Maryland’s wrestling team will begin the new year by competing in the Southern Scuffle tournament, held in Chattanooga, Tennessee on January 3-4, 2025. The event is hosted by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and will be streamed live on FloWrestling.
The Terrapins enter the tournament with a 4-1 record. This marks their final competition before starting Big Ten duals. Head Coach Alex Clemsen leads the team in his seventh season, supported by associate head coach Nick Brascetta and assistant coaches Ethan Laird and Cole Matthews.
Maryland’s lineup for the Southern Scuffle includes Abram Cline (125), #10 Braxton Brown (133), Dario Lemus and Ryan Kennedy (141), Carter Young and Michael Pizzuto (149), Nate Perry and Mekhi Neal (157), AJ Rodrigues (165), Dominic Solis (174), #17 Branson John (197), and Oscar Williams (heavyweight).
The Terps have had notable results this season. They won both matches at the Throwdown on the Yorktown event in Charleston, South Carolina, defeating Gardner-Webb 27–13 and The Citadel 24–9. In those contests, Maryland saw major contributions from wrestlers like Dominic Solis, Joey Schneck, Dario Lemus, Branson John, Jaxon Smith, Michael Pizzuto, Braxton Brown, Jackson Young, Oscar Williams, AJ Rodrigues, and others.
Subsequently in Baltimore against Morgan State on November 22nd they improved to a 3-0 record with a dominant 39–7 win. Abram Cline opened that dual with a decision victory; Brown and Mekhi Neal added wins by forfeit; Williams secured a technical fall at heavyweight; Rodrigues posted a major decision; Lemus recorded a pin at 141 pounds; John delivered another technical fall; Solis clinched the match with a late takedown.
Maryland then continued its run with another victory before suffering its first loss of the season at home to No. 13 Pitt where Braxton Brown was their only point scorer.
Seth Digby earned his first collegiate dual win during this stretch with a sudden-victory decision against American.
Last season was one of Maryland’s best since joining the Big Ten Conference. The team set records for points scored and individual placers at the Big Ten Championships as well as achieving its highest finish as a team and most regular-season dual wins ever recorded by Maryland wrestling. A highlight included beating No. 10 Michigan—their first win over a top-10 opponent since November 2009.
At last year’s NCAA Championships Maryland matched its highest point total since 2014. Jaxon Smith earned All-American honors after finishing sixth at 184 pounds—becoming Maryland’s first All-American since 2019—and six wrestlers qualified for nationals including returners Braxton Brown, Branson John, and Jaxon Smith.
Branson John has emerged as one of this season’s standout performers after moving up to compete at 197 pounds following an NCAA qualification last year at 174 pounds as a freshman. He holds an impressive record of eleven wins to one loss so far this year—leading his teammates in major decisions and technical falls—and is four-and-one in dual meets while accumulating nineteen dual points through two tech falls and one major decision.
John entered national rankings after winning his bracket at the Southeast Open where he defeated two ranked opponents: Gavin Nelson from Minnesota by decision and Rune Lawrence from West Virginia by major decision. He started ranked No.22 nationally but has climbed into higher positions due to consistent performances including another ranked win over Navy’s Payton Thomas.