New Mocs by weight125-Joe DeAngelo, Southern Alamance, N.C., state champ and high school All-American; Greg Shephard, Dickson, Tenn., two-time state qualifier; Blake Thomas, Brentwood, Tenn., state champ, high school All-American.133-Prescott Garner, West Linn, Ore., former NCAA qualifier at Navy, three years of eligibility left; Adam Wilson, Roswell, Ga., two-time state runner-up.141-Shawn Greevy, Cumberland Valley, Pa., two-time state runner-up; Cole Hayes, Baylor, four-time state medalist; Trevor Herron, Bradley Central, state champ and two-time medalist.149-Jared Presley, Harrison, Ohio, wrestled for former Moc and Southern Conference champion Chad Dennis.157-Trey Stavrum, Baylor, five-time state medalist.174-Levi Clemons, Orlando, Fla., two-time state champion, high school All-American; Cadet class Greco national champ; Landon Vanatta, River Ridge, Fla.; state medalist.184-Dalton Temple, Covington, Ga., two-time state medalist.285-Kevin Malone (6-5, 295), Carrolton, Ohio, state medalist; Ben Kuntzman, Memphis, state medalist.
Prescott Garner has signed with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and the Oregon native is expected to add immediate stability to the Mocs’ wrestling team.
A former NCAA qualifier at the U.S. Naval Academy, Garner attended Clackamas Community College in Oregon City, Ore., and took a redshirt year there while competing only in open tournaments.
“He’s a winner,” UTC coach Heath Eslinger said. “We knew that we needed somebody that could step in and have an immediate impact, and he fills that bill.”
Garner is expected to wrestle at 133 pounds, a weight class manned last season by senior Josh Statum and freshman Josh Sandoval. The Mocs also have Ooltewah’s Cody Hood, coming off a redshirt season, plus probably a couple of 133-pound freshmen.
“We have some good kids here and we have some good ones coming in,” Eslinger said, “but we want them to have that redshirt year and/or another year of experience without the pressure of having to step in and start immediately.”
With Garner the Mocs could field a team that has six NCAA qualifiers. Others are Bucky Johnson (125), Cody Cleveland (141), Dean Pavlou (149), Dan Waddell (157) and Jason McCroskey (174).
Garner qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2009, going 25-11 record with 14 pins. He won the Gregorian Award at the 2008 Southern Scuffle for most pins in the least amount of time. At Clackamas, he was 11-0 with five pins, two technical falls and three major decisions.
Garner, who settled on the Mocs over Boston University and North Carolina State, is likely the final signee for 2010, although there is a possibility the Mocs could wind up with another transfer.
This year’s signing class includes three Chattanooga-area wrestlers: Bradley Central’s Trevor Herron and Baylor’s Cole Hayes and Trey Stavrum.
“The exciting thing for our coaching staff is that this is our (first) class, a group of guys that we went after and already have invested a lot of time in,” Eslinger said. “These guys are bringing a lot to the table. They’re proven competitors, but as a group they have great character and great academics.”