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[Sommers]

 

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Patriots 27th at AAA State Wrestling Tournament

• By Dave Gentry — Sports Editor
• Feb 22, 2018 Updated 9 hrs 

 

Patriot assistant wrestling coach George Brimer sings the national anthem at the start of the AAA State Wrestling Championships in Williamson County last weekend. 

Jefferson County High’s wrestling program finished the season well with a 27th placing in points in the AAA division at this past weekend’s state championships. 

Ten Patriot wrestlers helped the team compile 40 points to place 27th out of 78 teams with individuals competing. 

Jefferson County High senior 220-pounder C.J. Pinkston advanced the farthest in the tournament, as the senior solidified himself as a top-ten wrestler in the state after narrowly missing out on a podium finish (top six) in his division. 

Patriot head coach Logan Hollingshead said his wrestlers performed well at the event, especially Pinkston, despite not earning any individual medals. 

“You definitely want to qualify for state. Ultimately, you’d like to be on the podium, but to compete like they did, they have nothing to hang their heads about,” Hollingshead said. “They competed well.  I just hate it for C.J. to be that close. But he still had a really good tournament.”

Pinkston battled his way through the 220-pound consolation bracket after suffering defeat in Championship Round two to Heritage’s Javier Salvador in a 6-3 decision. 

The senior used wins over Hendersonville’s Ulises Miranda-Garcia, Rhea County’s Garrett Smith, and Wilson-Central’s Kolin Miller to advance to consolation round five.  A win in that round would have guaranteed a medal for Pinkston, who drew a familiar foe in Science Hill’s Denzel Medina. 

Pinkston and Medina battled into four overtimes, ultimately going to a UTB period (ultimate tie-breaker), where Medina took a bottom position and only needed to escape Pinkston in 30 seconds to win a 3-2 decision and advance to the medal rounds. 

Four other Patriot wrestlers advanced to consolation round three before bowing out of the tournament. 

At 120 pounds, Jefferson County’s Landon Fisher earned an opening round win over Centennial’s Stephen McCullough before suffering defeat in championship round two. Fisher went on to top Bearden’s Dylan Burns by fall in consolation round two, but was eliminated by East Hamilton’s Connor Thornburg in consolation round three. 

 

Likewise, Logan Fisher made it to the 126-pound division consolation round three before elimination. Fisher earned a win over Heritage’s Nathan Hollman in the first round before Knox Halls’ Ian Morgan bumped him into consolation. 

There, Fisher defeated Houston’s Nathan Kinnear by fall to advance to round three, where Soddy Daisy’s Jacob Kilgore bounced the 126-pounder. 

Jefferson County 170-pounder Aaron Lawson also advanced into round three of consolation after losing his first match of the tournament to Stone Memorial’s Elmer Estrada. Lawson then defeated Riverdale’s Kurt Scothem and Knox Halls Stephen Johnson to advance to round three, where Franklin’s Jacob Schoeff topped the senior wrestler. 

Heavyweight Taylor Thomas used a pair of consolation wins over Clinton’s Zeb Calhoun and Page’s Daniel Vaughan to move into consolation round three before suffering elimination at the hands of Beech Senior’s Courshon Jackson in a gruelling 3-2 decision. Both Cody Harris and Guillermo Rodriguez earned one win at the state championships to advance to consolation round two. Harris won his first match over Hardin Valley’s Tyler Henry before suffering losses to Knox Halls’ Chase Brown and Wilson Central’s Prentice Belcher in the 132-pound bracket. Likewise, Rodriguez picked up an opening round win over Lawrence County’s Devin Whitehead before suffering losses to Sevier County’s Nick Moreno and Hillsboro’s Mohamed Mohamed in the 113-pound bracket. 

Patriot wrestlers Kaden Worley (160), Andrew Bailey (145) and LeAnn Worley (Girls, 132) all suffered two straight losses in their respective brackets. 

“I thought they did well, overall,” Hollingshead said. “We didn’t necessarily underperform. Some of our younger guys were a bit wide-eyed at the state stage, but overall we wrestled very well.” 

Edited February 23, 2018 by Sommers

[Sommers]

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Bradley County's lone state champ battled through adversity

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CLEVELAND JUNIOR Austin Sweeney poses with head coach Joey Knox soon after winning a state championship at 152 pounds. The Blue Raiders had seven wrestlers place in the top six of their weight class this past weekend in Franklin.

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Posted Thursday, February 22, 2018 10:13 am

By PATRICK MacCOON

No one ever said winning a state championship would be easy.

 

In fact, for Cleveland High School junior Austin Sweeney to achieve a childhood dream took all the power in his body to overcome adversity.

After toughing through a broken hand suffered nearly two months before, even more strains would mount at the TSSAA State Traditional Championships, but none Sweeney could not grit his teeth about and fight his way through.

In the state semifinals match he fractured his wrist, but still provided a major upset with a 6-4 decision over the state’s No. 1 ranked wrestler in Beech’s Trevor Rippy.

Then in his 152-pound bout for gold, a medal Bradley County wrestlers eat, dream and sleep about, the no-quit fifth-ranked Blue Raider sprained his ankle mid-match.

Trying to stop a motivated Sweeney would not be possible, as he was willing to sacrifice his body to achieve the ultimate success for his perennial power program.

His fifth and final victory inside the Williamson County Expo Center this past Saturday came via an 8-5 decision over Hardin Valley Academy’s Josh Pietarila.

“I believed in myself and gave it all the heart I had,” Sweeney said. “You only get this season once and I kept telling myself stick it out and find a way to win. I am blessed the team and coaches pushed me because they made it all worth it.”

If not for Sweeney’s “superman” like strength, mental toughness and even high-pain tolerance, the county would not have returned an individual first-place finisher this year.

“Austin hates losing and he has a true championship attitude,” CHS head coach Joey Knox said. “He worked his tail off to achieve his dreams, and there is no one more deserving of this.”

Wrestling with his heart on his sleeve, Sweeney became a state champ after not medaling in the top six his first two seasons.

On the way to the top podium in Franklin, he also hammered his way to an opening round pin (1:14), followed by a 12-6 decision in the Round of 16 and an impressive defensive 7-1 decision in the quarterfinals.

Being handed his weight class bracket and climbing to the top medal stand, bum ankle and all, was a moment Sweeney will never forget.

“Winning state was like I was in a dream,” Sweeney said. “I finally did what I have been working towards my whole life, it seems. It was amazing seeing all my brothers fight and not give up on me. I’m glad we showed the state what Cleveland is all about.”

With a clean sweep of the traditional and dual team championships to give the program 14 all-time championships, No. 1 Cleveland also was reminded of how grateful to be when such titles are brought home.

After leading the Blue Raiders in wins as just a freshman, 106-pound freshman Trae McDaniel fell in the state title bout by a 5-3 decision to first-ranked Trey Bates from Beech High School also.

For some mat-men, the big stage is what they live for, and defeats can be tough.

While five seniors graduate, the future remains bright for CHS. 

Seven state-ranked wrestlers will return next season. Five of those will be seniors and two sophomores. Others are expected to step in and have a big impact right away.

Senior leaders Cody Mathews, Jacks Hicks and Bryce Pond finished off stout careers with third-place state finishes.

To experience the ultimate thrill for an individual in his sport with one year to go could help Sweeney motivate those around him to be even better, as the most accomplished returning wrestler for the 2018-19 season.

“We are still going to be motivated as ever next year to show everyone how good we can be,” Sweeney said. “We have more plaques to come. I can’t wait till next season to battle it out and hopefully come home a state champ with some of my brothers.”

Through blood, sweat, tears and even injuries, wrestling can be unforgiving but worth the fight in the end for some unique individuals. 

Sweeney will now go up on the wall inside the Jones Wrestling Center with the 33rd overall individual state championship, which has been made up by 26 total wrestlers.

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SPORTS

SARASOTATHURSDAY, FEB. 22, 2018 1 day ago

SMA wrestling team, with four district champs, gets mindset from its coach

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Clarence Arrington returned to the program in 2016.

by: Ryan Kohn Sports Reporter

Clarence Arrington is finally getting to finish what he started.

The Sarasota Military Academy wrestling coach came to the school in 2012 after retiring from active duty. His job was to coach JROTC and lead the newly created wrestling program.

The Eagles were not eligible for the postseason in their inaugural year and Arrington would not get the chance to lead them to glory in the years that followed. The administration chose to replace Arrington with Hall of Fame coach Ron Jones in 2013.

If you go

Who: Sarasota Military Academy wrestling

What: FHSAA Class 1A Region 3 tournament

When: Noon on Feb. 23; 10 a.m. on Feb. 24

Where: Lemon Bay High (2201 Placida Road, Englewood)

SMA district champions: Sammy Varley (106 pounds), Sean Cervin (126), Jovan Cine (160), Mason Gordon (170)

 

It's not like Arrington lacked experience. He wrestled at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and in the U.S. Army's World Class Athlete program. He then started his own youth academy while stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, called the Fort Hood Mat Katz.  

Arrington went to coach Braden River High, remaining on as SMA’s JROTC coach. When Jones left before the 2016-2017 season, the administration asked Arrington back to the program.

That turned out to be a great decision. The program won the Class 1A-11 district title on Feb. 17, and won the duals district title (one school vs. one school) over Lakewood High on Jan. 6. Four Eagles won their weight class at the February event, and nine wrestlers qualified for the regional tournament overall.

Arrington’s military mindset, and that of his athletes, makes SMA the perfect place to cultivate a wrestling culture. There is no football team to steal the school’s strongest athletes. Students are taught discipline. Attitude matters. When 10 retired Army drill sergeants roam the walkways every day, you learn to do things perfectly, Arrington said. Senior wrestler Jacobe Scott said it helps him get in a wrestling zone. He’s always calm, he said, so there are no nerves during a match, and he’s never distracted.

“I’ve known the veteran kids since they were freshmen,” Arrington said. “It’s easier to get them (SMA students) to practice. They have tougher skin and take everything in stride.”

Isaiah Cedeno-Cunningham puts Sean Cervin in an awkward position during a Sarasota Military Academy practice.

Another advantage: Wrestling is a year-round activity at SMA. Outside of the Florida High School Athletic Association season, Arrington takes his team to tournaments everywhere from New Orleans to Chattanooga, his old stomping grounds. The team even participated in a preseason nationals tournament at Northern Iowa University this year.

Practice, the Eagles do. Senior wrestler Mason Gordon, who won the 170-pound division at districts, said Arrington biggest impact has been in the details. Arrington helped Gordon with his positioning of his head and trigger hand on high crotch takedowns. Scott agreed, saying Arrington is “very demanding” but has helped him gain confidence on the mat.

