Maryland's 184 lber Kyle Cochran (Photo/Sam Janicki;SJanickiPhoto.com)Maryland Terrapins
Alex Clemsen became Maryland's head wrestling coach at a very interesting time.
He took over a Terps team that went 2-12 in duals, 0-9 against conference foes, and finished 14th at the Big Ten Championships. That first year, '19-20, was another tough one: 2-17 in duals, and another last-place finish at the Big Ten tournament.
Then came COVID-19, which made the 2021 season just as tough. Maryland went 0-8 and again finished last at the Big Ten Championships. But progress was on the way, as Clemsen and his staff put together the 8th-best recruiting class in the country, a haul that featured four top-100 recruits according to MatScouts' 2021 Big Board.
That brings us to the '21-22 campaign, where Clemsen believes his team will take the first steps toward climbing out of the Big Ten's basement.
“I like the mix of kids who have been in our system and those who have bought into the Clemsen and Company vision,†Clemsen said. “This is probably the most I've felt like we were a team since I've got here, which is cool considering how young we are.â€
TOP RETURNERS
The Terps bring back seven guys who wrestled at the 2021 Big Ten Championships: Zach Spence (125), Jackson Cockrell (133), Danny Bertoni (141), Michael North (149), Kyle Cochran (184), Jaron Smith (197) and Garrett Kappes (285).
There's also King Sandoval, who recently took third at the U.S. Senior Greco-Roman world team trials at 60 kilograms. Clemsen said he's expected to be the starter at 133 pounds this season.
KEY DEPARTURES
Three big names are no longer on Maryland's roster - Phil Spadafora, Jonathan Spadafora, Jahi Jones - that had some notable credentials.
Jones and Phil Spadafora were both NCAA qualifiers in 2020, but didn't get a chance to compete because of COVID-19. Jonathan Spadafora contributed to Maryland's 2-point team total at the 2021 Big Ten Championships.
NEWCOMERS
Maryland's 2021 recruiting class featured tons of young talent, guys like Jaxon Smith, Ethen Miller, Adrien Cramer, Braxton Brown, and Gaven Bell, among others. Smith, Miller, Cramer and Brown are all expected to redshirt this season.
Clemsen mentioned Bell is a guy who could be in the mix to start at 165 pounds, along with John Martin Best, another new face who was originally going to Air Force but is now with Maryland. He, too, is in the mix to start at 165.
The other key newcomer for Maryland this season is Zach Schrader. The heavyweight registered 67 career victories for Cal-Baptist and spent last season in and out of the national rankings. He opted to transfer for his final season of eligibility and will give the Terps a strong option at the end of the lineup.
“He's a kid that can compete at a really high level,†Clemsen said. “He's meshed really well with the guys this summer and this fall. He's learned really fast, and I'm excited to see him in action this season. That'll be fun for him, and really good for our team.â€
WRESTLER TO WATCH
Clemsen said Dominic Solis is the guy to watch for Maryland this season. He went just 1-1 last year while dealing with injuries but is expected to be the guy at 174 this season for the Terps. He won 154 matches for nearby McDonogh and earned a slew of All-American honors throughout his prep career.
“He's had a really good offseason, he has a really strong personality, and he's done a really good job in terms of leadership in our room in a lot of different ways,†Clemsen said. “When you live as clean as he does, and you work as hard as he does, and you're willing to sacrifice as much as he does, good things tend to happen.â€
POTENTIAL LINEUP
125: Zach Spence (So)
133: King Sandoval (Jr)
141: Danny Bertoni (Sr)
149: Michael North (Fr)/ Jack Pendergast (Fr)
157: Lucas Cordio (So)
165: John Martin Best (Fr)/ Gaven Bell (Fr)
174: Dominic Solis (Fr)
184: Kyle Cochran (Jr)
197: Jaron Smith (Sr)
285: Zach Schrader (Sr)
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