A sold-out Xfinity Center Pavilion crowd was rocking after the second match of Maryland wrestling’s dual with No. 2 Iowa.
Braxton Brown had just pinned Iowa’s 133-pounder, and the Terps had a 6-4 lead on one of the nation’s best teams.
Those moments were few and far between on Sunday, though. Iowa won seven of the next eight matches and No. 25 Maryland lost, 34-9. The final score wasn’t indicative of how the dual went, however — the Terps (8-7, 3-2 Big Ten) lost three close matches that could’ve gone either way.
“There’s more to college athletics than just wins and losses, but ultimately, when you compete in this conference with the goals that our kids have, the goal is to always win,” coach Alex Clemsen said. “It doesn’t matter who’s across from you.”
Braxton Brown gives Maryland early lead with pin
For Maryland to have any chance against the second-ranked Hawkeyes, Braxton Brown needed bonus points. Iowa had seven ranked wrestlers in its lineup Sunday, with five in the top 10 of their weight classes. Brown was the rare matchup where the Terps were favored, as the No. 11 133-pounder faced unranked Kale Petersen.
Brown went to work in the second period after a scoreless first. Starting from the top position, he put Petersen in a one-armed headlock and twisted him to his back for four nearfall points, threatening the pin.
Petersen escaped at the last second, but Brown was starting to wear on him. He found a takedown in the final seconds, extending his lead to 7-1.
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With two minutes left in the match, Brown was looking for bonus points. He quickly escaped from the bottom position and went right after Petersen, finding another takedown to put him in major decision territory. Peterson tried to escape, but fell right into Brown’s trap. He caught him in a cradle and flipped him to his back, keeping him there for long enough to get the pin and give the Terps a 6-4 lead.
No. 6 Ethen Miller stays undefeated with decision victory
Maryland’s dual with Iowa could’ve been Ethen Miller’s toughest test of the season.
The Hawkeyes have No. 1 Jacori Teemer at 157, a multiple-time All-American and NCAA finalist last season. But, Teemer, who recently returned from an injury, lost a hard match to No. 3 Tyler Kasak on Friday, and Iowa opted to rest him and wrestle Miguel Estrada.
Estrada proved to be game quickly, staying on his front foot and throwing attacks at Miller. The redshirt junior wasn’t impressed. He went after Estrada, finding a single leg and finishing it late in the first for an early lead.
Estrada escaped before the period ended to get on the board, and another escape after starting the second from the bottom made it 3-2. He continued going after Miller, attacking his face with hand checks while trying to close the distance. Miller’s eye became bloody, and after a decent injury timeout, he returned, holding Estrada off for the rest of the period.
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Miller escaped quickly in the third and went on the defensive. He knew Estrada needed a takedown, and refused to give one up. Estrada never got close to finishing a shot, and Miller came away with the 4-2 decision.
“He kind of got my eye, and it was a little blurry, but I have another eye,” Miller said. “You just gotta keep going.”
Jaxon Smith comes up just short in war with No. 5 184-pounder
It’s rare for two wrestlers to be so even that the match goes to a thirty-second tiebreaker. But No. 11 Jaxon Smith and No. 5 Gabe Arnold were that tight-knit on Sunday, putting on a 10-minute show for the fans lucky enough to see it.
Arnold was the aggressor early, backing Smith up in the clinch. A quick stalling warning on Smith added a little positional urgency, but he kept Arnold off of him in a scoreless first period.
The redshirt junior started the second on top, but Arnold jumped out within the first 10 seconds for an escape. The rest of the period was a high-level chess match, with both wrestlers trying to employ their offense and getting countered by the other.
In the third, Smith started on the bottom and escaped, tying the score up at one. The next two minutes were a mirror image of the second, with neither wrestler able to score.
That theme continued through the first sudden victory period.
Arnold finally broke through in the tiebreakers. He escaped Smith’s grasp quickly, and Smith was unable to do the same, giving Arnold the decision.