Arrington knew this group had potential after the school’s holiday break. Usually, he said, the wrestling room starts crowded and thins as the months pass. This year, the thinning was less severe. SMA has enough kids (12) for a full lineup, plus second-stringers alongside them, waiting for a chance in future years. Arrington said he looks up to those kids the most.

“We all improved a lot over the summer,” Gordon said. “We just had to do what we were capable of doing.”

Having finally received a chance to do what he was hired to do, Arrington and his team have made the most of the opportunity, and they’re not done proving themselves yet.

Edited February 24, 2018 by Sommers

[Sommers]

 

 

 

 

 

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State prep wrestling tournament: Friday's results

 

Huntington wrestling coach denies negligence allegations in herpes suit

• By Tom Bragg Staff writer
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Huntington High wrestling coach Rob Archer denies allegations in a lawsuit filed earlier this week of negligence regarding skin checks in the 2017 postseason.

TOM BRAGG | Gazette-Mail

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HUNTINGTON — Huntington High wrestling coach Rob Archer denies he, anyone on his staff, his wrestlers or West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission officials broke any rules and properly followed protocol regarding skin checks at the 2017 Class AAA Region 4 wrestling tournament.

A lawsuit filed this week in Wood County Circuit Court by former Hurricane wrestlers Orian Pifer and Chase Gibson against the SSAC and Cabell County Board of Education alleges Archer, his staff and SSAC officials failed to properly identify visible symptoms of the herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) on at least two Huntington wrestlers, resulting in Pifer and Gibson both being infected through contact with the Huntington wrestlers at the regional tournament.

Archer said that is just not the case.

 

“The whole thing is going to come down to, everybody thinks we knew he had [HSV-1] before we wrestled,” Archer said late Thursday following the conclusion of the first day of the state wrestling tournament at Big Sandy Superstore Arena in Huntington. “Nothing could be further from the truth. We had been checked out by a doctor and the fact is I would not have stuck a kid out there knowing he had herpes.

“I know what herpes is and I know what it means,” he continued. “I’ve got it myself from wrestling 20 years ago. I would not let a kid go on the mat like that. In fact, we’re the ones who, once we realized we had it the next week, I’m the first one to turn us in to the SSAC and get this thing started. We got it from somebody, I don’t know where we got it. My kids didn’t have it either and we got it somewhere. The fact is a lot of people don’t turn it in. I turned us in because I wanted all the kids who were exposed to know they could possibly get it and could watch out for it.”

The complaint alleges one unnamed Huntington wrestler was being treated with antibiotics for impetigo, but had not completed the required three days of treatment prior to the regional tournament. He and another Huntington wrestler, according to the complaint, had visible, oozing lesions at the regional tournament.

Attorney Richard Holtzapfel, representing Pifer and Gibson, filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Cabell County Board of Education for all items related to Huntington’s wrestling program as it pertains to the 2017 regional and state tournaments. That request did not come back with the skin form required for the wrestler being treated for impetigo. The complaint alleges Archer destroyed the form, which is why it was not included in the information obtained through the FOIA request.

“With all the controversy that has followed the state tournament last year, I find that to be a surprising move on his part, but that’s what I was told,” Holtzapfel said when reached by phone Thursday afternoon. “In any event, if he had [the skin form], it should have been produced.”

Archer did not deny he got rid of the form. He said he gets rid of all his forms after every season, and will continue to do so. When several weight classes were postponed because of the herpes scare at last season’s state tournament, Archer said he kept the forms on his wrestlers until the, for lack of a better term, “second” state tournament hosted in Fairmont three weeks following the original tournament. When his wrestler was still not allowed to compete in the postponed tournament, he got rid of the form.

“I always do [get rid of the forms after the season],” Archer said. “There’s no reason to keep them. They expire.

“I did keep the forms at that point [the second state tournament] because I want to still have proof if there is any question at all about when he got it or that kind of stuff, so I kept it. Once they didn’t let him in the second state tournament almost a month later, there was no reason [to keep the form]. I didn’t see this coming. I threw all my forms away, which I’ll do again this year. It wasn’t destroying the forms, they run out and you don’t want to get them confused with other forms.”

The complaint alleges that Pifer’s match against the infected Huntington wrestler with oozing lesions had to be stopped to wipe off both wrestlers. It also states that after Gibson’s match, the Huntington wrestler he faced pulled down his singlet to reveal a lesion and told Gibson, “You need to shower now.”

Archer does not deny that his wrestler told the people he competed against they needed to get cleaned up after their matches, but said the wrestler did so thinking, incorrectly, what he was infected with was impetigo.

He compared the look of what turned out to be the wrestler’s visible lesion to “a high school pimple” and there was no way they could make the leap from the visual evidence he had at the time to herpes.

“[In the complaint] it seemed like it was this big mess during the match,” Archer said. “As far as oozing, any wipe up was not because of oozing from those things. That’s false. The thing about showing under the singlet, I didn’t know [the wrestler] had done this until after the tournament. He went up to each kid he wrestled and said, ‘Hey, I just want to tell you. I’ve got impetigo. Make sure you go take a shower.’ I’ve never heard of a kid doing that before and it’s something he did on his own. He was trying to be nice to every kid, and I think the first kid he wrestled he knew from childhood. It was a nice thing but I think it backfired on him.

“I really wish [the wrestler] hadn’t walked around like that and said that to the kids, because it looks like he was guilty and he knew it [that he had HSV-1]. He knew he had impetigo. ... People turned it into he knew he had herpes. He had no clue he had herpes. I feel terrible for the kid. He had no idea he had herpes on Saturday [the day of the regional tournament]. Finally, by Monday, he said, ‘Hey, this is getting worse,’ at practice and I’m like, ‘Whoa. Let’s go to the doctor and get a culture.’ It developed over the two days into something we had to look at.”

As for the claim in the complaint that the Huntington wrestler being treated for impetigo had not completed the required three days of treatment and also questioned if the wrestler’s required skin form had existed in the first place, Archer said there is no way that could have happened and his wrestler still compete at the regional tournament.

“At the bottom of the form it has how many days you have to be treated [for] certain skin infections,” he said. “If we wouldn’t have met those, we couldn’t have wrestled. So, for it to say we didn’t have a form — the kids couldn’t have walked out without a form. Everybody has to have a form at weigh-ins that has any kind of skin infection, so to say that [about] the alleged form is actually so false because we have to have the form to wrestle. Many kids were brought in for any kind of questionable skin infection that day, and if they didn’t have a form, they can’t wrestle. Even at that point, the official on the spot who doesn’t believe the form or doesn’t agree with the form, that doctor can say on the spot, on site, ‘I don’t believe that kid can wrestle.’ And they’ve done that before.”

Holtzapfel disagrees. He said their case has been reviewed by one of the country’s leading experts in the field of skin infections in wrestling — B.J Anderson, often referred to as “The Mat Doc” — and that Anderson is prepared to support their claim.

“I think Mr. Gibson and Mr. Pifer, their big concerns are this doesn’t happen to somebody else,” he said. “This was a 100-percent preventable occurrence. The SSAC policies are right and they would work very well if they were enforced, but in this case they weren’t enforced. [Gibson and Pifer] don’t want this to happen to somebody else.”

[Sommers]

Area Sports Notes: Six McCallie, Baylor wrestlers are All-Americans

February 27th, 2018by Staff Reportsin Sports - CollegeRead Time: 3 mins.

 

Six local high school wrestlers earned All-America honors recently at the national prep championships at Lehigh University. More than 130 teams competed, and nine wrestlers from Tennessee achieved All-America status. That list includes McCallie 126-pounder Alex Whitworth and teammates Christian Morris (106), Emory Taylor (113) and Thomas Sell (170), as well as Baylor's Andrew Pace (132) and Mason Reiniche (160), who finished second overall in his weight class. McCallie placed eighth in the team points standings, the highest of any Tennessee program.

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Jackets Youth Wrestling adds to growing list of Champions

NANCY STEPHENS  |  USA TODAY NETWORK – TENNESSEE

4:46 p.m. CST Feb. 26, 2018

 

 

Fairview Youth Wrestling Region 4 Championship Action

Fairview Jacket Youth Wrestlers win championships at Regionals.

WOCHIT

While Fairview applauds a new high school wrestling State Champion, Fairview Youth Wrestling is also generating a lot excitement — and Champions on the mat.

On Sunday, Feb. 18, Fairview hosted the TNAAU Region 4 Championships. The gymnasium was packed as 30 teams and a total of 367 wrestlers from Nashville to Memphis invaded Fairview High.

Head coach for Fairview Youth Wrestling, Jeff Bennett said the tournament highlight was the Fairview Youth Jacket team winning the Region.

“Jackets Youth Wrestling finished first in team points, with 422 total, and the most pins and tech falls of any team,” stated Bennett.

Equally impressive, individually the Fairview youth wrestlers program scored nine Region Champions out of 43 representing Fairview. Those champions are Knox Ellen, Tanner Tapp, Luke Skelton, Aiden Quinonez, Blake Mitchell, Malachi Bennett, Ben Stigamier, Marco Pukl and Jacob Clevenger.

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Fairview Jacket Youth Wrestlers earn Region Championships

Surmising, Coach Bennett said, “We solidified, this weekend, that Fairview has one of the top youth wrestling programs in the state!”

In addition to the wrestlers’ performances, Bennett said much of the thanks goes to the volunteers and coaches, who put countless hours into Fairview’s program and develop the young wrestlers. “Without them, the success of our program would not be where it is today,” explained Bennett.

The Fairview Youth Wrestling team is now moving on to the State Tournament, which will be held this Saturday, February 24 at the Williamson Ag Expo Center in Franklin.

 

Region Results for Fairview

Tot Division

David Pope - 2nd place, 40-lb

John Cartelli - 3rd place, 40-lb

William Putman - 3rd place, 45-lb

Elijah Skelton - 3rd place, 55-lb

Bantam Division

Knox Ellen – Champion, 40-lb

Harrison Taylor – 3rd, 45-lb

Kamden Moore – 5th, 45-lb

Archer Oliphant – 3rd, 70-lb

Rylee Moore – 6th, 55-lb

Midget Division

Owen Ellen - 6th, 65-lb

Jax Crolley - 4th, 70-lb

Cole Neal - 2nd, 80-lb

Brady Chapman - 2nd, 85-lb

Tate Mathis - 2nd, 95-lb

Tanner Tapp – Champion, 103-lb

Ethan Stacey - 2nd, 103-lb

Luke Skelton – Champion, 112-lb

Aiden Quinonez – Champion, 130-lb

Junior Division

Michael Maguire - 4th, 65-lb

Will Sergent - 5th, 70-lb

Peyton Mitchell -  4th, 85-lb

Scotty Henderson -  5th, 90lb

Weston Pape -  2nd, 90-lb

 

Middle School Division

Blake Mitchell - Champion, 90-lb

Malachi Bennett - Champion, 115-lb

Ben Stigamier - Champion, 120-lb

Matthew Andrea - 4th place, 125-lb

Taz Donaldson - 3rd place, 125-lb

Ken Curtis - 2nd place, 130-lb

Jonathan Perkinson - 2nd, 135-lb

Brandon Lee - 2nd, 140-lb

Marco Pukl - Champion, 160-lb

Jacob Clevenger - Champion, 171-lb

Connor Stewart - 4th, 171-lb

Sam Hammon - 3rd, 188-lb

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Northwest wrestler commits to Campbellsville University

By ClarksvilleNow.com February 27, 2018 3:24 

Clarksville Now(Photo: Northwest HS)

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (ESPN CLARKSVILLE) – Northwest High School’s Athletic Department is pleased to share that Blake Spink has committed to wrestle at Campbellsville University located in Campbellsville, KY.

