University of Maryland freshman Tyler Garvin marveled at the irony of his situation:
Garvin and the Terps vanquished American University on Saturday in Sykesville at South Carroll High, the school where Garvin’s former adversary, Evan Owen, threatened his supremacy in the lower weight classes they competed in while Garvin wore a Rising Sun uniform.
Garvin was victorious at 125 pounds as the Terps handled the Eagles, 38 to -1, but his triumph was anything but easy. Garvin required overtime to defeat the Eagles’ Coen Bainey, by 9-6, this, after trailing, 4-0, early in the second period.
Garvin, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Sunday, evened his collegiate record of 2-2 on the year – meaning Garvin has experienced losing for the first time in four seasons.
As a high schooler, Garvin won three Class 2A-1A state titles, became the first Tigers’ wrestler to go undefeated throughout his high school career, and was named Legacy Wrestling’s Lower Weight Wrestler Of The Year.
While Garvin defeated Owen in the finals, 3-1, as a junior, he required a come-from-behind, 6-4 championship victory as a senior.
The victory was Garvin’s second straight and third overall against Owen, improving his record on the year to 44-0 with 26 pins and eight technical falls, and 136-0 with 78 pins and 20 technical falls for his career.
In addition to becoming Rising Sun's first wrestler to complete his entire high school career without suffering defeat, Garvin joined 2008 graduate Matt Jackson – who placed third at states as a freshman – as the Tigers' only other three-time state champion.
Winning his third state title also helped Garvin to surpass the Tigers’ pair of two-time Class 2A-1A state champions in 1994 graduate Jason Townsend and 2013 alumnus Anthony Cimorosi.
Garvin also ranks third on the Tigers' career victories list behind Jackson at 147-4, and Cimorosi at 142-9, this, despite being denied a freshman year of competition as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Garvin continued a family legacy: His father, Luke, was a 103-pound Class 2A-1A state champ in 1996 and a runner-up at 112 pounds in 1997. Tyler’s uncle and Rising Suns head coach, Seth, was a third-place finisher at 112 pounds in 1995. Younger brother Zach is a junior who placed fifth at states as a 157-pound sophomore.
An "A" student who is a Kinesiology major at Maryland, Tyler Garvin spoke to Legacy Wrestling for this exclusive Q&A on Sunday – his 19th-birthday.
Legacy Wrestling: Congratulations, happy birthday and how do you feel right now after last night’s performance?
Tyler Garvin: I feel good. I think that I’ve just continued to just get better through great coaching and through good partners in the room who push me, and I feel ready to go each and every time I’m out there on the mat.
LW: What was it like being in enemy territory last night at South Carroll given that the guy you wrestled in the Class 2A-1A state finals was who?
TG: Evan Owen of South Carroll.
LW: Was Evan in the gym last night?
TG: I’m pretty sure I saw him.
LW: Did you and Evan have a good relationship off of the mat?
TG: Yeah.
LW: You beat him [three times] right?
TG: I beat him two years in a row in the state finals.
LW: Can you remind me of what happened in your junior year of the state finals – I know that you were down against Evan in your finals match as a senior when he really came after you?
TG: I think during my junior year, I just got a takedown and got out for an escape and the score was, like, 3-1. Not too much happened during that match.
LW: Last year, you were down against Evan and came back and won?
TG: [Nods affirmatively.]
LW: But again, in your fourth college match, you go back to South Carroll, which is enemy territory for you – what was that whole experience like?
TG: I think in high school it’s a little different. When you get to college, everyone wants to see you succeed at the next level, so there’s really nothing to be said about [being at] South Carroll.
I looked up into the stands and saw a lot of people that I knew for about half of my life and who have been supporting my wrestling career for half of my life. It was just good vibes all around.
LW: I know that you won your first collegiate match but then you lost twice. Can you talk about having lost for the first time in a while, which is an experience you have not had in close to four years – what was that like?
TG: I think it was just a good realization that not everything is going to be perfect and that you have to go out and to have the right mindset going into every match and to be mentally prepared.
Things are a little different at the college level. There are guys that aren’t ranked and guys that are ranked, but there’s not much of a gap between the two.
It’s just about who is going to come out and attack each match and who is going to come out and get after it and come out on top.
LW: I understand that the score of your match last night was 9-6 – can you talk about that match and the intensity it takes to win on the college level where you’re not always going to be dominating every opponent?
