285-pound wrestler Spencer Myers looks to grab at a Minnesota opponent during the Terps’ 34-12 loss to Minnesota at Xfinity Pavilion on Feb. 8, 2015.
Throughout his time in College Park, Terrapins heavyweight wrestler Spencer Myers has accomplished plenty of milestones in the heavyweight division.
In 2011, he became the first true freshman All-American in school history after placing sixth at the NCAA Championships. As a sophomore, he followed that feat with his second straight ACC title. And last season, he finished fourth on the team in wins and qualified for the NCAA tournament for the third time in four seasons.
After his decision Sunday afternoon, Myers added another achievement to his resume when he earned “wrestler of the match” for the first time.
In a weekend that included blowout losses to No. 1 Iowa and No. 3 Minnesota, Myers’ win in his final regular-season home dual provided an emotionally positive moment for a struggling team.
“It’s awesome on Senior Day, coming out here and being able to secure a victory,” Myers said.
But Myers’ potential senior moment came with a few obstacles.
With his team trailing 30-0, Myers faced No. 12 Michael Kroells, who entered the bout with 18 wins. Before moving into the starting role this season, Kroells had the luxury of wrestling under then-285-pound starter Tony Nelson, a four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion.
Myers, who began the season 4-0 after returning to wrestling from football, had lost his past two matches entering Sunday. In the Terps’ 33-3 loss to the Hawkeyes on Friday night, Myers failed to score in a 3-0 loss to No. 2 Bobby Telford.
In Sunday’s match, Kroells earned a two-point reversal in the second period to open the scoring. Myers responded with a pair of takedowns, however, and took a 5-4 lead into the final frame.
The Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, native talked last week about making more of an effort to score points, and Myers had scored more points in two periods than his past three matches combined.
“With Spencer, we go from not shooting at all, and then Friday night, he took a couple shots,” coach Kerry McCoy said Sunday. “And today, he got a couple of takedowns, so things are moving in the right direction.”
After starting the third period on the bottom, Myers extended his lead further with a one-point escape. His advantage was short-lived, though, as Kroells responded with a two-point takedown to tie the match.
Myers fought to earn an escape that would’ve won the match, but his attempt failed, and the match continued into a sudden-victory period.
And before a packed crowd at Xfinity Pavilion, Myers earned the winning takedown and the Terps’ first points of the dual.
“That was definitely a really good match for him to win,” said 141-pound Shyheim Brown, who also won his bout in the team’s eventual 34-12 loss to the Golden Gophers. “He’s getting back in the swing of things.”
Myers’ two-point decision was the fourth time this season he has won a match by two points or fewer. The redshirt senior said his mentality in tight matches has helped his performance late in regulation.
“Keeping my composure,” Myers said. “That’s the key factor. Guys come out here, and they get all flustered when they’re down one, two points. You still have the rest of the match.”
In the Terps’ final regular-season dual against No. 25 Northwestern this Friday, Myers will wrestle No. 4 Mike McMullan. Then in three weeks, Myers will be in Columbus, Ohio, wrestling some of the nation’s premier competitors at the Big Ten Championships.
After Sunday’s win, Myers made sure to soak in his most recent performance and cherish his first-time accolade.
“I heard my name getting announced as the wrestler of the match, and that was the first time I’d ever gotten it,” Myers said. “Senior year, last match, why not?”