The Terrapins wrestling team had struggled for nearly all of the Big Ten Championships when 133-pound Geoffrey Alexander was finishing up his bout with Rutgers Anthony Giraldo on Saturday. As the clock struck double zeros in Alexander’s 6-0 defeat, he still sensed comfort.

Despite the loss, Alexander had done enough to secure a bid to the NCAA Tournament.

As Alexander sat in the middle of the black and gold mat in Iowa City, Iowa, he knew that months of injury rehab and years of work had once again paid off. For the fourth time in his five-year career, the Pittsburgh native was an automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament.

“Of course there’s a relief,” Alexander said. “I needed to keep moving forward in the day, but it was a big thing for me.”

While the rest of the Terps went a combined 4-19 in the tournament, Alexander alone notched two victories, good for eighth place in the 133-pound weight class.

“I hold myself to a higher standard than others,” Alexander said. “I expect a lot out of myself.”

Alexander hoped to advance further in the bracket before bowing out, but he wasn’t as far from victory as some of his scores suggested, coach Kerry McCoy said.

“If he doesn’t get caught in some of those positions, it’s totally different for him,” McCoy said.

The conference tournament allowed Alexander an opportunity to assess his health after pushing himself harder than he has in a while. Prior to this weekend, Alexander had only wrestled once a weekend while battling shoulder and neck issues. This weekend, though, the redshirt senior wrestled in five bouts over two days.

“I’m beat up, my body is hurting,” Alexander said. “It’s been a while since I’ve wrestled at a tournament like this, I just have to sit down and recover.”

Still, the fact that he was able to battle through the pain meant Alexander took a “big step,” McCoy said.

For Alexander to reach his ultimate goal of standing on the NCAA podium, he’ll need to use the two-week break to recover. This upcoming week, Alexander plans on meeting with McCoy and the coaching staff to create a plan centered around Alexander’s mental and physical preparation for the NCAA Tournament, which begins March 17.

“We need to find their individual needs and figure out a plan to get them what they need,” McCoy said.

With the rest of the wrestlers on the team failing to win more than one individual match, Alexander was the only Terp to secure an automatic qualification. So if 157-pound Lou Mascola fails to receive an at-large bid, Alexander and his coaches will be the only ones heading to competition in New York, a sobering reality for him.

“I wish I had my teammates with me going to New York City, but it is what it is,” Alexander said. “I need to stay focused even without them.”

For five years Alexander has worked toward standing on top of the podium at the NCAA Tournament. His most wins came in 2013 when he notched three, but it wasn’t enough to place.

Until that happens he won’t be finished.

“I’m one of the best in the country and I’ve proved that over and over again,” Alexander said. “There’s no doubt about it in my mind.”