TG: We came out right away, you know? Good first period, good motion. I ended up giving up a takedown right at the first period to go down, 3-0, entering the second period.
The kid took bottom and ended up getting out, so I was down, 4-0. I knew that he would start to fade later in the match – we knew that going in.
So, I was able to rack up two takedowns in the second period, so it was 6-6 going into the third period.
I took neutral, but nobody scored. By then, he was really starting to fade. We went into overtime and I got the last takedown in overtime, so I was able to get a 9-6 win.
LW: That’s amazing. Can you talk about what you’re looking forward to during your college experience and knowing that you’re going to be watched by a lot of people?
TG: I’m just always looking forward to it. There’s always going to be a new test and a bunch of new faces that I’ve never seen before.
It’s a little more cooler now that I’m flying under the radar. You know, in high school, I was always the guy people knew and “the guy.”
Now, I just get to go in there with no pressure on myself and no expectations but just to go in there and to wrestle hard each time.
LW: Let’s talk a little bit about academics. I know you were a great student in high school. What are you majoring in and how is it balancing athletics and academics on the college level?
TG: So, I’m majoring in Kinesiology. You know, it’s been a pretty smooth transition from high school to college in terms of academics. They have a really good system set up at Maryland with study hall hours and tutors
So, I think we’re doing a really good job at getting all of the resources we need to be successful in the classroom just like on the mat.
LW: Do you care to share what your GPA is right now?
TG: I actually don’t know what my GPA is right now, but it’s all A’s and B’s.
LW: Do you have anything else that you want to say or any messages for your Tigers at Rising Sun with the season coming up, or are there any guys who are returning and kind of what you expect to see this year?
TG: I’m expecting us to continue what we started last year. I thought we were really solid last year and worked super hard.
Be on the lookout for [younger brother and junior] Zach Garvin [fifth at states] and [senior] Elijah Farr [third at states at 215.] I really think that those two are going to be forces to be reckoned with this year. I expect a successful season out of the Tigers.
LW: We’ve got some pretty good restaurants out here in Howard County, and since it’s your birthday, do you have any plans on eating anything good today?
TG: I don’t know. We’re going out to eat after this. I don’t know where we’re going yet, but I’ll get a good meal in me, tonight.
Maryland vs. American box score: Terps win, 38-to-1:
SYKESVILLE, MD --
Full Results
141: Dario Lemus dec. (13-7) Jack Maida (Maryland 3, American 0)
149: Kal Miller dec. (3-2) Gage Owen (Maryland 6, American 0)
157: Ethen Miller dec. (9-4) Jack Nies (Maryland 9, American 0)
165: John Martin Best major dec. (12-1) Kaden Milheim (Maryland 13, American -1)
174: Branson John dec. (13-6) Hunter Hohman (Maryland 16, American 0)
184: Jaxon Smith fall (0:58) Lucas White (Maryland 22, American 0)
197: Chase Mielnik fall (4:20) Carsten Rawls (Maryland 28, American 0)
285: Seth Nevills dec. (6-2) William Jarrell (Maryland 31, American 0)
125: Tyler Garvin dec. (9-6) Coen Bainey (Maryland 34, American 0)
133: Braxton Brown technical fall (15-0) Shamil Kalmatov (Maryland 39, American 0)*
*Both teams lost one point for unsportsmanlike conduct after the 157 pound match to make the final score 38 to -1
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Players Mentioned
John Martin Best
165 lbs Redshirt Junior
Braxton Brown
133 lbs Redshirt Junior
Dario Lemus
141 lbs Redshirt Freshman
Chase Mielnik
197 lbs Redshirt Senior
Ethen Miller
157 lbs Redshirt Junior
Kal Miller
149 lbs Junior
Seth Nevills
HWT Graduate Student
Jaxon Smith
184 lbs Redshirt Junior
Branson John
174/184 lbs Freshman
Tyler Garvin
125 lbs Freshman
Read Garvin’s 2024 Lower Weight Wrestler of the Year Spotlight Below:
Rising Sun's Tyler Garvin maintained the family legacy during a milestone senior season, becoming the Tigers' first wrestler to complete his career without ever experiencing a loss and only the program's second to win three state titles.
Ranked No. 1 by Legacy Wrestling, Garvin is also a three-time winner of Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference and Class 2A-1A East Regional crowns.