Blake signed his commitment paperwork in a signing ceremony held February 23, 2018 at Northwest High School.

Blake started wrestling in 9th grade at Northwest High School and qualified for state as a sophomore. After his tenth grade year, Blake started wrestling with a local club league, Knuckleheads Wrestling. After his junior year, Blake began wrestling at the national level as a part of the Alliance Wrestling Academy in Clarksville, TN.

Through the Alliance Wrestling Academy, Blake was an All-American Wrestler at the Nuway Nationals. In his senior year of wrestling at Northwest High School, Blake earned runner-up at the regional tournament, then battled his way to state Runner-Up at the 2018 state wrestling tournament.

“I think it is a school that really fit me: a small place, strong wrestling program, everyone talks about how their wrestlers are the best around. They recruit small town boys like me and make them into national champs and all-Americans and at the same time get a good education,” Blake said.

“Northwest is incredibly proud of Blake and his accomplishments, both in the classroom and on the mat,” Northwest Athletic Director Jessica Peppard said. “Blake has been a great leader for our wrestling program, and I have no doubt that he will do the same for his team at the next level. We are excited to see Blake continue his wrestling career and expect to see him do great things.”

Northwest High School’s wrestling coach Ben Smitherman also shared his thoughts on Blake’s success.

“Blake has been one of our leaders for a couple of years now. We realized he was going to be a good wrestler as a sophomore when the hard work started shedding off some of the ‘baby weight.’ It got him all the way to the state tournament then. We could not have realized that he would reach this level of success. The state finals was beyond all of our expectations, even those of us closest to him that knew how good he could be. It’s been an unbelievable run. His hard work showed, not just on the wrestling mat, but in the wrestling room. One of our true leaders, his knowledge of the sport probably exceeds even my own. It has been a real pleasure to watch him mature into the young man that he has become, and we are super excited for him to compete at the next level at Campbellsville,” Smitherman said.

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Local wrestling academy wins girls state team championships

By ClarksvilleNow.com February 27, 2018 3:15 pm

Clarksville Now

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (ESPN CLARKSVILLE) – The Alliance Wrestling Academy competed at the TNAAU State Championships at the Williamson County Agriculture Center in Franklin, TN this past weekend. This was the very first Girls State Wrestling Championships and The Academy came out on top.

The team of six girls outpaced 29 other teams to claim the top spot of the very first all-girls state tournament.

“Tennessee is committed to the growth of the sport, and The Alliance is leading the way in creating opportunity for girls to get into the sport,” Alliance Coach and father Jeremy Davenport said. “These girls have a love for the sport and it shows in every match and practice. As a parent and coach of both a boy and girl, it means a lot to share my love for the sport with both my son and daughter. Wrestling isn’t just for boys anymore.”

The team was led by New Providence 8th grader, Brette Spink. Spink won the 6th-8th grade 133-139lbs division, with 3 pins without surrendering a single point. Spink who has been wrestling for a year now and competes mainly against boys during the regular season. She was a boy’s state qualifier this year, taking 3rd place in the boys division at the Region tournament. Spink is also an All-American taking 3rd place at the AAU Junior Olympics last year.

“This tournament was the most nerve wracking experience. I am used to wrestling boys, not girls. Everyone wanted to be the very first Tennessee Girls champ, so the competition was fierce. I remained confident and focused on my technique, and that’s how I didn’t get scored on. This was a great experience and reminded me again why I love wrestling so much,” Spink said. “Seeing the smile on my coach’s face after my finals match really made me realize how happy he was and that’s a moment I will never forget. Wrestling and The Academy have brought me so many opportunities and I look forward to wrestling in high school and hopefully college someday.”

Ellie Shires, an Oakland Elementary 2nd grader, placed second in the K-2nd grade 42-48lbs division. Shires is in her first year of wrestling and has had some success this year wrestling with the boys. Shires won a beginner tournament earlier in the year, as the only girl in the bracket.

All girls brought home medals for wrestling in their first ever tournament.

Isabella Lonergan, a 2nd grader from Sango Elementary finished 3rd in the K-2nd grade 53-57lbs division.

Sydnee Stahley, a 3rd grader from East Montgomery Elementary finished 4th in the 3rd-5th grade 69-77lbs division.

Bryleigh Miears, a pre-schooler, finished 4th in the K-2nd 42-49lbs division.

Lauren Davenport a Sycamore Middle School 8th grader, finished 4th in the 6th-8th grade 109-117lbs division.

“We are all very proud of these girls, they all wrestled and competed tough today. This is a testament to the parents, families, and coaches who welcomed these girls into the sport and encourage them every day. Most have sat on the sidelines for years watching their brothers compete, now is their time to shine,” Head Coach Brandon Morris said.

The Alliance Wrestling Academy started offering an all-girls class last summer, led by Morris

Edited February 28, 2018 by Sommers

[Sommers]

Amazing Story after Turley leaving 11 years ago to Hollingshead with a 166-69 record 10 year period of time with '08 Alum taking over the helm at JCHS Patriots...

Hollingshead leaving Patriot wrestling after decade of success

• By Dave Gentry — Sports Editor

 

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Longtime Patriot Wrestling Coach Logan Hollingshead congratulates a JCHS wrestler after match in the 2014-15 season. After a decade of coaching the Patriots, Hollingshead is leaving the position.

Daniel Burton

After a decade of coaching Jefferson County High School’s wrestling team, Logan Hollingshead is leaving his post. 

The highly successful JCHS coach is moving to North Carolina to be closer to family, and hopes to get back to coaching in that locale soon. 

However, the veteran coach is leaving the program in capable hands, as former Patriot wrestler and fifth-year assistant coach Dylan Willis will be taking over the program. 

“The coaching staff over these past 10 years has done a phenomenal job.  The program is where it’s at because of them,” Hollingshead said. “We’ve had such good kids each year. It’s not about me, but about everyone else.” 

Hollingshead and his staff have been key in helping the JCHS wrestling program become a permanent fixture in the Region 1-AAA ranks. 

During his tenure, he has led the Patriots to 10 straight District 2-AAA Championships and 10 Region Dual appearances. Twice under his tutelage, the Patriots have qualified for the AAA State Duals. 

Hollingshead helped the Patriots amass a 166-69 record over the past decade, compiling a 71-percent winning percentage as a team. 

Individually, there have been two state finalists, five state medalists, and 73 state qualifiers while Hollingshead has been head coach, including 25 Region finalists and 14 Region Individual Champions. 

Humble Beginnings

Hollingshead’s road to becoming the JCHS wrestling coach wasn’t likely. 

After longtime coach Randall Turley retired, then JCHS Athletic Director Craig Kisabeth walked up to Hollingshead, shook his hand, and congratulated him on becoming the new head wrestling coach. 

At the time, Hollingshead was an assistant football coach at JCHS, but had never coached wrestling and had no previous wrestling knowledge. 

After mulling over the offer, Hollingshead told Kisabeth he would take the job on one condition — that former JCHS state champion wrestler Justin Anderson help him with the transition. 

“He was the one who got it going,” Hollingshead said of Anderson. “I learned a lot from him and went from there.” 

Full Circle

Coincidentally, Hollingshead’s first season at the helm of the Patriot program in 2008-09 was Willis’s senior season as a high school wrestler at JCHS. 

Hollingshead recalled how Willis was competing in the region duals that year and hurt his shoulder, but finished the match anyway, even winning despite the injury. 

“Most kids would not have finished,” Hollingshead remembered. “But he fought and gave everything to win a key match for us.” 

Later that season, Willis would finish second in the region individuals in his weight class to qualify for the state tournament.  After high school, Willis signed with King University, but after wrestling a season at the Bristol-area school, transferred to Walters State to concentrate more on academics. 

Five years ago, Willis joined the Patriots as an assistant after spending a few years with White Pine School’s wrestling program. 

Willis had a degree in Management from Tusculum, but decided he wanted to pursue teaching and coaching, so he returned to the Greeneville College to earn a Masters in Teaching. 

He is currently in his first full year at the Patriot Academy, where he instructs World History. 

Willis believes his new position is a way in which he can give back to a program that gave so much to him. 

“I have lots of memories from wrestling in high school.  Coaching is something I always thought I’d like to do,” Willis said. “The program gave so much to me and I want to do that for these kids too.” 

Willis has already been relying on Hollingshead’s coaching knowledge during his transition, noting that Logan did so much for the program, not only in coaching technique, but in the schematics of running a successful program. 

“Ever since he came on, the kids were getting new warm-ups, new singlets, and more recognition. Without him, the program may not have survived,” Willis said. “He coached me when I was a wrestler and now he’s showing me all of the aspects of head coaching.” 

Now, Willis is looking to build on the foundation that Hollingshead established and take the Patriot wrestling program to new heights. 

“We’ve been right on the brink.  We’re trying to break through to be a perennial state power,” Willis said. “There’s no reason we shouldn’t be competing with teams like Cleveland and Bradley Central at the state level.” 

For now, Hollingshead can leave knowing that the wrestling program he helped to build and the kids he mentored are in good hands with Willis.  

“It was emotional for me and a lot of them too,” Hollingshead said of his meeting with the team. “I told them how much I cared about them.  The kids responded well to it.”

Edited March 1, 2018 by Sommers

[Sommers]

• SoCon Wrestling Tournament Begins Saturday

Thursday, March 1, 2018

 The Southern Conference Wrestling Championship will take place Saturday at The Citadel’s McAlister Field House in Charleston, South Carolina, with the SoCon title and 12 NCAA allocations on the line. Campbell will try and defend its 2017 tournament title while Appalachian State enters as the regular-season champion for the third-straight year.

Three of last year’s SoCon individual champions will be back in the field this year, defending titles in their respective weight classes. The SoCon was allocated 12 spots for the NCAA Championships, with the 184 and 197-pound weight classes being awarded two each

Bryce Carr, the 2018 SoCon Wrestler of the Year, is aiming for his second-straight title at 184 pounds. Ranked No. 12 in the NCAA coaches’ panel, Carr will have competition from Appalachian State’s Alan Clothier. Clothier is ranked No. 25 by the coaches’ panel and has an RPI of 16.

