For Bryce Carr ultimately to have the season he's had as a senior wrestler for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, he needed a setback.
That came early, and it was right on time.
On Nov. 17 Carr dropped a 3-1 decision to Virginia Tech's Zack Zavatsky. It would be the worst he wrestled all season.
In fact, after the 29-7 team loss to the eighth-ranked Hokies, UTC coach Heath Eslinger praised the efforts of all of the seniors except one: Carr.
"I didn't wrestle at all that match. I shut down," Carr recalled Wednesday by phone. "After the match, the coaching staff challenged me to open up and let whatever happens happens."
What's happened since then is the 184-pounder dominated the Southern Conference on the way to being voted wrestler of the year. He sealed that with his second consecutive SoCon tournament title - one of three the Mocs earned that day - and he, 125-pounder Alonzo Allen and 197-pounder Scottie Boykin will be participating today in the first of three days in the NCAA tournament in Cleveland, Ohio.
The first round starts at noon and will be televised on ESPNU. Carr is a No. 12 seed in his weight class, while Boykin earned a 10 seed.
Carr is 26-5 for the season, with all five losses coming to top-10 wrestlers, three of those defeats by a single point.
"Bryce has had a great year," Eslinger said. "He's been super consistent and put himself in position to be seeded and to truly himself in position to be wrestling on Saturday."
Carr called the conversation after the Virginia Tech match a "turning point" in his season.
"Right after that match, me and Coach (David) Hoffman talked," he said. "He told me that they haven't jumped off the ship and they believe in me: I just have to go out and do it."
Added Eslinger: "You've got to force a guy to beat you; you can't let him win. You're going to lose at times, but make them win. Bryce didn't do that against Virginia Tech, but he did a much better job the rest of the year. If he goes out and wrestles how he has, he will be wrestling Saturday."
Carr, Boykin and Allen are looking for the elusive All-America honors, and Eslinger said after Wednesday's workout that if the trio wrestle as well as they practiced, the next 48-72 hours are "going to hold great things for UTC wrestling."
"We're the underdog," Carr said. "I'm looking at this tournament as my last one ever, so I'm going to leave it out there, and whatever happens happens.
"We're excited, though. Hopefully we're going to punch our tickets and have some fun."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.