New University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling coach Heath Eslinger was looking for improvement. What he got was near perfection in the Mocs' 2009-10 home debut.
"It isn't often you're going to go 20-0. Any time you do that it's a good thing," Eslinger said after two shutout victories Saturday in Maclellan Gym. "There were some matches we could have lost, but the guys battled and found ways to win."
The back-to-back blankings were the program's first this decade, with a 48-0 victory over Gardner-Webb preceding a 40-0 win over Division II power Anderson University.
UTC lost a pair of close ones to open the season a week earlier at Blacksburg, Va. -- 22-15 to Kent State and 21-18 to host Virginia Tech. Eslinger felt UTC could have both won with a little more push here or a little more pull there.
"I think we made some progress technically and nutritionally," he said. "There are so many elements to wrestling, and it's a sport that is seven days a week, 24 hours a day and 60 minutes of every hour."
Senior Joey Knox was among UTC's double winners, and he appeared strong from start to finish in both of his matches.
"Coach has got me on a steady diet. He sat me down and talked with me about what I should and shouldn't eat and how much," said Knox, who in the past has had a problem maintaining his weight. "I feel much better. He's the first guy who ever sat down and talked with me specifically about how to control my weight."
Practices last week bored on drudgery, although the Mocs admitted improvement.
"The week before was different. There was a lot of first-meet buildup," senior 141-pounder Cody Cleveland said. "With the ranking system changing this year and not counting wins over Division II opponents, it's a little harder to get motivated for a Division II opponent. This past week we worked on what we did wrong last weekend, and it paid some dividends. This weekend, though, is a grind."
The Mocs' day started early Saturday. Most were in the gym by 7:30 a.m. for a meet two hours later against Gardner-Webb. Following their win over Anderson, all of them checked their weight, some of them worked out and others spent some time with family and friends before they regrouped at 3:30 for a trip to Central Michigan.
The Mocs will wrestle the 13th-ranked Chippewas at 2 this afternoon.
"We're flying from here to Memphis to Detroit with a two-to-three-hour drive after that. We'll work out at 8:30 Sunday morning," Eslinger said. "It's that warrior mentality at a tough time of the year. You either embrace it or you're not a very happy person."
Every Moc who wrestled Saturday came away with at least one win.
Knox won by pin and decision while Cleveland, the Mocs' only undefeated starter at 4-0, got two pins. Other double-winners were Bucky Johnson (125), Dean Pavlou (149), Jake Young (174), Niko Brown (197) and Tom Minwell (285). Brown was the Moc other than Cleveland to pick up bonus points in both of his matches, pinning in one and getting a major decision in the other.
Heavyweight Matt Lettner is recovering from an ankle injury and is thought to be two weeks away from returning. The same time frame holds for Ethan Winel (197), who's been out with a broken hand. Although he is planning to redshirt this season, Dan Waddell (149) is off a bike and back to some workouts as he recovers from shoulder surgery.
UTC 48, GARDNER-WEBB 0
(Meet started at 125 pounds)
125--Bucky Johnson pinned Marc Rocha, 1:55; 133--Josh Sandoval major dec. Brett Kostern, 11-2; 141--Cody Cleveland pinned Kurt Wentick, 2:04; 149--Dean Pavlou dec. Ryan Medved, 10-6; 157--Joey Knox pinned Alex Medved, 3:59; 165--Brandon Wright tech. fall over David Pelsang, 5:28; 174--Jake Young major dec. Dave Sweeney, 19-6; 184--Jason McCroskey pinned Blake Sayler, 1:15; 197--Niko Brown major dec. Jonathon Velazquez, 10-2; 285--Tom Minwell dec. Travis Porter, 6-0.
Records: UTC 1-2; Gardner Webb 0-1.
UTC 40, ANDERSON 0
(Meet started at 141 pounds)
125--Bucky Johnson dec. Dequan Warner, 7-6; 133--Josh Statum dec. Chris Francis, 5-3; 141--Cody Cleveland pinned Melchisedac LeVergne, 6:31; 149--Dean Pavlou major dec. Dalton Harper, 18-6; 157--Joey Knox dec. J.J. Jackson, 7-1; 165--Josh Condon pinned Jordan Lide, 6:52; 174--Jake Young dec. Trevor Sanford, 7-5; 184--Tyler Roberson dec. Ter'rance Gaddy, 10-6; 197--Niko Brown pinned Luis Audelo, 4:48; 285--Tom Minwell dec. Chase Duke, 5-0.
Records: UTC 2-2; Anderson 1-2.
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 ...
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