown 133 Kyle Waterman or Jaden Perez
 Dario Lemus or Ryan Kennedy 141 Jordan Soriano or Trey Friedman
Michael Pizzuto or No. 10/4 Carter Young  149 Deon Pleasant or Justin Soriano
Mekhi Neal or Nathan Perry  157 Gavin Carroll or Aboubakre Diaby
 Alex Uryniak or AJ Rodrigues 165 Cody Walsh or Dom Findora 
Seth Digby 174 Dom Findora or Cody Walsh
Sepanta Ahanj-Elias 184 Ethan Wilson or Chris Mance
No. 14/16 Branson John 197 Ibrahim Ameer or Justin Griffith 
Oscar Williams or Joey Schneck HWT No. 24/24 Nate Schon or Dom Petracci
 
Nationally Ranked Terps 
  • As the postseason approaches, several Terps continue to position themselves among the nation's best, earning recognition in both the Coaches Poll and the NCAA RPI rankings.

    Coaches Poll Rankings:

    NCAA RPI Rankings:

    With multiple wrestlers ranked nationally and holding strong RPI positions, Maryland continues to build momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season and postseason competition.

Braxton BrownMaryland Terrapins Wrestling vs Minnesota Golden Gophers at Stephen M. Schanwald Pavilion at XFINITY Center in College Park, MD on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. Rose Fernandes/Maryland Terrapins
Several Terps continue to position themselves among the nation's best, including Braxton Brown
Where We've Been

The Terps opened Big Ten competition against Northwestern, Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana, Penn State, Rutgers and Minnesota, and most recently hosted No. 2 Ohio State in their final conference dual of the regular season, falling 29–16.

Key individual performances include:

Carter Young (149 lbs) — owns a 9–1 record, with his lone loss coming against the nation's top-ranked wrestler. Young has recorded ranked wins over Joseph Zargo (No. 17, Wisconsin), Gavin Brown (No. 21, Purdue), Joey Butler (Indiana) and Andrew Clark (No. 29, Rutgers). He also earned his first Big Ten bonus-point victory with a 14–3 major decision over Brogan Fielding (Ohio State).

Branson John (197 lbs) — notched victories over Wyatt Ingham (No. 28, Wisconsin) and Gabe Sollars (No. 13, Indiana), recorded a pin against Northwestern, and earned a 4–1 decision over No. 25 Gavin Nelson (Minnesota). Against Ohio State, the No. 17-ranked John secured the first top-10 win of his career with a pin at 3:40 over No. 10 Luke Geog.

Braxton Brown (133 lbs) — holds a 7–3 dual record with multiple technical falls, including wins over Blake Boarman (Purdue) and Dylan Shawver (No. 27, Rutgers), and added a 5–0 decision over Brandon Morvari (Minnesota).

Two Terps earned their first Big Ten victories of the season against Ohio State. At 157 pounds, Mekhi Neal broke a 1–1 tie with a takedown in the final 40 seconds to claim a 4–1 decision over Daxton Chase. At 174 pounds, Seth Digby secured a 6–1 sudden victory decision over TJ Schierl.

Additional Big Ten wins for Maryland have come from Ryan Kennedy (141 lbs) over Carson Exford (Wisconsin), Sepanta Ahanj-Elias (184 lbs) over David Malin (Wisconsin), AJ Rodrigues (165 lbs) over Isaac Ruble (Purdue), Joey Schneck (285 lbs) over Caleb Marzolino (Indiana) and Dario Lemus (141 lbs) over Mason Gibson (Rutgers).

Branson John Upset over Ohio State
No. 17-ranked Branson John secured the first top-10 win of his career with a pin at 3:40 over No. 10 Luke Geog
About the Terps
  • The Terps are coming off one of their most successful seasons since joining the Big Ten. Maryland set program records for points and individual placers at the Big Ten Championships, recorded its highest team finish, and secured the most regular-season dual wins in program history. A signature moment came with a victory over No. 10 Michigan — the program's first win over a top-10 opponent since Nov. 20, 2009.
  • At the NCAA Championships, Maryland matched its highest team point total and finish since 2014. Jaxon Smith earned All-American honors with a sixth-place finish at 184 pounds, becoming the program's first All-American since 2019. The Terps qualified six wrestlers for the NCAA Championships — their most since 2012 — including returners Braxton BrownBranson John, and Jaxon Smith, while also setting a new program record for Big Ten dual victories.
  • Head Coach Alex Clemsen enters his seventh season leading the program, joined by associate head coach Nick Brascetta. Assistant coach Ethan Laird returns for his third season, while Cole Matthews has been promoted to assistant coach in his second year with the Terps.
Jaxon Smith of Maryland Wrestling on the Podium of the NCAA National Championships at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday March 22, 2025.Allison Mize/Maryland Terrapins
Jaxon Smith earned All-American honors with a sixth-place finish at 184 pounds last season.
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Players Mentioned

Anthony Bradley

Anthony Bradley

197 lbs
Redshirt Junior
Braxton Brown

Braxton Brown

133 lbs
Redshirt Senior
Abram Cline

Abram Cline

125 lbs
Sophomore
Luke Jacobs

Luke Jacobs

149 lbs
Redshirt Junior
Branson John

Branson John

197 lbs
Sophomore
Dario Lemus

Dario Lemus

141 lbs
Redshirt Sophomore
Ryan Money

Ryan Money

165 lbs
Redshirt Sophomore
Mekhi Neal

Mekhi Neal

157 lbs
Sophomore
Michael Pizzuto

Michael Pizzuto

141 lbs
Redshirt Sophomore
Joey Schneck

Joey Schneck

HWT
Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Anthony Bradley

Anthony Bradley

Redshirt Junior
197 lbs
Braxton Brown

Braxton Brown

Redshirt Senior
133 lbs
Abram Cline

Abram Cline

Sophomore
125 lbs
Luke Jacobs

Luke Jacobs

Redshirt Junior
149 lbs
Branson John

Branson John

Sophomore
197 lbs
Dario Lemus

Dario Lemus

Redshirt Sophomore
141 lbs
Ryan Money

Ryan Money

Redshirt Sophomore
165 lbs
Mekhi Neal

Mekhi Neal

Sophomore
157 lbs
Michael Pizzuto

Michael Pizzuto

Redshirt Sophomore
141 lbs
Joey Schneck

Joey Schneck

Redshirt Sophomore
HWT