Maryland’s lineup was healthy for the Terps’ dual against Michigan State on Sunday for the first time in nearly a month. And it showed.
Maryland won its second Big Ten dual of the season and showed balance through the lineup. The Terps took six out of 10 matches and stomped out any hope of a comeback every time the Spartans strung wins together.
The Terps haven’t had a fully healthy lineup for most of their conference schedule. Typical starters Kal Miller, AJ Rodrigues, Dominic Solis, Jaxon Smith and Seth Nevills have all missed duals against Big Ten opponents. Nevills missed the most time, being sidelined for five matches.
The Terps didn’t need Nevills against Michigan State — the contest was already decided when he stepped to the mat, but his performance was a huge addition. He beat Spartans heavyweight Josh Terrill, who boasts a 25-11 record, with a 12-0 major decision win in a dominant showing.
[Dominic Solis proved his value in Maryland wrestling’s second Big Ten victory]
“We trained [Nevills] a little differently,” coach Alex Clemsen said. “Our staff challenged him to really buy into the plan and throw himself into it. And I thought we saw a really good version of Seth Nevills. And that was big for NCAAs.”
After suffering an injury at the F&M Lehman Open against No. 22 Cory Day on Jan. 5, Nevills has only competed in two duals. He looked healthy on Sunday, but his health was potentially the difference between Maryland having two and three dual wins.
The Terps trailed 18-15 heading into the final bout of the dual at heavyweight against Indiana on Jan. 21. Nevills and Sam O’Brian were both listed in the lineup, and Clemsen ended up going with Nevills, to try and pick up the win. But the graduate student didn’t look to be at 100 percent, dropping a 4-2 decision to Indiana’s Nick Willham.
[Maryland wrestling beats Michigan State, 28-15, to earn Big Ten win]
“[We] probably rushed him a little bit to try to win the match at Indiana. He wasn’t quite ready,” Clemsen said.
The Terps will have a chance to win their third Big Ten dual on Friday when they take on No. 14 Rutgers with the roster seemingly at full health.
A win over the Scarlet Knights would be huge for the program, giving Maryland its first season with three conference wins since joining the Big Ten. It’d also be Maryland’s highest ranked win in more than a decade.
“We talked about, in the beginning of the year, we want to have more than one win,” Solis said after the Terps’ win on Sunday. “Our goal was to have three and getting this win today just set us up for next week to accomplish our goal of getting three Big Ten wins.”
