UTC 37, DAVIDSON 9
(Meet started at 125 pounds)125 — Camden Bertucci (D) pinned Toribio Navarro, 2:01; 133 — Dustin Runzo (D) dec. Cody Minnick, 5-3 SV1; 141 — Mike Pongracz (UTC) pinned Billy McClelland, 2:22; 149 — Chase Zemenak (UTC) major dec. Aidan Conroy, 8-0; 157 — Kamaal Shakur (UTC) dec. Tony Palumbo, 5-3; 165 — Dominic Lampe (UTC) pinned Adam Flatt, 6:52; 174 — Sean Mappes (UTC) major dec. Nathaniel Powers, 10-2; 184 — John Lampe (UTC) dec. Konner Pritchard, 9-4; 197 — Scottie Boykin (UTC) tech. fall Michael Moore, 5:00; 285 — Jared Johnson (UTC) pinned Will Cooley, 2:09. Records: UTC 10-3, 5-0 SoCon; Davidson 4-10, 0-2.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga notched another dual win Sunday afternoon to ensure Mocs wrestling of another season with at least 10 victories.
The victim this time was Davidson, with UTC notching a lopsided 37-9 win in North Carolina and moving a step closer to yet another Southern Conference championship.
The Mocs have two steps left to secure that regular-season title. They'll host Appalachian State at 7 p.m. Friday, then close out the conference schedule Feb. 12 at The Citadel. The SoCon tournament is March 5 in Asheville, N.C.
UTC is 10-3 overall and leads the conference with a 5-0 record. Entering Sunday's duals, Appalachian State was 4-1 and Gardner-Webb 3-1 in the SoCon. Appalachian State lost to Gardner-Webb, which suffered its lone league loss to the Mocs.
"Having John Lampe back in the lineup was great, and Sean Mappes looked good," coach Heath Eslinger said after Sunday's win. "Mappes was attacking. He probably beat the best kid on their team."
Lampe, who had been sidelined with a rib injury, bested the Wildcats' Konnor Pritchard 9-4 at 184 pounds. Mappes (174) posted a major decision over Nathaniel Powers, one of six victories that provided the Mocs with bonus points. Mike Pongracz (141), Dominic Lampe (165) and Jared Johnson (285) added pins, Scottie Boykin (197) had a technical fall and Chase Zemenak (149) added another major decision.
"It's good to score, but you always want to win all 10 (matches)," Eslinger said.
The Mocs' two losses came at 125 and 133, where they wrestled freshman Toribio Navarro (who was pinned in the first period) and Cody Minnick (who lost in overtime).
"Navarro had the kid on his back, and the kid rolled through," Eslinger said. "I think you could say it was inexperience or lack of confidence. Minnick - I thought we had a takedown there at the end (of regulation) and didn't get it."
Navarro was filling in for Alonzo Allen, who was fighting the remnants of a flu-like virus.
Eslinger was unaware of the Mocs' string of 10-win seasons, which now has stretched to 13, with seven of those under his watch. UTC has won 25 straight conference duals, with its last loss coming at home in 2012 to Appalachian State.
"One of the things of which I am most proud is that we are going to have good teams," he said. "We have come close to putting some great teams out there, and while we have spent some time in the top 25, we need to get to where we're spending more time in the top 15 and top 10."
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him on Twitter @wardgossett.