Scuffle Schedule
At McKenzie Arena Today 8 a.m.: Doors open for spectators 9 a.m.: Championship round of 64 Noon: Championship round of 32; Consolations round 1 3: Consolations round 2 5:45: Championship round of 16; Consolations round 3 Friday 9 a.m.: Championship quarterfinals; Consolations round 4 11:30 a.m.: Consolations round 6 1:30: Championship semifinals; Consolation quarterfinals 3:30: Consolation semifinals 7: Championship finals; Medal rounds for third, fifth, seventh Ticket information Daily admission is $30 for reserved seats, $20 for general admission and $10 for youth general admission. All-session passes are $55 for reserved, $35 for general admission and $15 for youth. Scuffle participants Number in ( ) — how team finished in top 25 at 2014 NCAA tournament Boise State (25), Bucknell, Buffalo, Campbell, Central Michigan, Chattanooga, The Citadel, Cleveland State, Cornell (7), Drexel, Duke, Gardner Webb, Iowa State (12), Kent State, Lehigh (18), Michigan (17), Missouri (14), Navy, Nebraska (11), North Carolina (25), North Carolina State (19), Northern Colorado, Oklahoma State (3), Penn State (1), Pittsburg (22), Stanford, Virginia (23), Wyoming.
Defending NCAA Division I wrestling champion Penn State heads the field for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Southern Scuffle.
The tournament, now recognized as the toughest and most competitive collegiate wrestling event other than the season-ending NCAA tournament, begins a two-day run at 9 this morning at McKenzie Arena.
Penn State now has tucked away four consecutive Scuffle championships, but the Nittany Lions — ranked fourth in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association poll — may have their stiffest challenge today and Friday.
“They’ve won it four times in a row, but I think it’s going to be interesting,” host coach Heath Eslinger said when asked about team favorites. “Cornell, Missouri and Nebraska can make a run at it.”
Cornell is a notch ahead of Penn State in the latest coaches’ poll, and Missouri is ranked one spot behind the Nittany Lions. Nebraska came in at No. 12.
Also in the field are No. 8 Oklahoma State, No. 9 Pittsburgh, No. 11 Lehigh, No. 14 Iowa State, No. 15 Michigan, No. 16 Virginia, No. 21 Wyoming and co-No. 25s Bucknell and Duke.
Oklahoma State finished third at last year’s Scuffle behind Penn State and Minnesota. Cornell was seventh, Nebraska 11th, Iowa State 12th, Missouri 14th, Michigan 18th, North Carolina State 19th and Virginia 23rd. North Carolina and Boise State finished in a deadlock for 25th.
“I think you’re seeing consistency and a very deep talent pool,” Eslinger said after nailing down a field of 30-plus teams for the third consecutive year. “This is the toughest event in wrestling outside of the NCAA tournament.”
The field includes 29 All-Americans, three NCAA champions, four former NCAA runners-up, six former Scuffle winners and eight former Scuffle finalists. There are 45 wrestlers ranked in the top 10 of their respective weight classes and 95 ranked among the top 25s by weight.
Minnesota, Oregon State and Old Dominion opted to attend the first-time Aloha Classic in Hawaii, but tournament organizers there and a couple of the coaches indicated that they won’t be making that trip every year.
The Midlands, which finished Tuesday evening in Evanston, Ill., had a field of 21 that included Iowa, currently ranked No. 1 nationally, along with Virginia Tech, Edinboro and host Northwestern.
“You look at other events going on (this time of year) and then look at the Scuffle, and depth is what makes our event unique. For the sport of wrestling, this is the most elite level event outside of the NCAA tournament,” Eslinger said. “Hopefully we have a good enough event that it will draw people here. I feel good about that.”
Fellow Southern Conference wrestling programs joining UTC in the 31-team field are Appalachian State, Campbell, The Citadel and Gardner-Webb.
Other teams include Army, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Cleveland State, Drexel, George Mason, Kent State, Navy, Northern Colorado and Stanford.
For the host Mocs, the tournament will be used as a guideline to set the starting lineup for the season’s second half.
“We have great guys, but we want to determine our best 10,” Eslinger said. “Competition needs to decide who the starters are going to be, and our guys know there’s a lot on the line in this tournament. This is also a huge opportunity for guys to position themselves for good things at the NCAA tournament.”
Positioning could be a key for the Mocs’ most experienced starters: seniors Sean Boyle (125) and Nick Soto (133). Both have qualified more than once for the NCAA tournament, and Soto, who is now among the the Mocs’ all-time wins leaders (eighth, 96), has placed twice in this tournament. He was second as a freshman and fourth last year as a junior.
The Mocs have multiple entrants at 174 and 184 pounds: senior Levi Clemons (1-2), sophomore Sean Mappes (8-4), sophomore McCoy Newberg (10-3) and sophomore Barrett Walthall (0-0/unattached) at 174 and junior John Lampe (9-5) and sophomore John Shrader (7-2) at 184.
“I wouldn’t call it a logjam. I call it an opportunity,” Eslinger said.
Also included in the UTC lineup are Mike Pongracz (141), Sean Greevy (149), Austin Sams (157), Justin Lampe (165), Scottie Boykin (197) and Jared Johnson (285).
Justin Lampe, John’s younger brother, enrolled at UTC for the second semester and will be making his collegiate wrestling debut.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.