The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga was the prohibitive favorite to win Saturday’s Southern Conference tournament at Davidson.
That path, though, may have a few more bumps after starters Ben Johnson (141), Brandon Wright (165) and Jake Young (174) were suspended by coach Heath Eslinger for what he termed minor infractions.
“I’m frustrated a little because they sold themselves short,” Eslinger said. “The hard part is that each is a great kid. They have done such a good job and they are feeling the wrath of a guy who wants to raise the bar. These guys have made a ton of sacrifices but I’m saying ‘Hey, we’ve got to up the ante.’ They need to understand that we as a staff don’t want them to meet expectations but to exceed them.”
Wright, the consistent leader in the team’s conditioning drills, was undefeated in the conference and would have been the No. 1 seed in his weight class. Young was voted the conference’s freshman of the year earlier this week. Ranked at times among the nation’s top 20 174-pounders, he would likely have been accorded a No. 2. Johnson would have been one of six wrestlers with a legitimate shot at the 141-pound championship.
“They’re disappointed but they understand,” Eslinger said. “It will be good for the program in the long run. We’re allowing them to see that our expectations aren’t to win a conference title but to have (NCAA tournament) all-Americans every year.”
Wright, a sophomore, was 18-4 with a 5-0 conference record and Young, a true freshman, had a record of 18-8 and a 4-1 league mark. Johnson joined the starting lineup when Cody Cleveland suffered a season-ending knee injury.
The Mocs will insert freshman Jeremy Sandoval at 141 pounds, junior Bond Davis at 165 and freshman Alex Hudson at 174. The conference tournament will be Sandoval’s first varsity experience. Davis has a 9-7 record and Hudson is 3-5.
In explaining his decision, Eslinger said he wants to break a cycle at UTC that supersedes the school’s history over the last two decades. It is a time when the Mocs dominated the conference but managed only a handful of All-Americans. The last was Cleveland, who finished eighth in the 2008 NCAA tournament. Matt Keller was a two-time all-American (2006, 2007) but the only other Mocs to gain the elite status since 1992 are Michael Keefe and Jon Sioredas in 2005.
“Our ultimate goal is multi-year all-Americans. I don’t want to have a guy sneak on the (awards) podium every four years. I want us to be more consistent and I feel like we can,” Eslinger said.
The coach indicated that the staff’s expectations are complete dedication.
“For 20-something years there has been a lot of hype put on the Southern Conference, and for the most part we’ve had that same result. We want to raise the bar and get all-Americans and returning All-Americans every year. In order to get all-Americans, sacrifices have to be made and that’s what we want these guys to learn,” he said. “There is a level of commitment we have to reach for in order to take the next step. A good athlete does what he is supposed to do most of the time. A great athlete does what he coach asks all the time.”