Campbell’s Quentin Perez looks to retain the crown at 165 pounds. Perez is 22-7 on the season, going 5-1 in SoCon duals.  Perez will have to fend off SIUE’s Nate Higgins, who was awarded the No. 1 seed, and Chattanooga’s Chad Pyke, who was awarded the No. 2 seed. Higgins was named to the all-conference team while Pyke is ranked No. 32 overall in the coaches’ panel.

Chris Debien, the reigning champion at 133 pounds, enters the 2018 SoCon Wrestling Championship as the No. 3 seed. SIUE’s John Muldoon claimed the No. 1 seed while Appalachian State’s Codi Russell enters as the No. 2 seed. Muldoon went a perfect 5-0 in SoCon duals this season, while Debien was 4-1 and Russell was 6-1. 

Appalachian State’s Randall Diabe enters as the favortie at 197 pounds after going 7-0 in conference matches. Diabe, who was named all-conference, is ranked No. 32 in the NCAA coaches’ panel and has an overall record of 16-7. Chattanooga’s Scottie Boykin, who was the 2016 champion, enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed and is ranked No. 13 overall by the coaches’ panel. Boykin is 23-6 on the season with a record of 6-1 in SoCon duals.

Forrest Przybysz is slated as the No. 1 seed at 174 pounds. Przybysz, who moved up from 165 pounds, is 21-7 overall and 5-0 in the SoCon. Chattanooga’s Justin Lampe enters as the No. 2 seed, posting an overall record of 16-11, going 6-1 in conference.

SoCon Freshman of the Year Korbin Meink earned the No. 1 seed at 125 pounds. Meink was a perfect 6-0 in SoCon duals this season, going 23-9 overall.

Appalachian State’s Gavin Londoff and Angel Najar and are the No. 1 seeds at 149 and 157 pounds, respectively, while SIUE’s Nate Higgins is No. 1 at 165 and Campbell’s Jere Heino enters as the favorite in the heavyweight division. 

In 2017, Campbell claimed its first ever SoCon Championship, edging out Appalachian State 89.5 to 86. The Camels and Mountaineers met in the finals in three weight classes, with Campbell prevailing at both 141 and 165 pounds.

Tickets for Saturday’s action, which begins at 10 a.m., will be single-session. Doors open at 9 a.m.

Prices are $15 for adults, $10 for youth (6-12) and $8 each for groups of 10 or more. Students from Southern Conference schools, including wrestling associate member schools, can pick up a ticket free of charge simply by showing their school IDs.

As part of its partnership with Headlock on Hunger, the SoCon will offer $3 off the ticket price with the donation of a food item at the door.

2018 Southern Conference Wrestling Championship Schedule

9 a.m. – Doors open
10 a.m. – First-round matches
12 p.m. – Semifinals
2 p.m. – Consolation quarterfinals (consolation semifinals immediately after)
5:30 p.m. – Consolation finals
7 p.m. – Finals, true-place matches and award presentation


Seeds

125 (1 NCAA allocation)

1. Korbin Meink, Campbell

2. Zac Gentzler, SIUE

3. Alonzo Allen, Chattanooga

4. Cliff Conway, VMI

5. De’Andre Swinson-Barr, Appalachian State

6. Michael McClelland, Davidson

7. Will Jacobs, The Citadel

8. No entry, Gardner-Webb

 

133 (1 NCAA allocation)

1. John Muldoon, SIUE

2. Codi Russell, Appalachian State

3. Chris Debien, Chattanooga

4. Philip Anderson, Gardner-Webb

5. Nathan Boston, Campbell

6. Hunter Starner, VMI

7. Patrick Kearney, The Citadel

8. Zamir Ode, Davidson

 

141 (1 NCAA allocation)

1. Mike Pongracz, Chattanooga

2. Jonathan Ryan, Campbell

3. Douglas Gudenburr, The Citadel

4. Irvin Enriquez, Appalachian State

5. Dakota Leach, SIUE

6. Dustin Runzo, Davidson

7. Denton Spencer, Gardner-Webb

8. Michael Hulcher, VMI

 

149 (1 NCAA allocation)

1. Gavin Londoff, Appalachian State

2. Zach Barnes, Campbell

3. Tyshawn Williams, SIUE

4. Ty Buckiso, The Citadel

5. Roman Boylen, Chattanooga

6. Joby Armenta, Gardner-Webb

7. Aiden Conroy, Davidson

8. Will Lawrence, VMI

 

157 (1 NCAA allocation)

1. Angel Najar, Appalachian State

2. Tyler Marinelli, Gardner-Webb

3. Austin Kraisser, Campbell

4. Jake Adcock, Chattanooga

5. Karsten Van Velsor, SIUE

6. Rian Burris, The Citadel

7. Tony Palumbo, Davidson

8. Steve Midkiff, VMI

 

165 (1 NCAA allocation)

1. Nate Higgins, SIUE

2. Chad Pyke, Chattanooga

3. Quentin Perez, Campbell

4. Brett Stein, Gardner-Webb

5. Blake Hohman, VMI

6. Laken Cook, Appalachian State

7. Hunter Costa, Davidson

8. Houston Curtis, The Citadel

 

174 (1 NCAA allocation)

1. Forrest Przybysz, Appalachian State

2. Justin Lampe, Chattanooga

3. Andrew Morgan, Campbell

4. Christian Maroni, Gardner-Webb

5. Bryce Shewan, SIUE

6. Cade Kiely, VMI

7. Noah Satterfield, Davidson

8. Matt McGillick, The Citadel

 

184 (2 NCAA allocations)

1. Bryce Carr, Chattanooga

2. Alan Clothier, Appalachian State

3. Luke Funck, Campbell

4. Cole Graves, Gardner-Webb

5. Conor Fenn, Davidson

6. Chris Beck, VMI

7. Jake Godinez, SIUE

8. Michael Lopouchanski, The Citadel

 

197 (2 NCAA allocations)

1. Randall Diabe, Appalachian State

2. Scottie Boykin, Chattanooga

3. Christian Dulaney, SIUE

4. Sawyer Root, The Citadel

5. Anthony Perrine, Gardner-Webb

6. Chris Kober, Campbell

7. Konner Pritchard, Davidson

8. Jake Koch, VMI

 

285 (1 NCAA allocation)

1. Jere Heino, Campbell

2. Cary Miller, Appalachian State

3. Connor Tolley, Chattanooga

4. Michael McAleavey, The Citadel

5. Lathan Bumgarner, Gardner-Webb

6. Tommy Helton, SIUE

7. Jake Tomlinson, VMI

8. Will Cooley, Davidson

*Seeding subject to change

__________________________________

 

Senior Michael Pongracz is the No. 1 seed at 141 pounds.

Mocs Head to Charleston for the SoCon Championships

Pongracz and Carr hold No. 1 seeds going into Saturday's action.

Mar. 01, 2018 Wrestling

STORY LINKS

• MATCH NOTES AT THE SOCON TOURNAMENT

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team is off to the 81st annual Southern Conference Wrestling Tournament in Charleston, S.C., this weekend.  The Mocs have won 29 SoCon Tournament titles since joining the league in 1978, including five of the last seven and 10 of the last 13.
 
The SoCon was allocated 12 spots for the NCAA Championships, with two each at 184 and 197 pounds.
 
Campbell won last year's crown with 89.5 points, while Chattanooga came in fourth with 66 points.  Chris Debien (133) and Bryce Carr (184) both won individual titles in 2017.   
 
This year's tournament is wide open, despite Appalachian State's 7-0 SoCon dual record.  The Mocs dual with the Mountaineers went down to the wire with ASU winning 18-16.  Campbell and ASU also had a tight dual, the Mountaineers winning that one 18-12.
 
Links for both live scoring and live video are available on the wrestling schedule page on GoMocs.com.
 
Schedule of Events - Saturday - March 3, 2017
McAlister Field House - Charleston, S.C.
9:00 a.m. – Doors open
10:00 a.m. – First-round matches
12:00 p.m. – Semifinals
2:00 p.m. – Consolation quarters (conso semis follow)
5:30 p.m. – Consolation finals
7:00 p.m. – Finals, true-place matches and award presentation
 
Chattanooga Probable Lineup
125: Alonzo Allen (Jr. – 18-8, 6-1 SoCon)
133: Chris Debien (Jr. – 11-12, 5-1 SoCon)
141: Michael Pongracz (Sr. – 16-10, 6-0 SoCon)
149: Roman Boylen (Jr. – 15-11, 3-3 SoCon)
157: Jake Adcock (Fr. - 11-9, 2-1 SoCon)
165: Chad Pyke (Sr. – 19-9, 6-1 SoCon)
174: Justin Lampe (Sr. – 16-11, 6-1 SoCon)
184: No. 16 Bryce Carr (Sr. – 23-5, 7-0 SoCon)
197: No. 14 Scottie Boykin (Sr. – 23-6, 6-1 SoCon)
285: Connor Tolley (Jr. - 8-7, 2-2 SoCon)
 
HEAD COACH HEATH ESLINGER
Head Coach Heath Eslinger is in his ninth year at UTC.  A two-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year, he owns a 101-61 (.623) career dual record, including a 53-5 (.914) tally in league matches.  He has guided the Mocs to six SoCon regular season and six SoCon tournament titles.
 
ESLINGER EARNED WIN NO. 100 VS. GARDNER-WEBB
Head Coach Heath Eslinger earned his 100th win with a 37-5 victory against Gardner-Webb last weekend.  He is currently 101-61 (.623), which is second on the Mocs all-time wins list.  Jim Morgan owns the career coaching wins record at UTC with a 209-70-3 (.746) mark in 16 seasons (1969-83).
 
MOCS IN THE RANKINGS
Senior Bryce Carr is No. 16 at 184, while senior Scottie Boykin is No. 16 at 197 in this week's Intermat rankings. 
 
WEIGHT-BY-WEIGHT PREVIEW
125: Junior Alonzo Allen takes a career-best 18-8 record into the postseason.  He is 7-1 against the SoCon field with all matches coming this season.  
 
Allen is the No. 3 seed after losing to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville's Zachary Gentzler in the dual on Jan. 19.  He did not face Campbell's top-seeded Corbin Meink in the regular season. 
 
Allen has a fourth place finish at the Hokie Open and a runner-up showing at the Black Knight Invite on his 2017-18 resume.  He finished fourth at last year's SoCon Tournament.
 
