Mocs Defeat The Citadel 26-6

CHATTANOOGA, TENN. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team put on a dominating performance in front of a big crowd at Maclellan Gym this afternoon.  The Mocs had little trouble defeating The Citadel 26-6 in Southern Conference action, improving to 7-9 on the year and 1-0 in league play. 

Over 600 fans showed up to watch the Mocs win their 31stSoCon match in a row.  UTC has won six-straight SoCon regular season titles and 18-straight league contests at home.  Chattanooga has not dropped a SoCon match since 2004 and has not lost in conference action at home since 2003. 

"It is an important win for us," stated head coach Heath Eslinger.  "Every win from here on out is super-important.  We've had a grueling schedule and we won every close match today.  That's why we have a tough schedule, to get guys ready to win those matches.  They are as good a team as any in our conference, so it is a big deal." 

In a scheduling quirk, this was the last SoCon bout of the season for the Bulldogs and the first for the Mocs.  The Citadel came in with a little swagger, sporting a 3-1 league mark.  The Bulldogs were the last team in the league to defeat UTC back on Feb. 14, 2004, in Charleston, S.C., and were hoping to repeat that performance today. 

Action began at 149 where sophomore Alex Hudson (Marietta, Ga.) scored a 10-5 decision over Derek Royster to give the Mocs a 3-0 lead. 

It was low-scoring affair between sophomore Josh Condon (Powder Springs, Ga.) and Pierre Frazile at 157.  Both managed just one escape for most of the match.  With time winding down, Frazile seemed to let up and prepare for overtime.  Condon pounced on the opening and scored a winning takedown just before the final horn.  His 3-1 win moved him to 18-6 on the year and gave Chattanooga a 6-0 lead. 

The next two matches were going to be tough ones for the Mocs as both opponents had 20+ wins.  At 165, juniorDan Waddell (Chattanooga, Tenn.) took the mat against No. 8 Turotgtokh Luvsandorj.  Luvsandorj was 29-6 on the year and was looking for bonus points.  However, Waddell fought him off for the entire match and kept it close in the 9-4 loss. 

Junior Brandon Wright (Germantown, Tenn.) was going for his first win in four matches at 174, facing J.C. Oddo who was 20-7 on the year.  Trailing 2-1 with seconds left, Wright scored a reversal to take a 3-2 lead, sending the big crowd into a frenzy.  Oddo escaped before the horn and the match went into overtime. 

With the crowd on their feet, Wright shot out on the opening whistle and tallied the winning takedown seconds into sudden victory time.  Wright's win gave UTC a 9-3 lead and took all of the wind out of the Bulldog's sails. 

Junior Jason McCroskey followed that up with an 8-2 decision over Justin Sparrow at 175.  It was McCroskey's team-leading 18th win of the year to go against seven losses. 

Sophomore Niko Brown (Kissimmee, Fla.) improved to 15-7 with his 5-3 decision over Kelby Smith at 197.  Sophomore Robert Prigmore (Southlake, Texas) scored the first bonus points with a 10-2 major decision over Luke Johnson at heavyweight. 

Sophomore Prescot Garner (West Linn, Ore.) and senior Cody Cleveland (Tullahoma, Tenn.) rounded out the scoring for the Mocs with wins at 125 and 141, respectively.  Cleveland, ranked No. 8 in the nation, posted an 11-1 major decision over Jordan Dix to move to 7-0 on the year. 

Chattanooga hits the road next weekend for a pair of huge matches at UNC Greensboro and Appalachian State.  The Mocs hope to get back a pair of starters who were out for the match against The Citadel.  Junior Demetrius Johnson is still trying to get into the lineup at 133 for the first time this year.  He is recovering from offseason knee surgery.  Senior heavyweight Matt Lettner was also out with a foot injury. 

UTC visits the Spartans on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 2:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) and travel to Boone, N.C. to take on the Mountaineers on Sunday, Feb. 6 at 2:00 p.m.  The Mocs are back home on Sunday, Feb. 13, hosting Davidson in Maclellan Gym at 2:00 p.m.

Chattanooga 26 - The Citadel 6
Maclellan Gym - Chattanooga Tenn.
Sunday - Jan. 30, 2011
149:  Alex Hudson (UTC) - Dec. 10-5 - Derek Royster (The Citadel) - UTC 3-0
157:  Josh Condon (UTC) - Dec. 3-1 - Pierre Frazile (The Citadel) - UTC 6-0
165:  No. 8 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (The Citadel) - Dec. 9-4 - Dan Waddell (UTC) - UTC 6-3
174:  Brandon Wright (UTC) - Dec. 5-3 (OT) - James Oddo - (The Citadel) - UTC 9-3
184:  Jason McCroskey (UTC) - Dec. 8-2 - Justin Sparrow (The Citadel) - UTC 12-3
197:  Niko Brown (UTC) - Dec. 5-3 - Kelby Smith (The Citadel) - UTC 15-3
285:  Robert Prigmore (UTC) - Maj. Dec. 10-2 - Luke Johnson (The Citadel) - UTC 19-3
125:  Prescott Garner (UTC) - Dec. 9-8 - Richard Alarcon (The Citadel) - UTC 22-3
133:  Tyler Sim (The Citadel) - Dec. 7-4 - Adam Wilson (UTC) - UTC 22-6
141:  No. 8 Cody Cleveland (UTC) - Maj. Dec. 11-1 - Jordan Dix (The Citadel) - UTC 26-6

 

Four Wrestlers Place at Appalachian Open

BOONE, N.C.- Appalachian State University wrestling (6-8-1, 0-2 SoCon) had four unattached wrestlers place at the inaugural Appalachian Open on Saturday in Varsity Gym.

Freshman Dominic Parisi (Harrisburg, N.C./Jay M. Robinson) was the first champion to be crowned as he rolled through four straight opponents in route to the 125 title. In his first match, Parisi pinned Gardner-Webb's Jacob Reinemund in 2:46, advancing to face Liberty's Justin Branham. In that match, Parisi tallied a 10-5 decision against Branham to move into the semifinals of the winner's bracket. In the semifinals, Parisi faced fellow Mountaineer sophomore Brett Boston (Morganton, N.C./Freedom) and notched a 10-5 decision. Parisi ended his Saturday by pinning Virginia Tech's Ty Mitch in 2:25.

ASU's next champion was at 141 with junior Mike Kessler (Bay City, Mich./Western) also winning out of the winner's bracket. Kessler wasted no time pinning King College's Javari Williamson in 1:32 in his first match. Kessler nailed another pin against Newberry's Brock Coutu in 2:36. Kessler's next match proved to be much closer as he pulled out a 4-2 decision against Mike Bell from Duke. In the championship match, Kessler tallied a 5-0 decision against Gardner-Webb's Richie Spicel for the second time this season to claim the title.

Senior Chip Powell (Greensboro, N.C./S.W. Guilford) kept the ball rolling for Appalachian at 157. Powell took care of Gardner-Webb's Matt Beebee with ease, tallying a 17-1 technical fall. Powell powered his way to another technical fall, 19-2, against Chattanooga's Jared Presley setting up a final 11-5 decision over Taylor Knapp (Virginia Tech) to earn the title.

The Apps' final individual title of the tournament came out of 197. Senior Dylan Temple (Marietta, Ga./Walton)  faced Joe Grisko from Newberry in his first match and earned a 10-2 major decision over Grisko. Temple then took on Travis Porter (Gardner-Webb) and recorded a fall over Porter in :48 to advance to the championship match. Temple faced Ohio's Beau Wenger and edged the Bobcat 6-5.

Boston, juniors Weston Haney (Robbinsville, N.C./Robbinsville), Travis Puckett (Matthews, N.C./David W. Butler) and Kyle Benson (Morganton, N.C./Robert L. Patton), freshmen Riley Keen (Dunwoody, Ga./Dunwoody), Domnick Vetell (Trinity, N.C./Trinity), Marc Tyson (Monroe, N.J./Monroe Township) and Collins Creech (Smithfield, N.C./Smithfield-Selma) and sophomore Brock Durfee (Sherrills Ford, N.C./Bandys) also collected wins during the tournament.

The Mountaineers celebrate Senior Day and look for their first SoCon victory of the season on Feb. 6 against Chattanooga at 2 p.m. in Varsity Gym.

 

Spartans place two at Appalachian State Open

BOONE, N.C. - Stepping out of the dual schedule for the first time in a month, UNCG came home with two placers at the Appalachian State Open on Saturday afternoon.

Elijah Adams was the highlight for the Spartans on Saturday as he came home with a second place finish in the 184 pound bracket. He opened the day with a 10-3 win over Vincent Salyer from Gardner-Webb before scoring a major decision against George Tomask, 17-9, from UNC Pembroke.

