Rusty Wright and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team continue to add commitments for the 2019 signing class.
The Mocs received pledges from three players this past weekend, with that trio headlined by Marlon Taylor, a defensive lineman from Glynn Academy in Brunswick, Georgia. The 6-foot-2, 260-pound Taylor was the Region 2-AAAAAA defensive player of the year after registering 20 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and 17 quarterback pressures in 2018.
The other two commitments came from Alabama high school players.
Clay-Chalkville offensive lineman Brock Bethea (6-5, 310) chose the Mocs over several programs, including Football Bowl Subdivision members Florida Atlantic and South Alabama, as well as Mercer and Western Carolina, which compete alongside the Mocs in the Football Championship Subdivision's Southern Conference.
Florence cornerback Jelen Lee (6-0, 175) was named to the Class 7A all-state second team after intercepting five passes, breaking up 10 passes and blocking four kicks in 2018.
Wright was named UTC's head coach last month, and he and his staff have been busy lately building their first class of signees.
More climbing to do
The UTC men's basketball team held on Saturday for a 73-71 win over The Citadel, the Mocs' third consecutive SoCon victory - all at home - and their 10th overall win this season, equaling their total for 2017-18.
Second-year Mocs coach Lamont Paris and his team received high praise from Bulldogs coach Gunnar Baucom, who called the work Paris and his staff have done "amazing."
The UTC coach, however, wants to see how his young team responds to winning.
"How we respond to success will tell a lot about where we go from here," Paris said. "In sports, to me, handling success can be even more difficult than failure. We can't look at it as if this is Mount Everest that we've climbed. There's a lot of work and improvement still to go."
Keeping the winning streak alive gets more difficult this week for the Mocs (10-10, 5-2) with two road games against opponents in the top half of the league standings. UTC visits SoCon leader Wofford (15-4, 7-0) at 7 p.m. Thursday and Furman (15-4, 4-3) at 7 p.m. Saturday.
"We're going to start working on Monday," UTC forward Ramon Vila said after the win over The Citadel. "We're going to just enjoy the win tonight. Especially since we know last year we had 10 wins, so obviously there is an improvement right there, but that isn't enough for us."
The Mocs are fourth in the SoCon standings, a game ahead of Furman and three ahead of sixth-place Mercer (7-12, 2-5) Samford (12-8, 2-5). Behind Wofford but ahead of UTC are UNC-Greensboro (17-3, 6-1) and East Tennessee State (16-5, 6-2).
Women share lead
After a rough nonconference schedule, the UTC women's basketball team has found its groove at the right time. Saturday's rout of Furman put the Mocs at 3-0 in SoCon play, tying them with 2018 league champion Mercer for first in the standings.
It's the first three-game league winning streak for the team since the end of the 2016-17 season. First-year coach Katie Burrows has, obviously, enjoyed the turnaround.
"Winning is contagious," the former UTC player and assistant said. "I think they are enjoying themselves on the floor. They look like they're having fun, and I love that. I want their experience to be good. I'm thankful that these wins are building their confidence and they are enjoying it more."
UTC (8-10 overall) visits Mercer (11-7) in a first-place showdown at 5 p.m. Thursday, with the Mocs ending their week with Saturday's 3 p.m. Eastern game at Samford (6-12, 1-2).
Mat dominance
The UTC wrestling team rolled at home Sunday at Maclellan Gym, winning eight of 10 matches to beat Virginia Military Institute 32-8. It was the opening dual of the SoCon schedule for the Mocs, who improved to 3-5 overall.
First-year coach Kyle Ruschell had to make a few adjustments in his lineup due to some injuries, but the Mocs responded in impressive fashion. UTC took the first six matches, running out to a 25-0 lead to secure the team victory.
Freshman Mason Wallace, who bumped up to the 157-pound weight class in place of an injured Ryan Resnick for the third match in row, took a 3-2 lead in the third period and added a point for riding time to earn a 4-2 win over Darren Ostrander.
Also for UTC, freshman Tanner Smith (149) won by pin and sophomore Fabian Gutierrez (125) won by technical fall. Freshman Drew Nicholson (165), junior Jake Huffine (133) and senior Connor Tolley (285) all earned major decisions, while junior Chris Debien (141) and senior Rodney Jones (197) won by decision.
"It is exactly what we preach every day," Ruschell said in a UTC release. "We expect their full effort. The main thing about this dual, we did not want them to hang around and keep the matches close. We needed to be on their legs and think offense right away. Our guys did that today."
Although he lost 10-4, UTC junior Trey Watson bumped up from his regular backup spot at 165 to 184 and took his opponent to overtime.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.