The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga moves from one strong wrestling event to another, wrestling today and Saturday at the Virginia Duals.
The tournament at Hampton, Va., is one of the oldest collegiate tournaments in the country. This is its 35th consecutive year.
UTC, at one time ranked among the nation's top 20, will open the event at 9 a.m. against West Virginia (3-4) and then face No. 10 Edinboro (6-2) at 11. Depending on the outcome of those meets, the Mocs will wrestle two others tonight or Saturday.
"These are two really good teams we haven't yet seen, and in Edinboro it's an opportunity to wrestle a top-10 team," UTC coach Heath Eslinger said.
After opening the season with three wins, the Mocs have fallen to 3-3. In their last dual meet on Dec. 20, they lost 25-12 at then No. 22 Old Dominion. Their first two losses, to Purdue and North Carolina, were by a combined four points.
Since the ODU loss, the team hosted the Southern Scuffle and secured a respectable 14th-place finish with 125-pound Sean Boyle placing third and 133-pound Nick Soto making the awards podium as a seventh-place finisher.
That third-place medal boosted Boyle to a No. 10 InterMat national ranking and selection as the Southern Conference wrestler of the week. The senior (16-4) is listed No. 8 by Amateur Wrestling News. He is expecting to face at least one ranked opponent today in Edinboro's No. 19 Kory Mines (16-4).
Boyle and sophomore heavyweight Jared Johnson are tied for the team wins lead with 16 apiece. Nick Soto, ranked 16th at 133 pounds, has 15.
West Virginia's lone ranked wrestler is 141-pound Michel Morales. The senior, who beat the Mocs' Mike Pongracz at the Navy Classic, has used a 21-6 start to climb to No. 10. Freshman 125-pounder Zeke Moisey's 20-8 record is the team's best.
Edinboro has four nationally ranked wrestlers including unbeaten Mitchell Port (20-0) at 141 pounds and once-beaten Dave Habat (19-1) at 149. Port is currently ranked No. 2 and Habat No. 3. Vic Avery (16-5) is ranked No. 12 at 184.
UTC will be without 184-pound starter John Lampe, who is recovering from a bruised knee sustained in the Scuffle.
"This is not the time of year to be trying to push through an injury," Eslinger said.
John Shrader likely will step in at 184, although Eslinger did take three 174-pounders: Levi Clemons, Sean Mappes and McCoy Newberg. He also took Jacob Murphy, who could wrestle at 133 or 141, and 197-pound Clay Dent, who has been a backup to Scottie Boykin.
"You want to make sure you have the ability to bump guys around if somebody gets hurt," Eslinger said.
Other Virginia Duals competitors are Virginia Tech, Rider, Virginia, Old Dominion, Bucknell, Arizona State, Kent State and Nebraska-Kearney. Virginia Tech is ranked No. 6, Virginia 16th, Rider 17th, ODU 24th and Bucknell 25th.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.