Maryland wrestling’s two-year captain isn’t having the flashiest season.
Dominic Solis has a 6-6 record and zero ranked wins this season. He’s been on the edge of the 174-pound rankings the entire season, bouncing in and out of the final spots in the top 33 wrestlers.
But it’s fitting that Solis, one of Maryland’s longest-tenured wrestlers and a leader in the locker room, earned arguably the biggest win in the team’s victory over Michigan State. He contributed to the Terps’ second Big Ten win in a season, the first time they’ve reached that mark.
Solis has been clutch for the Terps this season in Big Ten duals, with his two conference victories coming in wins against Northwestern and Michigan State.
[Maryland wrestling beats Michigan State, 28-15, to earn Big Ten win]
“The captain does captain things,” coach Alex Clemsen said. “Not surprised. Really not surprised. I felt like when he fought off that first shot in the first period, I was like, ‘We’ll be alright.’”
When Solis came to the mat, the momentum of the match seemed to be turning against the Terps. The Spartans had won three of the last four bouts, bringing the score to 16-10, and Michigan State seemed to have a favorable matchup coming up. No. 15 Lane Malczewski was taking on unranked Chase Mielnik at 184 pounds.
“Dual meets 100 percent is momentum-based and team-based, but I feel like I do a really good job of compartmentalizing and just focusing on my match and not really focusing on the 165 pounder if they win or lose,” Solis said.
Solis has his own unique way of getting himself focused before he gets on the mat — his coach smacks him right before his matches to keep him focused, Solis said.
[Ethen Miller’s win streak is a bright spot in Maryland wrestling’s conference slate]
Solis’ method to center himself seemed to work on Sunday. He stayed poised from the opening whistle, never overextending himself in a scoreless first period. After both wrestlers picked up escapes from the bottom position in the second and third, he fought off a last-second takedown attempt that got deep to send the match to sudden victory.
Solis wasted no time in ending the match from there. 10 seconds into overtime, he secured a single leg and flipped Shannon to the mat, taking the decision win in a pivotal spot to give the Terps some breathing room. Malczewski would end up beating Mielnik by technical fall in the next match, making Solis’ victory even more important for Maryland.
“As soon as I got to that single leg — we’ve been working on that all week — that exact position where my head’s kind of down and I poke my head up,” Solis said. “As soon as I popped my head up, it was like, alright it’s wraps, and I just finished from there.”
