Although he isn’t looking at it as such, Javier Maldonado will be one of the biggest of targets when the Southern Conference wrestling tournament begins Saturday morning at McKenzie Arena.
“I don’t see it that way. I’m not going to overlook anybody, and you still have to wrestle and win every match,” the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior said.
Maldonado has yet to lose a conference match. He is a two-time defending champion in a 60-man field that includes the host Mocs, Appalachian State, The Citadel, Davidson, UNC Greensboro and VMI.
But little has changed for the 125-pounder, who came within a win of attaining All-America honors at last year’s NCAA tournament.
“There isn’t much difference, although this is my last chance to wrestle at home and it’s my last conference tournament,” he said.
Maldonado is a shoo-in to be the top-rated 125-pounder and should be one of at least four of coach Chris Bono’s Mocs to receive top seeds. He is likely to be joined by 141-pound Cody Cleveland, 157-pound Seth Garvin, 174-pound Lloyd Rogers, a runner-up last year, and 184-pound Josh Edmondson. Each was selected for the all-conference team.
Like Maldonado, Edmondson is a defending champion, and Matt Koz was the 2007 heavyweight champion but has moved down this year to 197. Cleveland, 149-pound Joey Knox, Garvin, 165-pound Nick Davis and heavyweight Matt Lettner are making their SoCon tournament debuts.
“I’ve talked with Cody. I told him not to overlook anybody, but he knows if he wrestles his best he can beat anyone in the nation,” Maldonado said.
Cleveland has been to the past two tournaments to watch and says he is ready for his opportunity.
“I’m excited. I’m glad I get to wrestle. I’m glad it’s at home. A lot of my family is coming in from Tullahoma to watch,” he said Thursday. “Nervous? It’s still two days out. It could be different when I step on the mat, but right now I feel I’m ready.”
Nervous might better describe Lettner, a freshman who was still celebrating a Tennessee state 215-pound championship this time a year ago.
“It’s a big step from high school. There are no easy matches. It’s more of a tougher mindset and it’s more wrestling than in high school,” the Soddy-Daisy graduate said. “When you’re starting at UTC you have to be living the life — getting in bed at the right time, not going out late on the weekends and eating right.”
He had to adjust to opponents who weigh anywhere from 250 to 285 pounds but could still wind up as the No. 2 seed after posting a 4-1 conference record.
“I really don’t think about nerves or pressure, because I want to relax,” Lettner said. “The first couple of matches I wrestled here I was really nervous, but I expect to win. I know I’m a freshman, and that was one of the toughest things to deal with, but I feel I’m the best in the conference.”
While Lettner had to adjust to wrestling heavier opponents, Koz had to adjust to wrestling more athletic types at 197 pounds.
“I feel confident,” he said. “I have had the chance to wrestle most of the top 10-ranked guys in the country, and I’m right there with them. I’m pretty much a takedown away from some wins. That’s to my advantage. You have to approach these matches differently. I could wear down a lot of the heavyweights. There are more athletes at 197.”
He summed up the Mocs’ outlook on the eve of the tournament: “We have wrestled a tough schedule with some tough tournaments and tough meets. No one is overlooking any opponent, but the guys are confident because we wrestled in the national duals and at the Midlands and we have faced top-ranked guys all year.”
Ward Gossett is an assistant sports editor and writer for the Times Free Press. Ward has a long history in Chattanooga journalism. He actually wrote a bylined story for the Chattanooga News-Free Press as a third-grader. He Began working part-time there in 1968 and was hired full time in 1970. Ward now covers high school athletics, primarily football, wrestling and baseball and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling. Over a 40-year career, he has covered ...