      Allen vs. the SoCon (7-1 in 2017-18 • Same)
      2017-18
      Clifton Conway (VMI 11/4)......................... W-MD, 20-8
      Michael McClelland (Davidson 12/2).... W-TF, 20-2 (3:41)
      Zachary Gentzler (SIUE 1/19)......................... L-D, 4-5
      William Jacobs (Citadel 1/21)............ W-TF, 16-1 (1:42)
      Paxton Rosen (Campbell).............................. W-D, 9-2
      DeAndre Swinson-Barr (App. State 2/4).......... W-D, 3-1
      (GWU 2/11)...................................................... W-For
      Aaron Burton (Cambell 2/17)..................... W-MD, 18-5
 
SoCon Tournament Seeds at 125:
1. Meink (Campbell), 2. Gentzler (SIUE), 3. Allen (UTC), 4. Conway (VMI), 5. Swinson-Barr (ASU), 6. McClelland (Davidson), 7. Jacobs (Citadel).
 
133: Junior Chris Debien is the reigning SoCon Champion and NCAA Qualifier at this weight.  He started the year at 141 where he went 6-6, and even had three matches at 149 (0-3). 
 
He did not get down to 133 until the Virginia Duals where he was 2-2.  He posted a 4-1 record in SoCon matches. 
 
Debien carries the No. 3 seed, behind SIUE's John Muldoon and Appalachian State's Codi Russell.  Russell caught Debein in the dual and pinned him in the first period. 
 
Debein did not compete against Muldoon this season, but beat him twice last year.  He posted a 16-11 victory in the dual match, then won 11-6 in last year's SoCon Tournament.      
 
      Debien vs. the SoCon (4-1 in 2017-18 • 9-1 Career)
      2017-18
      Joe Antonelli (SIUE 1/19)......................... W-Fall (0:52)
      Nicholas Long (Citadel)............................ W-Fall (0:57)
      Codi Russell (App. State 2/4)..................... L-Fall (4:12)
      Philip Anderson (GWU 2/11).......................... W-D, 7-1
      Nathan Boston (Campbell 2/17)..................... W-D, 5-2
     
      2016-17
      Hunter Starner (VMI 11/10)............................ W-D, 3-2
      John Muldoon (SIUE 1/22)......................... W-D, 16-11
      Philip Anderson (GWU 2/3)............................ W-D, 6-2
      John Muldoon (SIUE^{SoCon 3/4})........................ W-D, 11-6


      2015-16
      Philip Anderson (GWU^{Wolfpack Open 11/15})............. W-D, 5-2
 
SoCon Tournament Seeds at 133:
1. Muldoon (SIUE), 2. Russell (ASU), 3. Debien (UTC), 4. Anderson (GWU), 5. Boston (Campbell), 6. Starner (VMI), 7. Kearney (Citadel), Ode (Davidson).
 
141: Senior Michael Pongracz is 16-10, placing at both the Hokie Open and the Black Knight Invite.  One of the Mocs' two All-SoCon picks, he was 6-0 in league matches. 
 
Pongracz is 6-0 against the field, all this season.  Coming off a redshirt season, Pongracz is looking to break through at the SoCon Tournament after finishing runner-up three times.  He lost to Appalachian State's Michael Longo in overtime in 2016 and gave up a decision to Longo in 2015.  He dropped a 8-3 decision to The Citadel's 10th-ranked Ugi Khishingnyam as a true freshman in 2014.
 
Pongracz had made two trips to the NCAA Tournament.  He earned an at-large bid in 2016 and was an automatic qualifier in 2015. 
 
      Pongracz vs. the SoCon (6-0 in 2017-18 • Same)
      2017-18
      Irvin Enriquez (App. St.^{Hokie Open 11/5})............ W-MD, 10-0
      Dustin Runzo (Davidson ^{Hokie Open 11/5})......... W-MD, 12-0
      Dakota Leach (SIUE 1/19)................ W-TF, 18-0 (6:01)
      Douglas Gudenburr (Citadel 1/21).................. W-D, 2-1
      Irvin Enriquez (App. State 2/4)..................... W-MD, 9-1
      Jonathan Ryan (Campbell 2/11)..................... W-D, 7-4
     
SoCon Tournament Seeds at 141:
1. Pongracz (UTC), 2. Ryan (Campbell), 3. Gudenburr (CIT), 4. Enriquez (ASU), 5. Leach (SIUE), 6. Runzo (Davidson), 7. Spencer (GWU), Hulcher (VMI).
 
149: Junior Roman Boylen finished with a 15-12 mark in his first season as the full time starter at 149.  He is the fifth seed in the tournament after going 5-3 against the field this season. 
He had an outstanding run at the Southern Scuffle, placing eighth overall.
 
Boylen was in the lineup for the Mocs at last year's SoCon's, posting an 0-2 record in the 149 bracket.
 
      Boylen vs. the SoCon (5-3 in 2017-18 • 5-6 Career)
      2017-18
      Aidan Conroy (Davidson 12/2)................... W-MD, 18-4
      Joby Armenta (Gardner Webb^Scuffle1/1)............. W-D, 7-5
      Ty Buckiso (Citadel^Scuffle1/2)................................. W-For
      Tyshawn Williams (SIUE 1/19)....................... L-D, 8-14
      Tyler Buckiso (Citadel).................................... L-D, 3-6
      Gavin Londoff (App. State 2/4).............. W-D, 4-2 (SV1)
      Joby Armenta (GWU 2/11)........................ W-MD, 14-4
      Zachary Barnes (Campbell 2/17)..................... L-D, 2-5
 
      2016-17
      Tyler Buckiso (Citadel 11/18)........................... L-D, 5-7
      Tyler Buckiso (Citadel^{SoCon 3/4}).......................... L-D, 3-7
      Aidan Conroy (Davidson^{SoCon 3/4})...................... L-D, 2-3
     
SoCon Tournament Seeds at 149:
1. Londoff (ASU), Barnes (Campbell), 3. Williams (SIUE), 4. Buckiso (Citadel), 5. Boylen (UTC), 6. Armenta (GWU), 7. Conroy (Davidson), 8. Lawrence (VMI).
 
157: True freshman Jake Adcock gets the nod at 157.  He competed with junior Dylan Forzani throughout the year for the starting job, and won it the last three weeks of the season. 
 
Adcock is 11-9 overall, but just 1-1 against the field.  He lost to top-seeded Angel Najar of Appalachian State 7-4 on Feb. 4.  He came back with a big 6-5 win over Campbell's Austin Kraisser on Feb. 17. 
 
      Adcock vs. the SoCon (1-1 in 2017-18 • Same)
      2017-18
      Angel Najar (App. State 2/4)............................ L-D, 4-7
      Austin Kraisser (Cambell 2/17)....................... W-D, 6-5
     
SoCon Tournament Seeds at 157:
1. Najar (ASU), 2. Marinelli (GWU), 3. Kraisser (Campbell), 4. Adcock (UTC), 5. Van Velsor (SIUE), 6. Burris (CItadel), 7. Palumbo (Davidson), 8. Midkiff (VMI).
 
165: Senior Chad Pyke brings a 19-9 record into the weekend.  The graduate transfer from N.C. State went 7-1 against the field in his first season with the Mocs and is the second seed in the tournament. 
 
He finished second at the Hokie Open and third at the Black Knight Invite, before going 2-2 at the Scuffle.  He was 3-1 at the Virginia Duals and was 6-1 in SoCon duals.
 
Pyke's lone loss was to SIUE's Nate Higgins on Jan. 19.  That match gave Higgins the top seed this weekend. 
 
      Pyke vs. the SoCon (7-1 in 2017-18 • Same)
      2017-18
      Blake Hohman (VMI 11/4).............................. W-D, 8-2                   
      Blake Hohman (VMI^{Hokie Open 11/5}) W-D, 4-1
      Hunter Costa (Davidson 12/2)........... W-TF, 17-1 (2:25)
      Nate Higgins (SIUE 1/19).............................. L-D, 3-10
      Michael Mewhorter (Citadel 1/21)............. W-Fall (2:34)
      Laken Cook (App. State 2/4).......................... W-D, 8-5
      Brett Stein (GWU 2/11).................................. W-D, 6-4
      Quentin Perez (Cambell 2/17).................... W-MD, 11-3
 
SoCon Tournament Seeds at 165:
1. Higgins (SIUE), 2. Pyke (UTC), 3. Perez (Campbell), 4. Stein (GWU), 5. Hohman (VMI), 6. Cook (ASU), 7. Costa (Davidson), 8. Curtis (Citadel).
 
174:  Senior Justin Lampe is 16-11 overall, including a 7-1 mark against the field.  He is the No. 2 seed behind Appalachian State's No. 20 Forrest Przybysz. 
 
Lampe lost to Przybysz in overtime (4-2 SV1) on Feb. 4.  Lampe is 0-3 all-time against Przybysz, including a 2-0 loss on in the dual last season on Feb. 5 and a 1-0 loss in the 2017 SoCon Tournament Semifinals. 
Lampe is making his third trip to the SoCon Tournament.  He placed third last year and went 0-2 as a freshman in 2015, both at 165. 
 
      Lampe vs. the SoCon (7-1 in 2017-18 • 11-3 Career)
      2017-18
      Cade Kiely (VMI 11/4)............................... W-MD, 16-5
      Noah Satterfield (Davidson 12/2).............. W-Fall (1:21)
      Andrew Morgan (Campbell^{Scuffle 11/1})................ W-D, 9-5
      (SIUE 1/19)..................................................... W-For.
      Robert Tywater (Citadel 1/21)................... W-Fall (1:05)
      No. 16 Forrest Przybysz (App. State 2/4).... L-D, 2-4 (SV1)
      Christian Maroni (GWU 2/11)......................... W-D, 5-3
      Andrew Morgan (Cambell 2/17)...................... W-D, 7-6
     
      2016-17 (165)
      Cade Kiely (VMI 11/10)............................. W-MD, 16-4
      Noah Satterfield (Davidson 1/28).............. W-Fall (0:13)
      Forrest Przybysz (App. St. 2/5)........................ L-D, 0-2
      Noah Satterfield (Davidon^{SoCon 3/4})............. W-Fall (2:03)
      Forrest Przybysz (App. St.^{SoCon 3/4})................... L-D, 0-1
      Cade Kiely (VMI^{SoCon 3/4})........................... W-Fall (3:20)
 
SoCon Tournament Seeds at 174:
1. Przybysz (ASU), 2. Lampe (UTC), 3. Morgan (Campbell), 4. Maroni (GWU), 5. Shewan (SIUE), 6. Kiely (VMI), 7. Satterfield (Davidson), 8. McGillick (Citadel).
 
184:  Senior Bryce Carr is the 2018 SoCon Wrestler of the Year and currently ranked No. 16 in the nation at 184 by IntermatWrestle.  He is 23-5 overall with his only losses to Virginia Tech's No. 7 Zach Zavatsky (3-1) on Nov. 17, N.C. State's No. 3 Pete Renda (2-1) on Dec. 2, Ohio State's No. 2 Myles Martin (10-4) on Dec. 17 and Northern Iowa's No. 8 Drew Foster in the quarterfinals at the Scuffle and at the Virginia Duals. 
 
