UTC wrestlers face stiff SoCon tests in North Carolina

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestlers set the mats — under the direction of coach Heath Eslinger — inside McKenzie Arena on Wednesday in preparation for the Southern Scuffle, the top national college wrestling tournament.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestlers set the mats — under the direction of coach Heath Eslinger — inside McKenzie Arena on Wednesday in preparation for the Southern Scuffle, the top national college wrestling tournament.

Southern Conference standings

1. Appalachian State (11-2, 5-0)2. UTC (5-8, 3-1)3. Campbell (6-6, 2-1)4. SIU-Edwardsville (3-10, 3-2)5. Gardner-Webb (5-7, 2-3)6. The Citadel (2-7, 1-2)7. Davidson (3-10, 0-3)8. VMI (1-10, 0-4)

For all of his bubbly optimism, Heath Eslinger is also a realist.

His University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team was sent reeling last week, losing for the first time in program history to Southern Conference affililate member Campbell.

"We learned from it and I think the team is looking forward to competing again just to get that taste out of our mouths," he said.

And now the Mocs, 2-1 in the conference, will face stiff challenges at Gardner-Webb and Appalachian State, the latter sharing the conference bully moniker with UTC in recent years.

"Obviously these are two big matches, both for conference tournament seeding purposes and the team race, but we can still get a share of the conference title," Eslinger said.

Appalachian currently sits atop the league standings at 5-0 with an 11-2 overall record. Included in their league wins are decisions over Campbell (24-13) and Gardner-Webb (19-17).

Gardner-Webb also has lost SoCon meets to Campbell and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.

The Mocs will wrestle Gardner-Webb tonight at 6 in Boiling Springs, N.C., and then travel to Boone for a Sunday afternoon meet.

"There are going to be a lot of good matches. Gardner-Webb has some really good guys, but so does Appalachian," Eslinger said. "I don't think we're at a crossroads, because our staff and team don't see any other road than the one we're on. The goals remain the same. As Winston Churchill said, success is moving from struggle to struggle with enthusiasm."

With that in mind, he and his staff, handicapped by their preseason decision to redshirt several starters or potential starters, are looking at possible changes in trying to bolster the team's performance.

The weights where the Mocs have struggled the most are at 149, 157 and 197, and that's where changes may come.

It's possible that Roman Boylen will return to the lineup at 149 with Dylanger Potter stepping in at 157. Boylen, 1-0 in the conference, has shared 141 with Chase Zemenak in place of redshirting past NCAA qualifier Mike Pongracz. Potter, 3-1 in league matches, is likely better off at 157 although he has spent the season cutting to 149.

The Mocs have three senior choices at 197 pounds and have used Clay Dent, Barrett Walthall and D.J. Smith in place of Scottie Boykins, another NCAA qualifier who is redshirting.

Dent has wrestled the three conference meets to date and has a 2-1 record while Walthall, who also has wrestled some at 184, and Smith would be competing in their first SoCon matches.

"All three of those guys have paid their dues and done the right things, and I love each of them and have the utmost respect for them," Eslinger said. "What we have to figure out is which one is most ready to wrestle right now."

Gardner-Webb is led by 174-pound Austin Trott (15-1), 149-pound Chris Vassar (16-6), 157-pound Ryan Mosley (15-9), 165-pound Tyler Marinelli (12-3) and 185-pound Hunter Gamble (14-3). Marinelli and Trott are 4-0 in conference matches, Vassar and Gamble each 3-1.

Appalachian is led by Vito Pasone (125,12-6), Colby Smith (133, 22-7), Matt Zovistoski (149, 20-8), Forrest Przybysz (165, 18-10), Nick Kee (174, 10-3) and heavyweight Denzel Dejournette (20-5).

SoCon honors Carr

UTC junior 184-pounder Bryce Carr was the SoCon wrestler of the month for January, when he went 10-3 with all three losses in overtime and bonus points in five of his wins. He began the month with a third-place finish in the loaded Southern Scuffle, and he has moved into the national top 20 for his weight class. He's at No. 19.

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.

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