UTC 24, GARDNER-WEBB 13
(Meet started at 125 pounds)125 — Cortez Starkes (GW) dec. Alonzo Allen, 6-5; 133 — Tyler Ziegler (GW) dec. Cody Hill, 3-2; 141 — Michael Pongracz (C) pinned Ryan Hull, 4:58; 149 — Ryan Mosley (GW) major dec. Chase Zemenak, 11-2; 157 — Kamaal Shakur (C) dec. Chris Vassar, 9-4; 165 — Dominic Lampe (C) dec. Kyle Ash, 10-9; 174 — Sean Mappes (C) major dec. Brett Stein, 10-2; 184 — Hunter Gamble (GW) dec. McCoy Newberg, 7-4; 197 — Scottie Boykin (C) tech. fall over Gray Jones, 3:00; 285 — Jared Johnson (C) dec. Boyce Cornwell, 4-0. Records: UTC 9-3, 4-0; Gardner-Webb 3-5, 2-1.
While Scottie Boykin secured the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team's win with a technical fall in the next-to-last match of Friday night's dual at Maclellan Gym, the Mocs' 24-13 victory over Southern Conference rival Gardner-Webb could just as easily be traced back to Michael Pongracz, Sean Mappes and Dominic Lampe.
"I knew it was going to be close. They're a good team," UTC coach Heath Eslinger said of Gardner-Webb (3-5, 2-1). "They have 10 solid guys. They won some close ones up front, and we won some close ones at the end."
UTC, ranked 25th in the nation, improved to 9-3 overall and 4-0 in the SoCon.
Boykin, who is 14-6 this season, put the match out of the Runnin' Bulldogs' reach by scoring two takedowns and three four-point near falls in the first period of his 197-pound match.
Pongracz (141) improved to 17-2 and tied the team score at 6 in the night's third match with a pin in 4:58. After Gardner-Webb claimed a major decision at 149 to give the Bulldogs a 10-6 lead, UTC's Kamaal Shakur (157) won to trim the Mocs' deficit to a point.
However, it was freshman 165-pounder Dominic Lampe's rally that personified the Mocs' comeback and gave them a lead they would not relinquish.
"He's an absolute stud - tough as nails," Eslinger said. "He's one of the toughest kids I've ever coached, and I've coached some tough ones. He has an internal gear that you just don't find in a lot of people."
Lampe dug an early hole, falling behind 4-0 and then trailing 6-2 early in the second period. He came within a point of tying the match by the end of the second period, though, and scored two takedowns in the third to pull out a 10-9 win.
"It started off a little rough," Lampe said. "I got slapped in a cradle right off the bat. After that, I knew it wasn't going to be fun. I knew I was going to have to work really hard and push myself to make up those points."
Mappes then extended UTC's two-point lead to six with a major decision at 174, but Gardner-Webb cut the lead in half on Hunter Gamble's 7-4 decision against McCoy Newberg, who was subbing for injured John Lampe.
Boykin then ended the suspense, though, and Jared Johnson followed with a 4-0 win, handing Gardner-Webb heavyweight Boyce Cornwell his first dual loss of the season.
UTC had trailed 6-0 after the first two matches, something the Mocs would like to avoid going forward.
"We have to get one of those first two. We have to psychologically get those guys in a better place, because they're capable but not delivering," Eslinger said. "I wasn't disappointed. I'm puzzled. I have to figure out how to fix it."
The Mocs' next meet is Jan. 31 at Davidson. Their final home meet is Feb. 5 against Appalachian State.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him on Twitter @wardgossett.