Those accomplishments, among others, have earned Garvin honors as Lower Weight Wrestler Of The Year for Legacy Wrestling.
Garvin's record on the year is 44-0 with 26 pins and eight technical falls, and for his career it is 136-0 with 78 pins and 20 technical falls.
In addition to becoming Rising Sun's first wrestler to complete his entire high school career without suffering defeat, Garvin joined 2008 graduate Matt Jackson – who placed third at states as a freshman – as the Tigers' only other three-time state champion.
Winning his third state title also helped Garvin to surpass the Tigers’ pair of two-time Class 2A-1A state champions in 1994 graduate Jason Townsend and 2013 alumnus Anthony Cimorosi.
Garvin also ranks third on the Tigers' career victories list behind Jackson at 147-4, and Cimorosi at 142-9, this, despite being denied a freshman year of competition as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Garvin continued a family legacy: His father, Luke, was a 103-pound Class 2A-1A state champ in 1996 and a runner-up at 112 pounds in 1997. Tyler’s uncle, Seth, was a third-place finisher at 112 pounds in 1995. Younger brother Zach is a 157-pound sophomore who placed fifth at states last month.
"Tyler has been one of our team captains since he was a sophomore after missing his freshman year of wrestling," said Seth Garvin, the Tigers' head coach. "I have been watching Tyler wrestle ever since he was a 4-year-old, and I have never coached anyone with the commitment to excellence that he has."
An "A" student who is bound for the University of Maryland where he will wrestle and major in Kinesiology, Garvin went 10-0 at the Westminster Duals in December with four pins and three technical falls , registering his 100th career victory with a fall in 2:30 over Liberty's Jonathan Piek.
“It felt great getting my 100th win, but it wasn’t necessarily what I had circled as one of my main goals,” Garvin said. “I’m working toward bigger accomplishments, but I knew it would come with consistent work and it’s a great feeling.”
Garvin won his third straight UCBAC title on falls in 3:07, 1:48, 1:50 and 2:58, also leading the Tigers to the overall team title ahead of runner-up C. Milton Wright.
Garvin won his third straight Class 2A-1A East Regional title on three technical falls, the last coming in his regional championship bout by 25-10 over Bayside Conference champion junior Liam Hugues of Stephen Decatur.
The triumph over Hughes came a week after Garvin had used a fall in 2:58 of his UCBAC title bout against North Harford junior Tommy Blankenship, who placed fifth at states as a sophomore.
At states, Garvin used a forfeit and falls in 60 seconds and in 2:39 to reach the finals, where he earned a 6-4 title-bout decision over South Carroll's second-ranked junior Evan Owen.
The victory was Garvin’s second straight and third overall against Owen, whom he overcame with a 3-1 decision for last year's Class 2A-1A state title.
Garvin was equally impressive winning states as a 106-pound sophomore comprising victories by first-round, 17-1 technical fall, 3-1 quarterfinal decision, semifinal 11-2 major decision and a championship bout 16-2 major decision.
Garvin scored his sophomore quarterfinal victory over then-unbeaten freshman Tanner Halling of Boonsboro, who ended that year with a record of 37-1 after placing third in the states.
In the two seasons since falling to Garvin, Halling has been a Class 2A-1A state runner-up as a sophomore and a Class 2A-1A state champion as a junior.
Halling, for example, finished this year with a mark of 48-0 at 126 pounds, where he used three technical victories to reach the state finals before winning his championship bout, 8-4, over sophomore Devon Opel of Northern Garrett.
Halling ended last season with a record of 45-1 at 120 pounds following a 3-2 state title-bout loss to then-freshman Jo Jo Gigliotti of South Carroll, who is ranked No. 1 at 132 pounds this year after having won his second straight Class 2A-1A state championship.
Garvin's sophomore semifinal victory was against Owen, who finished fourth as a freshman after being pinned by Halling in 2:04 of their third-place bout.
Garvin's sophomore state championship triumph was against then-sophomore Nate Wilhelm of Northern-Garrett, who owns a victory over two-time Class 2A-1A state champion sophomore Elijah Collick of Stephen Decatur. Wilhelm placed third at the states as a junior.
"There’s pressure for everyone who is top-ranked and who has everyone gunning for you," Garvin said. "That just comes with the territory. I just think about putting a target on everybody else’s back and taking everybody else out."
Mission accomplished.