Carr won both the Hokie Open and the Black Knight Invite and placed third at the Scuffle for the second year in a row.  The defending SoCon champion at 184, he is 7-0 in SoCon dual matches and carries the No. 1 seed this weekend.
 
The SoCon has two allocations at 184, so if Carr makes it to the finals, he grabs an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. 
 
      Carr vs. the SoCon (5-0 in 2017-18 • 7-0 Career)
      2017-18
      Conor Fenn (Davidson 12/2).................... W-Fall (2:29)
      Jake Godinez (SIUE 1/19)........................ W-Fall (1:54)
      Michael Lopouchanski (Citadel 1/21)......... W-Fall (1:52)
      Alan Clothier (App. State 2/4)......................... W-D, 9-4
      Cole Graves (GWU 2/11).......................... W-MD, 16-6
 
      2016-17
      Jake Godinez (SIUE1/22)......................... W-Fall (3:19)
      Jake Godinez (SIUE^SoCon3/4)..................... W-Fall (3:10)
 
SoCon Tournament Seeds at 184:
1. Carr (UTC), 2. Clothier (ASU), 3. Funck (Campbell), 4. Graves (GWU), 5. Fenn (Davidson), 6. Beck (VMI), 7. Godinez (SIUE), 8. Lopouchanski (Citadel).
 
197:  Senior Scottie Boykin is 23-6 with titles at both the Hokie Open and the Black Knight Invite.  He was ranked as high as No. 9 in 2015-16 before redshirting last season and is up to No. 16 this week.
 
Boykin placed fifth at the Scuffle behind an 8-6 win over No. 11 Matt Williams from Cal State Bakersfield.  He is 91-41 in his career, which is ninth on the Mocs' all-time wins list.
 
Boykin is the No. 2 seed this week after losing to Randall Diabe (3-2) in the dual on Feb. 4.  He beat Diabe twice as a junior in 2016, including a 13-2 decision in the dual (2/5/16) and a 6-4 win in the SoCon semifinals. 
 
This is Boykin' fourth appearance in the SoCon Tournament.  He won the title in 2016, placed third in 2015 and was runner-up as a true freshman in 2014. 
 
The SoCon has two allocations at 197, so if Boykin makes it to the finals, he grabs an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. 
 
      Boykin vs. the SoCon (4-1 in 2017-18 • 6-1 Career)
      2017-18
      Christian Dulaney (SIUE 1/19)........................ W-D, 6-3
      Sawyer Root (Citadel 1/21)............................ W-D, 9-4
      Randall Diabe (App. State 2/4)........................ L-D, 2-3
      Anthony Perrine (GWU 2/11)..................... W-MD, 16-3
      Chris Kober (Campbell 2/17).......................... W-D, 9-3
 
      2015-16
      Randall Diabe (App. St. 2/5)...................... W-MD, 13-2
      Randall Diabe (App. St.^{SoCon 3/5})...................... W-D, 6-4
 
SoCon Tournament Seeds at 197:
1. Diabe (ASU), 2. Boykin (UTC), 3. Dulaney (SIUE), 4. Root (Citadel), 5. Perrine (GWU), 6. Kober (Campbell), 7. Pritchard (Davidson), 8. Koch (VMI).
 
285: Junior Connor Tolley is back in the lineup at heavyweight after missing a large part of the season with an illness.   He is the No. 3 seed at 285 with an 8-7 overall record, including a 2-2 mark in SoCon duals.  This is his first appearance at the SoCon Championships. 
 
      Tolley vs. the SoCon (3-2 in 2017-18 • Same)
      2017-18
      Michael McAleavey (Citadel^{Hokie Open 11/5}).......... W-D, 6-2
      Will Cooley (Davidson^{Hokie Open 11/5})................ W-D, 10-4
      Cary Miller (App. State 2/4)............................. L-D, 5-7
      Lathan Bumgarner (GWU 2/11)................ W-Fall (5:48)
      Jere Heino (Campbell 2/17)............................. L-D, 0-6
 
      2016-17
      Cary Miller (App. St.^{Newberry 2/4})........................ W-D, 3-2
      Michael McAleavey (Citadel^{Newberry 2/4}).............. L-D, 4-5
      Michael McAleavey (Citadel^{Appalachian Open 1/28})..... L-D, 4-5
SoCon Tournament Seeds at 197:
1. Heino (Campbell), 2. Miller (ASU), 3. Tolley (UTC), 4. McAleavey (Citadel), 5. Bumgarner (GWU), 6. Helton (SIUE), 7. Tomlinson (VMI), 8. Cooley (Davidson).
 
MOCS VS. RANKED TEAMS
The last time the Mocs beat a ranked team was a 19-18 win at No. 19 Virginia on Feb. 14, 2016.  Chattanooga is 3-38 against ranked teams under head coach Heath Eslinger.  The other two wins include a 23-15 victory against No. 25 Kent State in Ypsilanti, Mich., on Nov. 15, 2014 and 22-15 over No. 12 Stanford in Maclellan Gym on Nov. 20, 2011.
 
UTC has faced five ranked teams this season.  The Mocs have faced at least four ranked teams in seven of Eslinger's nine campaigns at UTC.
 
CARR NAMED SOCON WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
UTC senior 184-pounder Bryce Carr is the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year.  This honor was determined by a vote of the conference's eight head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own wrestlers.
 
Carr, the 2016-17 league champion at 184 pounds, is ranked No. 12 nationally with an overall record of 23-5. He was a perfect 7-0 in SoCon action, is 11-4 in duals and is tied for the league lead with seven pins.
 
The senior from Dublin, Georgia, was named SoCon Wrestler of the Week twice this season. Carr earned the honor in week one of competition and on Jan. 3 after going 5-1 and finishing third overall in the Southern Scuffle. Carr has six major decisions and three technical falls thus far in the year.
 
Carr is the eighth Moc to earn Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year honors since the award began in 1993.  UTC's eight winners are the most in league history, outpacing Appalachian State with seven and VMI with six.
 
PONGO NAMED TO ALL-SOCON TEAM
Senior Michael Pongracz, ranked No. 33 nationally, was named all-conference at 141 pounds (along with Carr at 184). Pongracz is 16-10 overall with five major decisions and three technical falls. The senior from Milford, New Jersey, is coming off a 2016-17 redshirt season.
 
As a junior in 2015-16, Pongracz was 22-6 overall, earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Pongracz finished the 2017-18 regular season a perfect 6-0 in SoCon duals, helping the Mocs finish second in the SoCon with a 6-1 record.
 
CARR NAMED SOCON WRESTLER OF THE MONTH (AGAIN)
For the second time this season and the third time in his career, senior Bryce Carris the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Month (January '18).  Posting a January record of 10-2 for Chattanooga, Carr's month included five pins and two technical falls in the 184-pound division. He finished third at the Southern Scuffle, going 5-1 with two pins and a technical fall. His only loss was a 2-0 decision to Northern Iowa's eighth-ranked Drew Foster, while he earned wins over No. 18 Dylan Gabel of Northern Colorado and No. 19 Michael Coleman of Navy.  Carr, a senior from Dublin, Georgia, also went 5-1 in the Virginia Duals, with his lone loss coming in overtime, again to Foster, then ranked 11th. Carr finished the month on a streak of three straight pins and holding an overall record of 20-5 (4-0 SoCon). He is currently the 10th-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds according to the NCAA Coaches Panel.  This is the second honor this season for Carr, who also took the award in November, and the third of his two-year career with the Mocs.  He is tied for second with Matt Keller (2006-07) and one behind Cody Cleveland (2006-11) for most all-time at UTC.
 
BOYKIN NAMED WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Senior Scottie Boykin was the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week for all competition from Jan. 10-16.  This is the league-high third Moc to win the honor this season.  It is the second career award for Boykin.  He went 4-0 in the Virginia Duals. Wrestling at 197 pounds, scored a technical fall over Kent State's Kyle Conel before edging out Northern Iowa's 19th-ranked Jacob Holschlag 8-7.  After picking up a win via forfeit, Boykin capped off the weekend with a 17-6 major decision over Old Dominion's Noah Bushman. 
 
CARR NAMED SOCON WRESTLER OF THE MONTH
Senior Bryce Carr was the SoCon Wrestler of the Month for November 2017.  He earned the honor after going 8-1, winning both the Hokie Open and the Black Knight Invite at 184 pounds.  This is his second career monthly award from the SoCon after winning the award in January of last season.  A senior from Dublin, Georgia, Carr had three major decisions, one technical fall and one pin.  His only loss in the opening month was to No. 7 Zach Zavatsky of Virginia Tech in sudden victory.
 
CARR IS A TWO-TIME WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Senior Bryce Carr has twice earned the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week honor.  His first award came after winning the Hokie Open on the first weekend of competition in November.  Most recently, he won the award after placing third at the Southern Scuffle on Jan. 1-2. 
 
MOCS GETTING THE JOB DONE IN THE CLASSROOM
UTC topped the 3.0 mark as a team for the third time with a 3.03 GPA in the Fall of 2017.  The Mocs put a program record 17 on the Dean's List, while 21 on the A.D. Honor Roll is second only to the 22 in the Fall of 2015.

Edited March 2, 2018 by Sommers

[Sommers]

 

 

 

UTC wrestler Michael Pongracz hopes to complete collegiate career with more success

March 3rd, 2018by Gene Henleyin Sports - CollegeRead Time: 2 mins.

 

UTC senior 141-pounder Michael Pongracz and the Mocs' other nine starters are ready for the SoCon tournament today in Charleston, S.C. Pongracz, who redshirted last season, hopes to add a third NCAA tournament appearance to his list of accomplishments.

Photo by C.B. Schmelter

Michael Pongracz has accomplished everything during his University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling career.

Well, almost everything.

The 141-pound senior, who has 80 wins, two All-Southern Conference selections and an NCAA tournament win on his résumé, is one of 10 Mocs competing today in the SoCon tournament at McAlister Fieldhouse in Charleston, S.C. First-round matches start at 10 a.m., with the finals set for 7 p.m.

 

"I think we're probably the most ready that we've been as a team," UTC coach Heath Eslinger said. "We're strong, we're healthy and we're in as good a spot as we can be in. We've got 10 guys that are charged up and ready to go get it done."

One thing Pongracz hasn't accomplished during his career is win a SoCon title. He has advanced to the NCAA tournament twice, on the strength of a runner-up finish at the 2014-15 Socon tournament and via an at-large bid a year later. After redshirting last season, he has shown he didn't lose anything in the year away from competition, finishing the recently completed regular season 16-10, including a 6-0 record in SoCon matches.

