Going into the “Armbar at the Armory” event in Albany, New York, Maryland wrestling was looking to build some momentum before its grueling Big Ten schedule opens next week.

The result on Sunday was a mixed bag for the Terps. Maryland went 1-2, losing to Binghamton and Columbia before beating Lock Haven. The first two matches were decided by tight individual bouts that didn’t go the Terps’ way — a theme in Maryland’s dual losses this season.

“Our guys gotta get tougher. They gotta find a way to make a bonus point happen, they gotta find a way to save a bonus point,” coach Alex Clemsen said. “You gotta find a way to grit your teeth and get a W. I think a couple of times today we didn’t look very tough, and that’s disappointing.”

Braxton Brown continues to roll, beats All-American

The redshirt junior came into Sunday looking to build off a strong performance from his last time on the mat. Brown went 3-0 the last time the Terps competed, beating two ranked opponents in the process.

Brown’s first bout was a competitive, low-scoring affair against Binghamton’s Micah Roes. After two scoreless periods, Maryland’s 133-pounder finally broke the stalemate with an escape, then held Roes off for the remainder of the match for a 1-0 decision win.

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Columbia’s Boris Witmer was his next opponent, and Brown went to work early. A quick takedown gave him a 3-0 lead, and he went hunting for nearfall points. But the redshirt junior got too aggressive, and Witmer found nearfall points of his own for a 5-3 lead.

The rest of the match was all Brown. He escaped, then proceeded to control the next four minutes, finding a quick reversal in the second and a takedown in the third to ice it.

Brown ended his day against No. 14 Anthony Noto, which, surprisingly enough, was his easiest match of the day. Brown manhandled the former All-American, taking him down twice while picking up a reversal and five minutes of riding time in a dominant 9-0 major decision victory. It was Brown’s eighth straight win.

“He’s just doing a good job getting his positions,” Clemsen said. “He’s really wrestling to only put himself where he’s best, and it’s not rocket science. I think when you can do that, then you can compete at a high level.”

Ethen Miller majors all three opponents

Moving up a weight class has brought out the best version of Ethen Miller. The redshirt junior is undefeated at 157 pounds, imposing his will against every opponent he’s faced. Miller was 9-0 heading into the “Armbar at the Armory,” with four ranked wins and a career-high ranking of No. 6 nationally.

His day opened against Fin Nadeau, who quickly found out that he wasn’t on Miller’s level. Miller got a hold of a leg and dragged him down to the mat in the first, then rode out the rest of the period.

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Miller got whatever he wanted over the remaining two periods, finding two more takedowns and picking up over two minutes of riding time in a 12-1 major decision.

Miller’s next match was pretty similar to his first. Columbia’s Jaden Le provided little resistance to Miller’s various single and double leg attempts, and Miller was able to cruise to a 14-3 major decision behind four takedowns and plenty of riding time.

Nick Stampoulos was his opponent in his third bout. Lock Haven’s 157-pounder offered the same amount of resistance as Miller’s other opponents. Miller eventually won a 12-2 major decision to end the day 3-0.

Seth Nevills stays undefeated

With the Terps trailing 19-13 heading into their final bout against Columbia, Maryland needed a pin. The right man for the job was walking to the mat: Seth Nevills, the No. 13 heavyweight in the nation.

Against Vincent Mueller, Nevills tried his hardest to roll, flip and throw him to his back for the pin. The graduate student was manhandling Mueller, but the fall victory eluded him. Every time he was close, Mueller would just flatten himself back out on his stomach. He held Nevills to a tech fall, giving Columbia the 19-18 win.

Nevills went up against Lock Haven’s Gavin Hoffman to close all action for the Terps. The match was even through three periods, with the only points being escapes. In sudden victory, Nevills came out on top after a long scramble to get the match-winning takedown, closing out Maryland’s victory.