Mocs’ opening matches
Sean Boyle (27-5, 6-0), 125: The top-seeded senior drew a first-round bye into the semifinals, where he’ll meet the winner between Cortez Starks (GW) and Dalton Henderson (VMI). If he gets to the finals, his likely opponent is Dominic Parisi (ASU). Boyle won by major decision over Starks and Henderson and beat Parisi 9-6.Nick Soto (25-9, 6-0), 133: The weight class’s No. 1 seed, he’ll wrestle the winner between Anthony Elias (Dav) and Clarence Arrington (Cit). The No. 2 seed is Vito Pasone (ASU). Soto, who’s never lost a conference match, beat Elias 8-3 and did not wrestle Arrington. He defeated Pasone 11-7.Michael Pongracz (18-13, 5-1), 141: Another of the top-seeded Mocs, the sophomore will wrestle either Angelo Silvestri (SIUE) or Emmitt Kelly (VMI). The No. 2 seed is Ty Buckiso (Cit). In a balanced weight class, Pongracz defeated Silvestri 5-4 and Kelly 3-0. He won 2-1 over Buckiso.Shawn Greevy (16-10, 3-1), 149: The senior missed much of the season with injuries but wound up with the No. 2 seed. He’ll open with Jack Krall (VMI), whom he did not wrestle during the season. The top seed is Ryan Mosely (GW), who beat Greevy 5-1 during the season.Austin Sams (16-15, 5-2), 157: The No. 3 seed, Sams wrestles Alex Palinski (Dav), whom he defeated in the regular season. Top seed is Aaron Walker (Cit) and second seed is Zac Strickland (ASU). Sams lost to Walker and did not wrestle Strickland.Justin Lampe (4-11, 4-3), 165: Named to the league’s all-freshman team after joining the Mocs in January, Lampe opens against Connor McMahon (SIUE). He beat McMahon two weeks ago. Nick Kee (ASU) is the No. 1 seed, Austin Trott (GW) is No. 2 and Shabaka Johns (VMI) No. 3. Lampe lost to Kee by major decision, to Trott by pin and to Johns 2-1.Sean Mappes (14-9, 4-2), 174: Mappes also is a No. 4 seed and will wrestle Mark Darr (VMI). A win will likely pit him against top seed Jake Residori (SIUE). No. 2 seed is Forrest Przybysz (ASU) and No. 3 is Brent Stein (GW). Mappes majored Darr and lost to Residori 6-4 and to Przybysz 4-3.John Shrader (13-6, 4-0), 184: A No. 2 seed despite splitting starts with McCoy Newberg, Shrader had to earn his way into the tournament by beating McCoy in a one-match wrestle-off last week. He’ll open against Jared Hemmings (Cit). No. 1 seed is Scott Patrick (Dav). Shrader secured an early-third-period pin against Hemmings in the schools’ dual meet. He did not wrestle Patrick.Scottie Boykin (21-10, 7-0), 197: He was the top seed last year but was upset in the finals by Marshall Haas (Cit), the defending champion but No. 2 seed this year. Boykin beat Haas 5-2 earlier this year. He’ll have a first-round bye before meeting the winner between Jake Tindle (SIUE) and Ian Solcz (Dav). He beat Tindle and Solcz by decision.Jarred Johnson (26-8, 5-1), 285: Johnson knocked himself out of top-seed consideration when he lost to Chris Johnson (SIUE) in overtime a couple of weeks ago. The top seed is Juan Adams (VMI), who lost to Johnson by two in the dual meet. The No. 3 seed is nationally ranked Denzel Dejournette (ASU). Johnson opens with Eddie Isola (Dav), whom he has not wrestled.
All Shawn Greevy needs is a little luck and a whole lot of ice.
The senior will be the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s 149-pound representative at today’s Southern Conference wrestling tournament in Asheville, N.C.
Greevy’s career has been dotted with injuries — specifically knee injuries — and it’s likely that he’ll ice both knees before and after his matches.
“I’ve had repetitive MCL tears and sprains year in and year out. Injuries (and treatment on his knees) have become part of my wrestling,” the dean’s list member said. “My style is now completely different than when I was in high school. I haven’t been able to be as funky, and I had to quit throwing caution to the wind.”
He’ll use that style with hopes of at least a third-place finish in the tournament, because the NCAA has allocated three national tournament slots to the SoCon at 149.
Greevy’s knee injuries were so bad that coaches talked the Pennsylvanian into taking off the 2012-13 season despite a conference runner-up finish the previous year.
The ugly knees that had plagued him since his first year when he was a member of the conference’s all-freshman team sidelined him again just as this season got under way. He tweaked the right knee first and then had a tear in the left knee.
“I know now when it happens because I have, unfortunately, gotten familiar with the injuries,” he said. “When it happens now, though, I have learned to re-evaluate the situation, figure out how to attack and keep moving forward.”
Icing has become as much a part of his regimen as studying to maintain his honors standard in environmental science or his training.
“Last Saturday we had two workouts and I came in twice before the two, and I’ll probably do it at the conference tournament — ice them between matches just to be comfortable,” he said.
He is controlling what he terms the little things and uses experience gained over the past five seasons.
“Looking back, all of those trials have led to right now, and I’m still here and I’m still enjoying my time here,” Greevy said.
He might even be a better wrestler because he changed his training emphasis in an effort to save his knees.
“I have to be a little more strategic to save my body. I figure out how to attack and keep moving forward, but my basics are better than ever,” he said.
The Mocs coaching staff has been pleased with Greevy’s effort and his mindset.
“We have gotten a lot from him, especially considering he’s banged up,” assistant coach Jeff Bedard said. “He’s been doing a good job of wrestling in the positions he’s good in, and he’s making the most of his senior season. He’s having the best season he’s ever had and that despite him being banged up. He realizes this is his last year and he wants to make the most of it.”
* The Mocs have won four straight tournament championships and 28 overall. They secured their 15th regular-season championship on Feb. 22 when they hammered Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
Mocs 133-pounder Nick Soto is shooting for his fourth SoCon championship. The senior, who has never lost a league match, would be the fourth Moc to accomplish the feat, joining Charlie Buckshaw (1986-89), Bret Gustafson (1988, 1990-92) and Pat Murphy (1980-83).
Soto currently stands sixth on UTC’s all-time wins list at 111-35. He is one win from tying Buckshaw and three behind Charlie Heard (1982-84).
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.