Ohio State’s Kyle Snyder pushes back 197-pound wrestler Rob Fitzgerald during the Terps’ 31-9 loss to Ohio State at Xfinity Center on Jan. 25, 2014.

The Terrapins wrestling team was overmatched Sunday afternoon before its members stepped onto the mat.

While the Terps featured two wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in their respective weight classes, according to InterMat.com, No. 4 Ohio State boasted five in the top 10. The Buckeyes’ apparent prematch advantage translated to a 31-9 thrashing of the Terps on Xfinity Center’s main floor.  

Sunday’s defeat marks the Terps’ fifth straight loss in conference matches in their inaugural Big Ten season. Still, coach Kerry McCoy noted the team’s improvement after its performance against Ohio State. 

“It was better than it has been,” McCoy said. “The guys that are working [are] getting better, and they just got to continue to do that.”

The Terps received wins from 157-pound Lou Mascola, 174-pound Josh Snook and heavyweight Spencer Myers. But their efforts weren’t enough to push the Terps (5-11, 0-5 Big Ten) past the Buckeyes (9-3, 5-1), one of four Big Ten teams ranked in the top five. 

“Like Coach said, it’s a top-four [team] in the country, so it’s going to be a tough battle regardless,” 197-pound Rob Fitzgerald said. “We’ve been improving every week, so that’s all you can ask for.”

The wrestlers at the lighter weights have stabilized the Terps’ lineup for much of the season, but they couldn’t string together wins against the Buckeyes. 

After 125-pound Josh Polacek suffered a defeat to start the dual, 133-pound Geoffrey Alexander, ranked No. 17 in his weight class, dropped his bout against No. 7 Johnni DiJulius, Alexander’s fifth loss this season. After hanging tough with DiJulius for two periods, Alexander faltered in the final frame in an eventual loss by major decision.

The struggles continued at 141 pounds as No. 1 Logan Stieber, a three-time NCAA champion, pinned Shyheim Brown in the final moments of the second period. It was the second straight dual in which neither Alexander nor Brown notched a decision.

Still, the losses came against premier competition, at the level the Terps could expect at the NCAA Championships in March.

“We all know — we hear from the coaches all the time — that this is what’s going to prepare us for March,” Mascola said. “These top guys are the guys that we’re going to see in the Big Ten tournament and the national tournament.”

Despite the team result, the Terps continued to show their potential in Big Ten competition. After the Buckeyes stormed out to an 18-0 lead, Mascola put the Terps on the scoreboard with a 6-1 decision. Snook gave his team another decision — his first since the Midlands Championships on Dec. 30 — with a 7-0 victory.

“When they go out there against Ohio State and pull out big wins — Snook getting the shutout and [Mascola] coming up with a big match — it’s just huge,” Fitzgerald said. “It helps me get confidence.” 

For the second straight dual, Myers ended the competition on a high note. Though he was far from dominant, the redshirt senior edged out a 1-0 victory to improve his record to 4-0 since returning to the mat from the football team.

“He’s getting it done,” Mascola said of Myers. “It may not be pretty at times, but he’s getting it done. And he’s getting better, and he’s looking forward to March.”

Even with Myers’ recent success, though, the Terps have largely struggled to compete in the Big Ten. They’ve lost all five conference duals by at least 13 points, two by more than 30 points.  

But rather than solely focusing on the scoreboard, McCoy is also concerned about how his team can improve going forward. 

“Overall, we have to just go out and continue to believe in ourselves and build on what we’re doing,” McCoy said.