Chattanooga downs SIUE to remain unbeaten in SoCon action
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team scored a 33-7 win over SIUE in Southern Conference action at Maclellan Gym on Sunday. The Mocs won eight of 10 matches to improve to 5-2 overall and remain undefeated at 3-0 in league action. The Cougars dropped to 1-5 and 0-1 in conference matches.
UTC scored bonus points in four wins Sunday. Freshman Alonzo Allen and senior John Lampe scored pins at 125 and 184, while juniors Michael Pongracz and Sean Mappes had tech falls at 141 and 174.
Allen's second-period pin against Joe Antonelli gave the Mocs a quick 6-0 lead. He improves to 8-5 overall and 4-3 in duals. It was also his second pin of the season.
Pongracz remained undefeated with his tech fall over John Muldoon at 141. Muldoon got to Pongracz's legs four times in the match, but each time Pongracz turned the tables and scored a takedown. A total of 12 back points in the match allowed Pongracz to score five team points.
After giving up a major decision at 149, UTC only led 11-7. The 157 match that followed was a tight one throughout and would turn out to be the pivotal bout of the day.
Freshman Kamaal Shakur was down 4-3 to Nate Higgins when he was hit with a penalty in the second. A late flurry later in the period included a takedown by Shakur, reversal by Higgins and an escape at the buzzer for a 7-6 Higgins lead heading into the final frame. Shakur escaped to tie it at 7 and then won it on a late takedown. Higgins escaped at the buzzer, but Shakur kept the momentum on UTC's side.
Freshman Dominic Lampe improved to 11-4 with his 10-6 win at 165. That was followed by Mappes' tech fall at 175 and a first-period pin by the eldest Lampe at 184.
The last two matches are usually automatic for the Mocs, but both juniors Scottie Boykin and Jared Johnson were looking to avenge losses from a year ago. Boykin split with the Cougars' Jake Tindle, including a loss in the first round of the Arby’s SoCon Wrestling Championship. SIUE's Chris Johnson had an overtime win against the Mocs' Johnson at heavyweight in last year's dual.
Things were different Sunday, beginning with Boykin's 8-3 decision at 197. The 18th-ranked Boykin improved to 10-3 overall and 4-0 in SoCon action. The 13th-ranked UTC Johnson scored a 6-0 win at heavyweight.
This was the Mocs’ 24th consecutive SoCon win, dating back to the start of the 2013 season. It was also the 79th win for Eslinger who is 79-43 (.648) in seven years at his alma mater. He recently passed Andy Nardo [77-30 (.712) - 1953-68] for second on UTC's all-time wins list.
Chattanooga takes a few days off for the Christmas break before returning for the Defense Soap & Flips Wrestling Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2 in McKenzie Arena. Tickets are available on GoMocs.com for the two-day tournament.
SIUE is now idle until the Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern, on Dec. 29-30.
Chattanooga 33, SIUE 7
125: Alonzo Allen (UTC) – Fall 4:11 - Joe Antonelli (SIUE) – UTC 6-0
133: Dakota Leach (SIUE) – Dec. 9-7 - Cody Hill (UTC) – UTC 6-3
141: Michael Pongracz (UTC) – Tech Fall (6:48) 17-0 - John Muldoon (SIUE) – UTC 11-3
149: John Fahy (SIUE) – MD 9-1 - Roman Boylen (UTC) – UTC 11-7
157: Kamaal Shakur (UTC) – Dec. 9-8 - Nate Higgins (SIUE) – UTC 14-7
Unsportsmanlike (-1) – UTC 13-7
165: Dominic Lampe (UTC) – Dec. 10-6 - Eric Travers (SIUE) – UTC 16-7
174: Sean Mappes (UTC) – Tech Fall (6:06) 18-1 - Clayton Bass (SIUE) – UTC 21-7
184: John Lampe (UTC) – Fall 1:41 - Derek Nagel (SIUE) – UTC 27-7
197: No. 18 Scottie Boykin (UTC) – Dec. 8-3 - Jake Tindle (SIUE) – UTC 30-7
285: Jared Johnson (UTC) – Dec. 6-0 - Chris Johnson (SIUE) – UTC 33-7
The Citadel’s Haas take first at Reno Tournament of Champions
RENO, Nev. – Marshall Haas and Matt Frisch represented The Citadel wrestling team at the Reno Tournament of Champions on Sunday, finishing 4-0 and 3-2 respectively. The competition included 27 teams. With just the two wrestlers in the field, The Citadel tied for 19th as a team.
Haas (11-3) received a bye in the round of 64 and then dispatched Joseph Goodwin of Cal Poly, pinning him in 1:15. In the quarterfinals, the senior faced John Morin of Clackamas, who he defeated by a 6-1 decision.
With the win, Haas moved on to the semifinals to face No. 1 seed Anthony Abro of Eastern Michigan. Haas picked up his third win of the day over Abro with a 10-0 major decision, advancing him into the championship bout, where he would face Andre Lee of Illinois. Haas held a 3-1 lead heading into the third period and, behind a two-point takedown and two escapes, Haas took first place in the 197-pound division.
After also receiving a bye in the round of 64, Frisch (7-3), the fourth seed, picked up his first win of the day in the 149-pound division over Bryce Parson, who was wrestling unattached from Oregon State. The senior then picked up a tight 2-1 decision over Wyoming’s’ Austin Breckenridge. Each grappler tallied an escape but Frisch was able to advance after securing the riding-time point, allowing him to advance to the quarterfinals, where he faced the No. 5 seed in Nick Barber of Western Michigan.
Barber handed Frisch his first loss of the day by a 3-2 decision, knocking Frisch to the consolation round of eight. Frisch then rebounded with a win over Jake Elliot of Wyoming by a 9-4 decision to move on to the round of four, where he faced Paul Fox of Stanford. Frisch was handed his second loss of the day by a 13-5 major decision and finished his day in the consolation round of four.
The Citadel will return to the mat Jan. 1 and 2 for the Southern Scuffle in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Campbell finishes sixth at Reno Tournament of Champions
RENO, Nev. – Campbell finished the Reno Tournament of Champions sixth out of 27 colleges and universities with 60 team points and had three grapplers place. Nathan Kraisser (133), Ville Heino (184) and Jere Heino (285) finished in fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively.
Kraisser placed fourth and finished 6-2 on the day, falling to Jaydin Clayton (pin 5:19), an unattached grappler from Missouri, in the third-place bout at 133 pounds.
Ville Heino placed fifth, beating out Austin Severn, who forfeited due to injury in the fifth-place bout at 184 pounds. Heino finished 3-2 on the day.
Jere Heino went 4-3 on the day and finished in sixth place at heavyweight after falling to Eskam Chace from Arizona State in a 5-3 decision.
Collin Stewart represented the Camels at 125 pounds and finished the day 0-2. Luke Stewart went 2-2 at 141 pounds after receiving a first-round bye. Zane Knight wrestled at 149 pounds for Campbell and finished the tournament 1-2 on the day, winning his first match but dropping the next two.
Quentin Perez went 2-2 at the tournament after moving up to the 157-pound weight class, while redshirt senior Paul Duggan went 1-2, losing his first and third bouts by decisions and picking up his only win on a 20-5 tech fall over John Leal of Clackamas Community College.
At 174 pounds, redshirt freshman Matthew Olauson went 0-2, as did freshman Willie Bivens III, who wrestled at 197 pounds for the Camels.
The Camels well take a short break for the holidays but will return to the mat on Jan. 1-2, 2016, as they travel to Chattanooga, Tennessee, to participate in the Southern Scuffle.