Aaron Turner couldn’t get Ethen Miller off of him.
Miller relentlessly stalked Turner down the entire match, stuffing his takedowns and forcing him to the mat with multiple single and double leg takedowns en route to a 20-1 tech fall victory.
Miller’s dominant performance matched his team’s overall efforts in Maryland wrestling’s dual match against Morgan State. The Terps beat the Bears, 35-6, in an overwhelming showing. Six different Maryland (2-1) wrestlers scored bonus points in their matches.
Tommy Capul picks up first dual win as a Terp
Tommy Capul was 0-7 in all dual matches entering Sunday. He was winless in six attempts in the 2021-2022 season and 0-1 in duals this year after not wrestling last season.
He sought to change that against Morgan State’s Kevin Lopez. Capul picked up two takedowns in the first period and jumped out to a 6-1 lead and appeared to be headed to an easy victory.
After an uneventful second period, Lopez mounted a comeback in the third. Lopez followed a Capul takedown with a reversal on Maryland’s 125 pounder, then nearly pinned him to the mat to add two nearfall points. Capul escaped, but another Lopez takedown had him within one takedown from winning the match.
Capul broke free again then stuffed Lopez’s frantic shots to hang on for a narrow 11-10 win to give the Terps a 3-0 lead.
[Maryland wrestling unintentionally created a daunting early-season schedule]
Dario Lemus impresses in Maryland dual debut
Maryland hasn’t had an extended look at Dario Lemus this season— the 141 pounder wrestles at the same weight as nationally ranked Kal Miller. But Miller was out of the lineup against Morgan State, giving the true freshman his first career dual start against Khalid Brinkley.
Lemus didn’t look like a freshman once the match started. He blitzed Brinkley early, taking him down twice and picking up three near fall points for an early 9-2 lead.
The freshman continued to dominate the rest of the match. He took Brinkley down and put him in a tight headlock to add near fall points. When Brinkley adjusted, Lemus put his shoulders right back down to the mat, picking up more points for the tech fall victory.
[Maryland wrestling hopes Seth Nevills can find consistency with more time on the mat]
Michael North stays undefeated in duals this season
Michael North had been one of the Terps’ most consistent performers in duals entering Sunday, but not the highest scoring. North was 2-0, but only gave the Terps six points in both wins, which came by decision.
North jumped out to an early lead on Ethan Tescon, securing a single leg takedown near the edge of the mat. Tescon tried to escape, but North pulled him back down to the mat on multiple occasions with powerful returns and rode out the rest of the period. After a quick escape in the second, North secured a double leg for another takedown to grow his lead to 7-0.
Tescon tried advancing in the final period, but North never let him get to his offense. Another North takedown effectively ended the match, a 12-0 majority decision that scored four dual points for the Terps.