He's one of the Mocs' No. 1 seeds today, joining SoCon wrestler of the year Bryce Carr (174), who was 5-0 against league competition with three pins and a major decision.

SoCon regular-season champion Appalachian State, which went 7-0 in league duals and edged UTC 18-16, has the most No. 1 seeds with four. Like UTC, Campbell and SIU-Edwardsville each has two top seeds.

"I'm super excited about this," Pongracz said. "It's my last go-around, and I'm ready to show people where I am now."

Eslinger said that at no point during Pongracz's career has the wrestler asked "Why?" Not when he split time at weight classes as a freshman; not last season when he was asked to redshirt coming off an NCAA bid and entering what would have been his final season.

"He's been a 'What's next?' guy, and it's good to have him back," Eslinger said. "For him, he came in battle-tested, he knew what to expect, and he's continued to shape and he's ready to go out and wrestle."

What's next for Pongracz now is the SoCon, and if things play out, he'll have an opportunity to get that elusive title and finish his career in the NCAA tournament.

"It's what you shoot for, nationals," he said. "I'm working to get that title this time. I've come up short in the past, but I'm ready to redeem myself for my last go-around."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.

______________________________

 

Talented and Young Cody Chittum of McCallie AA opponent coverage up in Maryland...

 

Sandoval ends wrestling career at St. Mary's Ryken with third-place finish at National Preps tournament

• By MICHAEL REID mreid@somdnews.com
• Mar 2, 2018

 

 

St. Mary’s Ryken High School senior and Waldorf resident King Sandoval, pictured here pinning Jack Bakey of The Heights School of Virginia earlier this year, placed third at the National Prep Championship held at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.

• Staff photo by MICHAEL REID

 

 

 

 

St. Mary’s Ryken’s King Sandoval, right, pictured here dominating Jack Bakey of The Heights School of Virginia earlier this year, will wrestle at the University of Maryland in the fall.

• Staff photo by MICHAEL REID

 

 

 

 

St. Mary’s Ryken’s King Sandoval, putting the finishing touches on a pin of Bishop McNamara’s Xavier Locke earlier this year, finishes his Knights wrestling career with 233 wins, 144 of them by fall.

• Staff photo by MICHAEL READ

Last Saturday, arguably one of the most distinguished wrestlers ever to compete in Southern Maryland stepped off the mat when St. Mary's Ryken's King Sandoval took home a third-place finish at the National Prep Championship tournament held at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.

Sandoval, a senior from Waldorf, won a 6-1 decision over Sal Jones of Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) in the consolation final to conclude his stellar high school career.

“My coach [Vince Whittles, St. Mary's Ryken head coach] and my dad [Carlos] were very proud of me,” Sandoval said, “and I just want to thank everyone who kept supporting me, even when I was down and not in the right place. They're the ones who kept my head up and kept everything up for me so I didn't give up.”

Sandoval finishes his Knights career with 233 career wins, 144 of them by fall. He is a four-time National Prep qualifier with a second, two third-place and a fifth-place finish. He's also a three-time state champion, three-time Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champion, three-time Wrestling Coalition of the District of Columbia St. Alban's (now Melee on the Metro) tournament champion, three-time War on the Shore tournament champion and two-time Beast of the East tournament All-American qualifier with a fifth- and eighth-place finish.

Sandoval was hoping to add National Prep champion to his résumé — he placed second last year – but those plans were thwarted following a 14-12 overtime loss to Sal Jones of Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.) in the quarterfinals.

Sandoval was ahead 9-3 after two periods, but Jones rallied to take the lead 12-11 after outscoring Sandoval over the first 1:04 of the third period. Two seconds later, Sandoval earned an escape to force overtime.

“I really was [rolling],” Sandoval said of the first four minutes of the match. “I was getting into it and had the lead, but when it came to the third period, my hand and knee were really hurting and I just wanted to keep going, but ultimately I just ran out of gas. I wasn't prepared mentally when that third period came.”

Jones scored a takedown 43 seconds left in the extra period to earn the win.

“I made multiple mistakes throughout the match,” Sandoval said. “I wasn't staying in my stance, I was thinking bad thoughts and not staying positive and I wasn't thinking about winning the match, I was thinking about stalling it out, but that's not really the right mindset you should have when you're wrestling.”

In the consolation quarterfinals, Sandoval responded by pinning Cody Chittum of McCallie and then pinned Griffin Seyfried of Greens Farms Academy (Conn.) at 3 minutes 17 seconds. Then in the consolation semifinals, he defeated Paul Truntich of Archbishop Spalding, a rematch of the private school state finals from the week prior, in a 9-6 decision then got past Jones to finish third in the country.

“After I lost [to Jones], I didn't really dwell on it, I tried to forget about it and all I thought about was getting revenge and destroying everyone in my path,” said Sandoval, who will wrestle for the University of Maryland next season. “It was really emotional because my goal was to win National Preps. That was my all-time goal for my high school career and my last chance to do it, but you can't always be the best, obviously.”

Sandoval won the tournament's Bob Dalling Most Falls Least Time Award after scoring four falls in 5:06.

“I loved representing my high school in front of hundreds, if not thousands in that big arena,” Sandoval said of wearing the St. Mary's Ryken singlet for the last time. “But it was very sad at the same time because I'll never be able to wrestle in that singlet again. Knowing I did well and represented my school well makes me very happy so it's bittersweet at the same time.”

St. Mary's Ryken teammate Alex Figuerias (126 pounds) finished 1-2 at the tournament and the team finished 28th with 25 points. Blair Academy of New Jersey won the team event with 345 points.

Edited March 4, 2018 by Sommers

[Sommers]

•  

Three Moc Wrestlers Win SoCon Titles

Saturday, March 3, 2018

 
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team scored three individual Southern Conference titles on its way to a second-place finish at the 2018 SoCon Championships in Charleston, S.C. today. 

Seniors Bryce Carr and Scottie Boykin and junior Alonzo Allen led the Mocs at The Citadel's McAlister Field House.  UTC and Southern Illinois-Edwardsville tied for the most individual champions, while Appalachian State won the team title.

Carr started off the finals against Appalachian State's Alan Clothier.

 

  Two takedowns in the first period gave him a 4-1 cushion that he kept throughout the match.  He added a takedown and riding time in the third for his second SoCon title at 184.  He will enter the NCAA Championships with a 26-5 overall record. 

Boykin won his second league crown at 197 pounds with an impressive performance that included a fall and a major decision.  He took on The Citadel's Sawyer Root in the finals and carried a 4-2 lead into a wild second period. 

After choosing down, Root escaped and then took down Boykin.  Boykin quickly reversed Root to take a 6-5 lead with 40 seconds left.  Boykin then scored another takedown for a 10-8 lead.  An escape and takedown in the final frame sealed the win, as Boykin improved to 26-6.

Allen had an outstanding tournament with a fall and two decisions at 125 to punch his first ticket to the NCAAs.  He defeated Appalachian State's DeAndre Swinson-Barr 9-5 in the finals.  After and even 3-3 first period, Allen scored an escape and two takedowns in the second for an 8-4 cushion.  He kept the pressure on in the third and added a riding time point.  Allen is a career-best 21-8 overall. 

"No one wants to finish second after the amount of work we put into it, but this is a really special group of guys," stated UTC head coach Heath Eslinger.  "There are a lot of things to be excited about today, especially the next few weeks for Scottie, Bryce and Alonzo. 

"I thought Chad Pyke wrestled well, but that is just our sport.  You can go from the Mountain top to the valley in a breath and I just feel for those guys."

Appalachian State wrapped up the team title with some outstanding wrestling early in the day that saw eight Mountaineers advance to the finals.  However, ASU only record two wins in those eight matches.  They finished with 110 team points, out pacing the Mocs who were second with 88.  Campbell finished third with 88 points.

Senior Chad Pyke was runner-up at 165 pounds.  The Mocs had four finish in third place, including juniors Chris Debien (133) and Connor Tolley (285) and seniors Michael Pongracz (141) and Justin Lampe (174).  Junior Roman Boylen placed fourth at 149 pounds.

"We have two weeks to get ready for the national tournament," added Eslinger.  "I think we have guys who can get on the podium.  At-large sections come out on Tuesday.  With the type of schedule we wrestled, hopefully we can get one or two more in." 

Up next for the Mocs is the NCAA Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, March 15-17.  Check back to GoMocs.com for any information on at-large bids and pre-championship notes.    

2018 Southern Conference Championships
125 – Alonzo Allen – 1st Place
                Michael McClelland (Davidson) – W-Fall (1:47)
                Zachary Gentzler (SIUE) – W-D, 12-7
                DeAndre Swinson-Barr (App. St.) – W-D, 9-5

133 – Chris Debien – 3rd Place
                Hunter Starner (VMI) – W-D, 3-1
                Codi Russell (ASU) – L-D, 5-11
                Philip Anderson (GWU) – W-D, 4-1
                Nathan Boston (Campbell) – W-D, 5-0

141 – Michael Pongracz – 3rd Place
                Michael Hulcher (VMI) – W-Fall (4:46)
                Irvin Enriquez (Appalachian State) – L-D, 1-3
                Dustin Runzo (Davidson) – W-D, 5-0
                Douglas Gudenburr (Citadel) – W-D, 3-0

149 – Roman Boylen – 4th Place
                Tyler Buckiso (Citadel) – L-D, 3-9               
                Kevin Keaveney (VMI) – W-Fall (2:28)
                Zachary Barnes (Campbell) – W-D, 7-3
                Tyler Buckiso (Citadel) – L-D, 2-7               

157 – Jake Adcock
                Karsten Van Velsor (SIUE) – L-Fall (2:05)
                Ethan Phillips (The Citadel) – W-TF, 22-7 (5:00)
                Austin Kraisser (Campbell) – L-MD, 2-10

165 – Chad Pyke – 2nd Place
                Hunter Costa (Davidson) – W-Fall (1:50)
                Quentin Perez (Campbell) – W-D, 10-6
                Nate Higgins (SIUE) – L-Fall (4:38)

174 - Justin Lampe – 3rd Place
                Noah Satterfield (Davidson) – W-Fall (1:20)
                Andrew Morgan (Campbell) – L-D, 1-3 (SV1)
                Bryce Shewan (SIUE) – W-D, 13-6
                Cade Kieley (VMI)- W-MD, 10-2

184 - Bryce Carr – 1st Place
                Michael Lopouchanski (Citadel) – W-Fall (0:54)
                Christopher Beck (VMI) – W-D, 4-1
                Alan Clothier (App. St.) – W-D, 8-2

197 - Scottie Boykin – 1st Place
                Konner Pritchard (Davidson) W-Fall (1:49)
                Chris Kober (Campbell) – W-MD, 12-4
                Sawyer Root (Citadel) – W-D, 13-9

285 - Connor Tolley – 3rd Place
                Tommy Helton (SIUE) – W-D, 9-5
                Cary Miller (App. St.) – L-MD, 0-11
                *Lathan Bumgarner (GWU) – W-D, 5-3

*Ummmmmmm

                Michael McAleavey (The Citadel) – W-D, 3-2

__________________________________

Olympics-Chattanooga?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

City attempts to woo officials for Olympic trials with Chattanooga Marathon

March 3rd, 2018by Mark Pacein Local Regional NewsRead Time: 4 mins.

