Wrestling Southern Conference

UTC Wrestlers Sullivan, Harris Win SoCon Titles, NCAA Berths

BOONE, N.C.---Chattanooga wrestler Jared Sullivan won his second straight Southern Conference championship and Jacob Harris captured his first Saturday at the SoCon Championships at Appalachian State University.

Sullivan, a junior, scored an 11-2 major decision over The Citadel's Mike Martinez and defeated VMI's Chris Seta 2-1 in the finals to win the 141-pound division. Harris, a sophomore, recorded a 6-3 decision over VMI's Chris Hardy and edged Appalachian State's Jason Jones 5-4 in overtime in the finals to claim the 149-pound title.

Both wrestlers earn automatic berths in the upcoming NCAA Championships March 20-22 in Kansas City, Mo.

The Mocs, the defending conference champions, finished fourth with 51.5 points. UTC also produced two third-place finishers. Quentin Bell defeated UNC Greensboro's Ryan Tripp 8-6 to place third at 157 pounds, and Craig Johnson scored a 15-0 technical fall over UNCG's Keith Ritter for third place at 165.

ASU won the team title with 97.5 points, ahead of second-place VMI (80). The Citadel scored 76 points for third place.

VMI's Adam Britt, champion at 157 pounds, was voted the meet's Most Outstanding Wrestler. Seta was the SoCon Freshman of the Year, and ASU's Paul Mance was the SoCon Coach of the Year.