The Maryland wrestling team qualified three athletes for the NCAA Championships during the first day of the 2026 Big Ten Wrestling Championships in State College, Pennsylvania. The team advanced five wrestlers to the second day of competition and finished Saturday with 28 points, placing them 11th overall.
This is the fifth year in a row that Maryland has sent at least three wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, with additional qualification opportunities remaining on Sunday.
Carter Young, seeded fifth at 149 pounds, was Maryland’s first automatic qualifier. Young started his tournament with an 8-1 win over Purdue’s Gavin Brown before narrowly losing to Michigan’s Lachlan McNeil. He then won two major decisions in the consolation bracket to secure one of nine Big Ten qualifying spots in his weight class. Young will continue wrestling Sunday for a top-six finish.
Branson John, seeded fourth at 197 pounds, became a two-time NCAA qualifier after defeating Iowa’s Gabe Arnold in a last-second decision. After losing to Ohio State’s Luke Geog and later beating Minnesota’s Gavin Nelson in sudden victory, John dropped a close match against Indiana’s Gabe Sollars. He will compete for seventh place on Sunday.
Dario Lemus earned Maryland’s third automatic spot at 141 pounds despite only seven qualifying positions being available—the fewest among all weight classes in the conference. After an initial loss to Penn State’s Braeden Davis, Lemus secured three straight wins through the consolation rounds, including an upset pin against Michigan’s Dylan Ragusin and a decision over Northwestern’s Billy DeKraker. Lemus will also compete for a top-six finish on Sunday.
Braxton Brown (133 pounds) remains eligible for an NCAA at-large bid as he competes in Sunday’s semifinals of the ninth-place bracket.
Day two of the Big Ten Championships begins March 8 at noon with consolation semifinals and seventh-place matches scheduled.