After picking up an early lead, Maryland wrestling had faltered. Michigan State had won four of the last six matches to bring the score to 19-15 with two bouts to go, and the Spartans had one of their five ranked wrestlers coming to the mat. 

Luckily for the Terps, they had No. 5 Jaxon Smith waiting. Smith ran right through No. 30 Kael Wisler, picking up a technical fall win in the second period to end any chance of a potential Michigan State comeback.

Maryland wrestling beat Michigan State 28-15, giving the Terps their second Big Ten win this season. It’s the first time Maryland has picked up multiple Big Ten wins since joining the conference.

“Big Ten wins are hard to come by, our program hasn’t had enough of them,” coach Alex Clemsen said. “Definitely good for our program to have multiple victories. I’m tired of hearing about it.” 

Braxton Brown extends early lead

For the first time in Big Ten action this season, Braxton Brown came into his match with Maryland (4-6, 2-5 Big Ten) ahead. Michigan State (9-5, 2-5 Big Ten) didn’t have a wrestler available at 125 pounds, giving the Terps an early 6-0 lead. 

Brown went to work against Andy Hampton looking to grow Maryland’s advantage. He secured a single leg and dragged Hampton to the ground for three points before taking his back to pick up nearfall points. 

A modified headlock from Brown forced Hampton’s shoulders to the mat for four nearfall points, and Brown had no intention of letting Hampton up. He kept top position on Hampton’s back, threatening pins on multiple occasions. Brown picked up another eight nearfall points in three different sequences for a 15-0 tech fall win before the first period ended.

Ethen Miller stays hot with fourth straight win

Ethen Miller was in a huge spot for the Terps after his brother, Kal Miller, was upset by No. 29 Jordan Hamdan. Maryland’s lead to was trimmed to 11-3, and with the strength at the back of Michigan State’s lineup, the Terps needed all the early points they could get. 

[Ethen Miller’s win streak is a bright spot in Maryland wrestling’s conference slate]

Miller proved to be up to the task battling Braden Stauffenberg. Miller overpowered Stauffenberg with his first shot attempt in the opening period, slamming him to the mat for an early three points. He then flipped Stauffenberg to his back, picking up another four points to end the period with a 7-0 lead. 

Starting the second period from the bottom position, Miller quickly picked up a reversal, then continued to wear on Stauffenberg from the top. 

Stauffenberg tried to escape, but Miller flipped his back to the mat for four nearfall points to grab a 13-0 lead. A beautiful roll from Miller gave him the two necessary nearfall points to end the match by technical fall, 15-0.

Dominic Solis picks up a huge overtime win

Maryland wrestling needed a solid showing from their captain, Dominic Solis. The Terps led, 16-10, with four matches to go, and a win at 174 pounds would give them some breathing room.

[Freshman AJ Rodrigues has solidified Maryland wrestling’s 165 class]

Both Dominic Solis and DJ Shannon both started slow, with neither wrestler close to picking up a takedown of their own in the opening period.

Solis started the second from the bottom position, and a quick escape gave him a 1-0 lead. He looked to grow his lead, stalking Shannon, but he couldn’t find any opportunities to score. 

Shannon started the third from the bottom and promptly escaped, evening the score at one. Neither wrestler got deep on anything until the final seconds, when Shannon tried a single leg, but Solis held him off to send the match to overtime. 

There, Solis finished things quickly. A double leg shot brought Shannon to the mat and Maryland fans to their feet, giving Solis the decision victory and extending Maryland’s lead to 19-10.

“He’s very explosive and I respect him as a wrestler,” Solis said. “I had to stop him early. Once he got tired, I took advantage of that.”