Maryland wrestling returned to the mat in their first match, taking on Duke, Bloomsburg, and American in a quad match.

Maryland has some history with both Duke and American. The Terps beat the Blue Devils 23-17, and they beat American 31-12 last season. Bloomsburg is a new foe for the Terps. They ended last season with a 9-6 record.

Maryland will look to build off last season, which saw them win seven of their 19 matchups. 

The team returns key pieces Jaron Smith, who will move to heavyweight this year, and Dominic Solis, who finished seventh in the Big Ten championships last season. 

The Terps will also rely heavily on the performance of redshirt freshman Jaxon Smith. Smith will look to bring his summer experiences wrestling for Team USA into his first full season in a Maryland uniform. 

The day couldn’t have started any better for the Terps. Maryland started the match off with Braxton Brown winning by fall. The Terps went on to win all their remaining matchups except for one to win the match 37-6. 

Maryland carried their winning ways into their second match, taking on Duke. The Terps didn’t lose a single bout and coasted to a 37-0 victory.

The Terps faced their final foe of the day with the same energy and focus they showed to their prior two. They won four of their first five matchups, jumping out to a 15-4 lead. Maryland went on to win four more, earning their third win of the day.

Maryland looked good in every match they had. The Terps only lost three bouts, and one was a loss due to a medical forfeit. 

There were many standouts in the match, with seven Terps winning all three of their matchups. 

Braxton Brown at the 125-pound weight class was one of the biggest standouts for the Terps. Brown won all three of his bouts. Brown won by fall, then a major decision, and a decision racking up 14 points. His points proved to be important in helping the Terps start fast.

“I mean, it’s pretty important. I mean, it’s kind of like, starting a car. if you don’t start fast and hard, everyone else is kind of lagged,” said Brown. “So when you start hard, I guess, it just pushes everybody else to give their best.”

Jaxon Smith and Miller brothers had outstanding days, being three of the seven to win all three of their matchups. 

Smith compiled 13 total team points by way of two major decisions and a technical fall. Smith had a great day, but head coach Alex Clemson says he still sees some areas for improvement.

“He kept trying to force a duck under because he wants to make a highlight reel. So the guy’s sitting on your duck under and then [Smith] adjusted,” said Clemson.

Ethen Miller had 14 team points stacking up two technical fall victories as a major decision. His brother, Kal, had two decisions and a major decision in his three matchups, a performance that impressed Clemson.

“The first guy is actually pretty good the boy from Bloomsburg [Josh Mason] is solid, and he came right out and smacked Kal in the mouth, threw him down, rode him, and Kal didn’t get flustered. He looked like he was calm, cool, and collected,” said Clemson. “I think he can have a little more zip to him. He can still control things early, a little better. But I thought all day, he didn’t look like a true freshman.”

Maryland’s next matches will come next Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri, at the Tiger Style Invite.