Wrestling Southern Conference

Chattanooga Wrestlers Head To Nationals

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.---Three Chattanooga wrestlers begin competition March 15 at the NCAA Wrestling Championships at the University of Iowa. The Mocs have had at least three wrestlers at the NCAA Championships every year since 1998.

Senior Adam Duncan will wrestle at 184 pounds and is making his second consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships. Freshmen Jared Sullivan, 141, and David Tyner, 197, are also representing the Mocs.

"We had a young team this year," UTC head coach Mark Leen said. "But the three men we have competing at this year's championships have as good a chance to fare well as any we have taken in the past. They have trained hard and are in great condition, and hopefully good things will happen for them."

Duncan and Tyner earned automatic berths in the NCAAs after winning the Southern Conference individual titles in their respective weight classes March 3. Sullivan, who placed second at the SoCon Championships, received a wild card entrance to the tournament.

Duncan is scheduled to face Wisconsin's Ralph Denisco in the first round. Denisco is ranked 19th nationally in the InterMat Division I Wrestling Rankings. Duncan competed in the NCAAs last year at 174 pounds. The All-SoCon honoree from Westminster, S.C., went undefeated in the conference this season and was 9-4 in dual matches.

Sullivan will face 13th-ranked Matt Goldstein of Lehigh. Sullivan was elected the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year this season. The Hanover, Pa., native led the Mocs in victories with a 21-5 overall record and was tops on the squad with nine pins.

Tyner's first-round opponent is 18th-ranked David Shunamon of Edinboro. Tyner, of Locust Grove, Okla., overcame a late-season shoulder injury to win the 197-pound title at the SoCon Championships. He went 12-5 on the season with three pins.

The NCAA tournament runs through Saturday at Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena.