Chattanooga tops Campbell to claim SoCon crown outright

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team grabbed the outright 2013 Southern Conference regular-season championship with Monday's 30-4 win over Campbell in Maclellan Gym. The Mocs controlled the action from the opening whistle, ending the regular season with an 11-6 record and a perfect 7-0 league mark. The Camels dropped to 7-10 overall and tied for second in the SoCon at 5-2.

The match started at 197, as UTC senior Niko Brown led off for the Mocs. He came into the bout ranked as high as No. 18 in the nation and undefeated in dual matches at 14-0. He was pushed by the Camel's John Merickel but pulled out a 7-3 win. That upped his overall record to 27-3, including a perfect 7-0 in league matches.

Sophomore Kevin Malone followed that with a double-overtime win against Joe Nolan at heavyweight. Malone scored a takedown in the second sudden-victory period for his 16th win of the year.

Sophomore Nick Soto had a tough challenge in Campbell's Eric Montoya. Both were undefeated in SoCon matches, with Soto ranked No. 17 at 125 and Montoya listed at No. 27. Soto posted an impressive 7-1 decision to improve to 24-6 overall and give UTC a 9-0 lead.

Freshman Alex Ward continued to show his improvement with a 5-0 shutout over Tanner Bidelspach at 133. Senior Dean Pavlou put UTC up 16-0 with his major decision (13-2) win over Michael Dahlstrom. For Pavlou, it was his career-best 22nd win of the season.

Junior Alex Hudson scored a tech fall at 149 before Campbell got its only win at 157. Redshirt junior Nick Rex earned the lone Campbell individual win, posting a major-decision victory over Trey Stavrum, 8-0. Rex moved to 12-6 overall and finished the conference regular season at 5-1 at 157, with a win at 165 as well.

Senior Josh Condon clinched the match with his 12-7 decision over Paul Duggan at 165. Condon improved to 6-0 in SoCon matches this season. He finished his career with a 14-0 record in SoCon regular season matches.

Freshman John Lampe got the crowd on its feet with a 3-1 decision over Taylor McGiffen. He scored a takedown at the buzzer to improve to 5-0 in SoCon matches.

Senior Robert Prigmore close out the match with a comeback win at 184. He fell behind early to James Cook after a takedown and two back points in the first period. Prigmore wore Cook down over the next five minutes, scoring five unanswered points to take the win.

With the regular season in the books, the eight league teams return to action at the 2013 Southern Conference Tournament. The event is scheduled for March 9 at VMI in Lexington, Va.

Chattanooga 30, Campbell 4
197: Nikolas Brown (UTC) - Dec. 7-3 - John Merickel (Campbell) - UTC 3-0
285: Kevin Malone (UTC) – 4-2 (2OT) - Joe Nolan (Campbell) - UTC 6-0
125: Nick Soto (UTC) - Dec. 7-1 - Eric Montoya (Campbell) - UTC 9-0
133: Alex Ward (UTC) - Dec. 5-0 - Tanner Bidelspach (Campbell) - UTC 12-0
141: Dean Pavlou (UTC) - MD 13-2 - Michael Dahlstrom (Campbell) - UTC 16-0
149: Alex Hudson (UTC) - TF 17-2 (7:00) - Cory Wagner (Campbell) - UTC 21-0
157: Nick Rex (Campbell) - MD 8-0 - Trey Stavrum (UTC) - UTC 21-4
165: Josh Condon (UTC) - Dec. 12-7 - Paul Duggan (Campbell) - UTC 24-4
174: John Lampe (UTC) - Dec. 3-1 - Taylor McGiffen (Campbell) - UTC 27-4
184: Robert Prigmore (UTC) - Dec. 5-4 - James Cook (Campbell) - UTC 30-4