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Branson John

Wrestling

Maryland Wrestling Set to Face No. 6 Minnesota


Maryland Terrapins (4-7, 0-6 B1G)
at
No. 6 Minnesota (9-4, 3-2 B1G)
February 8, 2026
Schanwald Pavilion
1:00 p.m. EST
B1G+

COLLEGE PARK, MD — The Terps continue the 2025–26 season with the final three duals of their homestretch, hosting No. 6 Minnesota on Sunday at 1 p.m. inside the Schanwald Pavilion on B1G+.

Sunday's matchup marks the seventh all-time meeting between Maryland and the Golden Gophers, dating back to 2015 when the Terps joined the Big Ten.

Maryland will be seeking its first victory in the series.

Probables
Maryland Weight No. 6 Minnesota
Abram Cline or Presden Sanchez 125 #10 Jore Volk 
 #14 Braxton Brown 133 Brandon Morvari  -or- Chris Cannon  
 Dario Lemus or Ryan Kennedy 141 Tahir Parkins -OR- Mason Gibson 
Michael Pizzuto or #4 Carter Young  149 #9 Vance VomBaur -or- Jager Eisch 
Mekhi Neal or Nathan Perry  157 #17 Drew Roberts 
 Alex Uryniak or AJ Rodrigues 165 #19 Charlie Millard  
Seth Digby 174 #11 Andrew Sparks
Sepanta Ahanj-Elias 184 #24 Ethan Riddle -or- Clayton Whiting
#17 Branson John 197 #25 Gavin Nelson -or- Gabe Nagel
Oscar Williams or Joey Schneck HWT #10 Koy Hopke -or- Bennett Tabor
 
Career Firsts against B1G Foe
  • True freshmen Ryan Kennedy and Sepanta-Ahanj Elias each earned their first career dual wins for the Terps against No. 18 Wisconsin on Sunday, Jan. 11.
  • At 141 pounds, Kennedy secured a tightly contested 6–3 decision over Wisconsin's Carson Exferd after the bout was scoreless through the first period. He sealed the win with a late takedown in the final 45 seconds.
  • At 184, Ahanj-Elias, wrestling a weight class down, dominated David Malin en route to a 13–1 major decision, controlling the match from start to finish.
Ryan Kennedy
Kennedy secured a tightly contested 6–3 decision over Wisconsin's Carson Exferd
Where We've Been

Maryland enters the upcoming matchup with a 4–7 overall record, earning wins over Gardner-Webb, The Citadel, Morgan State, and American.

The Terps have opened Big Ten competition against Northwestern, Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana, Penn State, and Rutgers.

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).

Branson John (197 lbs) — notched victories over Wyatt Ingham (No. 28, Wisconsin) and Gabe Sollars (No. 13, Indiana), and recorded a pin against Northwestern.

Braxton Brown (133 lbs) — holds a 6–3 dual record with multiple technical falls, including wins over Blake Boarman (Purdue) and Dylan Shawver (No. 27, Rutgers).

Additional Big Ten wins for the Terps 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).

Carter YoungMaryland Terrapins Wrestling vs Purdue Boilermakers at Stephen M. Schanwald Pavilion at XFINITY Center in College Park, MD on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. Rose Fernandes/Maryland Terrapins
Carter Young holds an 9–1 record in a Maryland singlet. 
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

Braxton Brown

Braxton Brown

133 lbs
Redshirt Senior
Abram Cline

Abram Cline

125 lbs
Sophomore
Branson John

Branson John

197 lbs
Sophomore
Dario Lemus

Dario Lemus

141 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
Jaxon Smith

Jaxon Smith

184 lbs
Redshirt Senior
Alex Uryniak

Alex Uryniak

165 lbs
Sophomore
Oscar Williams

Oscar Williams

HWT
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Braxton Brown

Braxton Brown

Redshirt Senior
133 lbs
Abram Cline

Abram Cline

Sophomore
125 lbs
Branson John

Branson John

Sophomore
197 lbs
Dario Lemus

Dario Lemus

Redshirt Sophomore
141 lbs
Mekhi Neal

Mekhi Neal

Sophomore
157 lbs
Michael Pizzuto

Michael Pizzuto

Redshirt Sophomore
141 lbs
Joey Schneck

Joey Schneck

Redshirt Sophomore
HWT
Jaxon Smith

Jaxon Smith

Redshirt Senior
184 lbs
Alex Uryniak

Alex Uryniak

Sophomore
165 lbs
Oscar Williams

Oscar Williams

Sophomore
HWT