Last November, Maryland wrestling coach Alex Clemsen compared the Terps’ 2024 recruiting class to its eighth-ranked class three years prior.
Clemsen said he felt similarly about the incoming freshmen as he did during the recruitment of Jaxon Smith, Braxton Brown and Ethen Miller, all two-time NCAA qualifiers and perennial contenders for All-American status in their respective weight classes.
Maryland’s freshmen stood out in its opening weekend of this season. Through two matches, they’re producing at weight classes the Terps have struggled in over the last few years.
The Terps only won one match in dual play when their opposition sent a wrestler at the 125-pound class last season. Tyler Garvin matched that mark on Sunday, beating Bucknell’s Kade Davidheiser in his only match of the day in an 8-2 decision that included two big takedowns.
“I went out there with the goal to score points and create positions where I could score,” Garvin said. “I think I did that.”
[Maryland wrestling wins first two matches of the season against Kent State, Bucknell]
Presden Sanchez and Abram Cline are both competing with Garvin for a spot at 125. The three freshmen wrestled against each other at the Red-Black Match, where Garvin came out on top despite all of the bouts needing overtime.
“I think Tyler Garvin’s the front-runner right now,” Clemsen said. “Think he has been for a while.”
Dominic Solis has been key for Maryland at 174 pounds since arriving in 2020, but Clemsen told InterMat before the season started that the plan is for the senior to redshirt. Freshman Branson John is the immediate beneficiary of the open spot.
John went 1-1 at Sunday’s tri-meet dual. The bouts showcased both his skill and inexperience.
John dominated his first match over Kent State’s Hunter Andel, doing whatever he wanted in a 15-1 major decision win. He lost his second match by technical fall to Bucknell’s Myles Takats, InterMat’s No. 29 wrestler at the class.
Despite the loss, John took Takats deep on shots multiple times, but Takats found ways to stay up and turn the blows into his own takedowns.
[With weight class shifts, Maryland wrestling hopes for more Big Ten success this season]
“I don’t think there was that big of a physical gap today. I think emotionally, he let it get away … a tough lesson for a young kid to learn,” Clemsen said. “He’s got the physical tools to help him along on the mental and emotional side, so I’m confident that he’s capable of competing at a higher level, much more consistently.”
Freshman Mekhi Neal, who is recovering from a torn ACL, didn’t wrestle during the Terps’ first weekend of the season. But he defeated last year’s 165-pound starter, sophomore AJ Rodrigues, by major decision after an 11-point third period at the Red-Black Match, despite competing with a massive brace on his leg.
Clemsen said he’ll be cautious with Neal for most of the year, not wanting to risk re-injuring the leg.
Even without Neal, starting two freshmen is a change for Clemsen. Before this season, Kal Miller, who went 18-18 and qualified for the NCAA Championships two years ago, was the only true freshman to enter a season as the starter under Clemsen.
“A little bit out of our norm, but it’s for our lineup now and for later, so that’s what we’re going to do,” Clemsen told InterMat before the season.