Adams was then pitted against his own teammate in the semifinals in Jared Holliday. Adams was able to squeak by Holliday, 3-1, to advance into the finals. There, he dropped a 9-6 decision to Diego Bencomo of Duke, 9-6, to earn runner-up honors.

The only other Spartan to place on Saturday was Keith Brown, who finished in fourth place at 174 pounds. After dropping his first match of the day to Erin O'Dell from Gardner-Webb, he scored a 4-2 decision against Virginia's William Coggins.

Brown, just like Adams, had to face his teammate and scored an 8-6 decision against Terrence Zaleski. In the consolation finals, Brown fell to Virginia Tech's Nick Vetterlein to finish in fourth place.

 The Spartans will return to action on Wednesday as they host Liberty for a dual in Fleming Gymnasium at 4 p.m. 

AGATE

141 pounds:

Angel Garcia (UNCG) maj. dec. Joe Burns (UTC), 12-1

Richie Spicel (Gardner-Webb) fall Angel Garcia (UNCG), 6:58

Will James (Belmont Abbey) dec. Angel Garcia (UNCG), 12-7

*Santonio Thompson eliminated from tournament

149 pounds:

Seiji Borja (Newberry) dec. Santonio Thompson (UNCG), 12-9

Santonio Thompson (UNCG) dec. William Green (King), 15-11

Santonio Thompson (UNCG) dec. Chris Mullen (Duke), 22-15

Immanuel Kerr-Brown (Duke) fall Santonio Thompson (UNCG), 2:54

*Santonio Thompson eliminated from tournament

157 pounds:

Matt Tusick (Va. Tech) dec. Justin Rice (UNCG), 6-3

Justin Rice (UNCG) dec. Richard Pugh (King), 8-4

Jared Presley (UTC) maj. dec. Justin Rice (UNCG), 15-7

*Justin Rice eliminated from tournament

165 pounds:

Chris Moon (Va. Tech) injury default Marc Bryan (UNCG)

Willy Mello (Duke) medical default Marc Bryan (UNCG)

*Marc Bryan eliminated from tournament

174 pounds:

Erin O'Dell (Gardner-Webb) fall Keith Brown (UNCG), 5:22

Keith Brown (UNCG) dec. William Coggins (Virginia), 4-2

Keith Brown (UNCG) dec. Terrence Zaleski (UNCG), 8-6

Nick Vetterlein (Va. Tech) fall Keith Brown (UNCG), 4:16

*Keith Brown finishes in fourth place

Terrence Zaleski (UNCG) maj. dec. Kwame Seymour (Belmont Abbey), 18-7

Bret Klopp (Duke) fall Terrence Zaleski (UNCG), 4:05

Keith Brown (UNCG) dec. Terrence Zaleski (UNCG), 8-6

*Terrence Zaleski eliminated from tournament

184 pounds:

Elijah Adams (UNCG) dec. Vincent Salyer (Gardner-Webb), 10-3

Elijah Adams (UNCG) maj. dec. George Tomask (UNCP), 17-9

Elijah Adams (UNCG) dec. Jared Holliday (UNCG), 3-1

Diego Bencomo (Duke) dec. Elijah Adams (UNCG), 9-6

*Elijah Adams finishes in second place

Jared Holliday (UNCG) dec. Brian Newman (Newberry), 5-3

Jared Holliday (UNCG) dec. Jerami Bartley (Belmont Abbey), 6-2

Elijah Adams (UNCG) dec. Jared Holliday (UNCG), 3-1

Josh Esparza (Campbell) dec. Jared Holliday (UNCG), 4-3

*Jared Holliday eliminated from tournament

Maisson Davis (UNCG) dec. Rocco de Salvo (Air Force), 9-2

Angelo Malvestuto (Va. Tech) maj. dec. Maisson Davis (UNCG), 17-7

Brian Newman (Newberry) dec. Maisson Davis (UNCG), 13-6

*Maisson Davis eliminated from tournament

285 pounds:

Brock Durfee (Appalachian State) dec. Michael Gregory (UNCG), 5-3

Michael Gregory (UNCG) dec. Andrew Fulk (Duke), 4-3

Marc Tyson (Appalachian State) dec. Michael Gregory (UNCG), 4-1 OT

*Michael Gregory eliminated from tournament\