The University of Maryland wrestling team will close out its regular season with a home dual against Drexel on February 20 at Schanwald Pavilion. The match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on B1G+.
This event marks the ninth meeting between Maryland and Drexel since the series began in 2006. Maryland has won seven of the previous eight encounters, including a 23–13 victory over Drexel to end last season.
Before the match, Maryland will honor seven seniors for their contributions to the program: John Martin Best, Anthony Bradley, Braxton Brown, Luke Jacobs, Ryan Money, Dom Solis, and Carter Young.
Maryland enters the contest with a record of 4-9 overall and 0-8 in Big Ten competition. Drexel holds a record of 13-5 overall and is 5-1 in EIWA action.
Several Maryland wrestlers are nationally ranked as postseason competition approaches. In the Coaches Poll rankings, Braxton Brown (133 lbs) is No. 11, Carter Young (149 lbs) is No. 6, and Branson John (197 lbs) is No. 18. According to NCAA RPI rankings, Brown is fourth at his weight class, John is seventh at 197 lbs, and Dario Lemus stands at No. 27 in the 141 lb category.
Recent individual performances have been notable for several Terps athletes:
Carter Young holds a 9–1 record this season with victories over multiple ranked opponents from Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana, and Rutgers. His only loss was to the nation’s top-ranked wrestler.
Branson John recorded wins against ranked opponents from Wisconsin and Indiana as well as earning his first top-10 win by pinning Ohio State’s Luke Geog.
Braxton Brown has a dual record of 7–3 with technical falls against Purdue and Rutgers competitors.
Against Ohio State in their most recent conference dual, Mekhi Neal secured his first Big Ten victory of the season at 157 pounds while Seth Digby earned a sudden victory decision at 174 pounds.
Additional conference wins this year came from Ryan Kennedy (141 lbs), Sepanta Ahanj-Elias (184 lbs), AJ Rodrigues (165 lbs), Joey Schneck (285 lbs), and Dario Lemus (141 lbs).
Head Coach Alex Clemsen leads Maryland into his seventh season alongside associate head coach Nick Brascetta. Assistant coaches Ethan Laird and Cole Matthews round out the staff.
Last season was one of Maryland’s strongest since joining the Big Ten Conference. The team set records for points scored and individual placers at the Big Ten Championships while achieving its highest team finish in that tournament’s history. The Terps also registered their most regular-season dual wins ever—including their first win over a top-10 opponent since November 2009 when they defeated Michigan—and qualified six wrestlers for NCAA Championships for the first time since 2012.
Jaxon Smith earned All-American honors last year with a sixth-place finish at nationals in the 184-pound division—the program’s first All-American since 2019.