Time was running out for Maryland wrestling’s Branson John. The freshman trailed 4-2 with a minute to go against No. 25 Joseph Walker, who dictated the previous six minutes of the match.
John — with the Terps needing a win to remain in control — made it happen. He took the redshirt senior down and kept him there with multiple mat returns, grounding him for the remainder of the period for a huge decision win.
One last-second Jaxon Smith win later, Maryland had an eight-point lead, and that ended up being enough. Braxton Brown’s pin gave the Terps the criteria advantage and an eventual 19-18 win — the most impressive victory for Maryland in coach Alex Clemsen’s tenure.
Braxton Brown wins ninth straight match
Brown entered Friday’s dual as one of the Terps’ (6-5, 1-0 Big Ten) hottest wrestlers. Maryland’s 133-pounder had won eight straight bouts, with his most recent victory coming in a dominant major decision where he shut out a former All-American.
[Maryland wrestling goes 1-2 in quad meet against Binghamton, Columbia and Lock Haven]
Against Michigan’s Nolan Wertanen (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten), Brown wasted no time. He immediately went on the offensive, walking the redshirt sophomore down and powering through a double leg for an early takedown. But Wertanen worked well from the bottom, preventing Brown from scoring nearfall points to find an escape at the end of the period.
Wertanen started the second on the bottom and escaped, then started to apply pressure on Brown. Brown responded with a clean single leg attempt that he finished to grow his lead to 6-2.
Starting the third from the bottom, Brown escaped and hunted for bonus points. Wertanen tried to halt the redshirt junior’s forward pressure with a shot, but Brown got him in the front headlock position and used an underhook to slam his opponent to the mat on his back. Brown’s pin gave the Terps a 6-4 lead.
Kal Miller gets big ranked victory
Taking on No. 28 Dylan Gilcher, Maryland needed a win from Kal Miller. It trailed Michigan 7-6, and with every single remaining Michigan wrestler being ranked, the Terps needed all the points they could get.
Gilcher struck first after the opening period. He escaped after starting the second from the bottom position and went after Miller. The redshirt freshman tried to spin Miller down, but Miller changed levels, sending Gilcher falling down to the mat. He then jumped on him, picking up three big points before giving up an escape.
[Maryland wrestling drops 3 duals at the Rider Quad]
Tthe third, Gilcher started from a neutral position, giving Miller a 4-2 lead. While he pressured forward, Miller’s defense held up, holding Gilcher off over the final two minutes to get a 4-3 decision win.
Ethen Miller refuses to lose at 157
Ethen Miller has been a force in his new weight class. The redshirt junior was 12-0 heading into Maryland’s dual against Michigan, with a 4-0 record against ranked wrestlers. He had another one in front of him on Friday in No. 16 Chase Saldate.
Both wrestlers spent the first period feeling each other out, feinting and looking for angles of attack. Neither found a takedown, sending things to the second at 0-0.
Miller opened the scoring after starting on the bottom, picking up a point on an illegal activity from Saldate. But Saldate’s top pressure was strong, riding out the whole period
After Saldate quickly tied the score, Miller walked Saldate down, getting deep on a single leg and finishing for a 4-1 lead. Miller held him down for close to the remainder of the period, taking the decision win to push Maryland ahead by five.
