Branson John of the Maryland wrestling team was named the program’s 22nd All-American on March 20 during Day Two of the NCAA Championships in Cleveland, Ohio.
John, a sophomore, earned his first NCAA All-American honor after advancing through the consolation bracket. He lost his opening match but rebounded with victories over Blake Schaffer of Kent State, Rocky Elam of Iowa State, and Mac Stout of Pittsburgh. John secured All-American status by defeating Colton Hawks of Arizona State in a tiebreaker. Later that evening, he lost to Angelo Posada and will compete for seventh place on Saturday.
The achievement is significant for Maryland wrestling as John is only the second wrestler from the program to earn All-American honors since 2019. His performance highlights both individual resilience and progress within the team.
Other Maryland wrestlers also competed at the championships. Redshirt senior Carter Young reached the quarterfinals before being sent to the consolation bracket after a loss to Chance Lamer of Nebraska. Young’s tournament ended following a close match against Ryder Block of Iowa. Braxton Brown concluded his collegiate career after losing to Tyler Knox of Stanford in the third round of consolations.
John is scheduled to wrestle for seventh place on Saturday afternoon during Session V (Medal Matches), with coverage available on ESPNU.