Mocs wrestlers Josh Condon, Alex Hudson, Niko Brown alive in consolations

Friday, January 1, 1904

photo Chattanooga's Nick Soto, left, tries to avoid getting pinned by Wyoming's Tyler Cox during their 125-pound match at the NCAA division I wrestling championships Thursday in Des Moines, Iowa.

Senior 165-pounder Josh Condon, the only University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestler in the championship round of the NCAA tournament, lost his quarterfinal bid Thursday night.

Condon lost 4-2 to fourth-seeded Tyler Caldwell of Oklahoma State after winning 7-4 over Edinboro's Johnny Greisheimer.

Beginning this morning in Des Moines, Iowa, Condon will have to win four straight to gain All-America status. His first opponent will be Nebraska's Austin Wilson, who entered the tournament with a 26-13 record and a 2-2 finish in the Big Ten tournament.

Also wrestling this morning for UTC are Alex Hudson (149) and Niko Brown (197). Hudson won his first consolation match 10-5 over Max Mayfield of Iowa State, while Brown beat Cornell's Jace Bennett 10-5.

Hudson faces No. 6 seed Dylan Ness of Minnesota, and Brown will wrestle seventh-seeded Nate Schiedel of Binghamton.

Nick Soto (125), who'd been ranked in the top 20 most of the year, and Dean Pavlou (141) each lost his first two matches. Soto fell by major decision in the championship round and then was pinned in the first round of consolations. Pavlou lost both of his matches by decision.

The Mocs, now with three wins, have tripled the number of matches they won at the 2012 nationals.

This morning's first round begins at 11.

Arkansas-Oklahoma State Live Blog

Round of 32

125 - No. 12 Tyler Cox (Wyoming) major dec. Nick Soto, 14-2;

141 - Dean Pavlou vs. Trevor Melde (Rutgers) dec. Dean Pavlou, 5-2;

149 - Steve Santos (Columbia) pinned Alex Hudson, 6:19;

165 - Josh Condon dec. Johnny Greisheimer, (Edinboro), 7-4;

197 - No. 9 Jake Meredith (Arizona State) dec. Niko Brown, 3-1.

Round of 16

165 - No. 4 Tyler Caldwell (Okla. State) dec. Josh Condon, 4-2.

Consolations - first round

125 - Jarrod Garnett (Va. Tech) pinned Nick Soto, 4:11;

141 - Nick Hucke (Missouri) dec. Dean Pavlou, 6-1;

149 - Alex Hudson dec. Max Mayfield (Iowa St.), 10-5;

197 - Niko Brown dec. Jace Bennett (Cornell), 10-5.