 

A woman points to the sky as she crosses the finish line during the first running of the Chattanooga Marathon on Sunday, Mar. 6, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Photo by John Rawlston /Times Free Press.

 

 

Uma Krishnamoorthy takes a photograph of himself as he crosses the finish line during the first running of the Chattanooga Marathon on Sunday, Mar. 6, 2016, in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Photo by John Rawlston /Times Free Press.

City officials will use this weekend's Chattanooga Marathon to try to woo USA Track & Field representatives to the Scenic City.

Chattanooga is one of four cities bidding for the 2020 Olympic Team Trialsmarathon, and track and field representatives who have a say in the decision will be in the city for the event.

Related Article

Street closures for Chattanooga Marathon weekend

Read more

"There's many county departments, city departments, nonprofits, volunteers groups, private organizations who are on the same page producing a quality event together as one team," Chattanooga Sports Committee President Tim Morgan said. "That's the key that we're trying to demonstrate this weekend. They're going to see the environment that Chattanooga has created.They're going to see the engagement of our community."

The event would add to the city's growing number of major outdoor events, but city officials have other plans to bring in an Olympic event, even if USA Track & Field doesn't choose Chattanooga.

---------------

There are other Olympic trials events that haven't been placed such as boxing, weightlifting, wrestling and others. The sports committee has been in conversations with some of those bodies to see if Chattanooga could potentially host one of the events.

----------------------

"We're still fine-tuning a direction we can go with that," Morgan said. "This weekend it's about running. It's about the USA Track and Field team trials in the marathon."

Sunday's marathon will take a new direction, literally.

Instead of its normal 26.2-mile course, runners will run two laps on a shorter course to minimize the impact on the community.

"I think that is going to help engage the supporters and the community because runners are passing the same place twice," Chattanooga Track Club President Jenni Berz said. "This will help hone resources."

The track club coordinates volunteer efforts for the event that features the marathon, a half marathon and more. It is expected to have nearly 4,000 participants.

It will also cut down on road closures and the traffic impact to address concerns from non-participants, Morgan said.

"We listened to our community and we listened to our partners," Morgan said. "The way it was laid out before was taxing to the community on multiple fronts. We adjusted to accommodate our community with what we hope is less impact on our locals who aren't engaged in event. We also think this will bring a higher level of engagement for those wanting to view the event."

Contact staff writer Mark Pace at mpace@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6361. Follow him on Twitter @themarkpace and on Facebook @ChattanoogaOutdoors.

Edited March 4, 2018 by Sommers

[Sommers]

Needing to plan a wrestling schedule the next year, here's a good site...

https://sites.google.com/a/coachpeck.com/wrestling-tournaments/

 

[Sommers]

CUMBERLAND WRESTLING

Lebanon,Tn

Rory Linton

1 / 1 Zach Linton

---

DOANE UNIVERSITY WRESTLING 

Linton finishes second in NAIA wrestling championships

STAFF REPORTS • TODAY AT 12:00 AM

Des Moines, Iowa

Former Wilson Central wrestler Zach Linton finished second in the NAIA Championships last week in Des Moines, Iowa, falling to No. 2 seed Charles Sharon of Campbellsville 7-3 in the 184-pound finals.

The Doane (Neb.) University sophomore, who won a state championship for Wilson Central in 2016, lost just one match against NAIA competition this season, winning the Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament with three pins. He’s already qualified for two NAIA Championships and is an All-American. He was named GPAC Wrestler of the Year.

 

____________________

 

CUMBERLAND WRESTLING 

Cumberland trio ends run at national championships

STAFF REPORT • MAR 3, 2018 AT 5:05 PM 

DES MOINES, Iowa — Sophomore John Olivieri lost in the main draw at 184 and then again in the backdraw while freshman Shota Sisco and junior DeAndre Jones both lost in the wrestleback for Cumberland in the 61st annual NAIA Championships on Friday night.

Olivieri dropped a 3-2 Decision to Baker University’s fourth-ranked Jacob Smith in the quarterfinals on Friday night. The Murfreesboro native then lost by the same score to Missouri Baptist’s 16th-ranked Dylan Bollinger in the wrestleback.

Sisco lost an 8-6 decision to Graceland University’s Drew Sams at 157. Jones won his first bout at 197, a 7-3 decision versus Menlo College’s seventh-ranked Jovan Villalobos but then dropped an 8-2 decision to Eastern Oregon’s 12th-ranked Eric Fan.

Southeastern sports information

1 / 1 DeAndre Jones

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CUMBERLAND WRESTLING 

Final brackets released for NAIA Championships

STAFF REPORTS • MAR 1, 2018 AT 4:04 PM

Cumberland wrestlers Brandon Weber, Shota Sisco, DeAndre Jones and John Olivieri begin action in the 61st Annual NAIA Wrestling Championships on Friday at 10 a.m. at the Jacobson Exhibition Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

Final brackets for the event were revealed on Thursday, with Weber set to take on Kansas Wesleyan’s 10th-ranked Taylor Moeder at 141. The winner of that match faces Reinhardt University’s 13th-ranked Kalvin Harris.

Sisco, ranked 19th at 157, received a bye into the second round and meets the winner of Midland University’s third-ranked Jahwon Akui and fourth-ranked Southern Oregon’s Hunter Hodges.

Olivieri, ranked 20th at 184, also got a bye into the second round and takes on the winner of Menlo College’s 17th-ranked Bruce Valdez and Williams Baptist’s third-ranked Joshua Chiles.

Jones, ranked ninth at 197, takes on the winner of Missouri Valley’s fifth-ranked Donavan Fouchey and Doane College’s 15th-ranked Chandler Knight in the second round at 197.

______________________

 

Nebraska coverage...

 

 

NAIA WRESTLING -- Zach Linton places 2nd

• STAFF REPORT

 

Former Wilson Central wrestler Zach Linton

http://www.hastingstribune.com/sports/gpac/naia-wrestling----zach-linton-places-nd/article_ed2fa2fe-3d8f-5801-90f2-a493504f2600.html

Former WCHS state champ -

DES MONIES, IA -- Former Wilson Central wrestler Zach Linton took runner-up honors Saturday, March 3 at the 61st annual NAIA Championships as he dropped his championship match at 184 pounds.

Linton, who as a Wildcat won the TSSAA Class AAA state title at 174 pounds back in 2016, finished the season for Doan College [Neb.] with a 33-3 record.

Linton lost in the championship match to Charles Sharon of Campbellsville (Ky.), by decision, 10-3.

Linton, who presently hails from Winters, Calif., needed only 22 seconds to pin the top seed, Cameron Jones of Cumberlands (Ky.) in Saturday morning's semifinal match.

The Great Plains Athletic Conference named Linton as its Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Wrestler of the Year.

CU grapplers -

Cumberland sophomore John Olivieri lost in the main draw at 184 and then again in the backdraw while freshman Shota Sisco and junior DeAndre Jones both lost in the wrestleback for Cumberland Friday night.

Olivieri dropped a 3-2 Decision to Baker University’s fourth-ranked Jacob Smith in the quarterfinals on Friday night.

The Murfreesboro native then lost by the same score to Missouri Baptist’s 16th-ranked Dylan Bollinger in the wrestleback.

Sisco lost an 8-6 Decision to Graceland University’s Drew Sams at 157.

Jones won his first bout at 197, a 7-3 Decision versus Menlo College’s seventh-ranked Jovan Villalobos but then dropped an 8-2 Decision to Eastern Oregon’s 12th-ranked Eric Fan

Edited March 7, 2018 by Sommers

[Sommers]

Interesting NCAA D1 updates on the team to beat with one opening match vs UTC...

PENN STATE WRESTLING

Penn State wrestlers learn paths to NCAA titles

BY NATE COBLER

•  

March 07, 2018 07:04 PM

Updated 3 hours 44 minutes ago

The final tournament of the year has arrived for Penn State wrestlers — the NCAA Championships.

The brackets were released Wednesday, and the Nittany Lions grabbed two top seeds. They also had four others earn No. 2 or No. 3 seeds in their weight classes.

Zain Retherford (149 pounds) and Bo Nickal (184) garnered the top seeds, with Jason Nolf (No. 3, 157), Vincenzo Joseph (No. 3, 165), Mark Hall (No. 2, 174), and Nick Nevills (No. 3, 285) getting in the top three.

Shakur Rasheed received the next-highest seed at No. 5 at 197 pounds. Nick Lee (141) came in at No. 8, and Corey Keener did not receive a seed.

Retherford begins his climb to a third straight NCAA crown with Eastern Michigan’s Kyle Springer (21-16). Nickal, meanwhile, will attempt to reach his third finals and starts against San Diego State’s Martin Mueller (26-6).

Nickal could wrestle Penns Valley graduate Corey Hazel, who competes for Lock Haven if both reach the semifinals. Hazel didn’t receive a seed at 184 pounds and begins with the No. 12 seed in Chattanooga’s Bryce Carr.

Nolf starts with Central Michigan’s Colin Heffernan (19-6). If Nolf wants to make the finals again, he could have an NCAA finals rematch with Missouri’s Joey Lavallee, who is No. 2, in the semfinals of this year’s tournament. The top seed at the weight class is Mifflin County graduate Hayden Hidlay of North Carolina State.

Joseph ended up on the bottom part of the bracket, which means he won’t have to face Illinois’ Isaiah Martinez — the No. 1 seed — until the finals. Joseph takes on Princeton’s Jonathan Schleifer (16-11).

Nevills, like Joseph and Nolf, will miss the top seed at his weight, which in this case is Ohio State’s Kyle Snyder. Nevills, who takes on Kent State’s Stephen Suglio (20-8), would have to face Michigan’s Adam Coon for a trip to the finals if they both reach the semifinals.

Rasheed opens with the Citadel’s Sawyer Root (25-14), and Lee will take on a Big Ten foe in Maryland’s Ryan Diehl. Keener will face No. 11 Dom Forys of Pittsburgh.

The remaining top seeds are Lehigh’s Darian Cruz (125 pounds), South Dakota State’s Seth Gross (133), Wyoming’s Bryce Meredith (141), Arizona State’s Zahid Valencia (174), Ohio State’s Kollin Moore (197).

Penn State’s Zain Retherford and Iowa’s Brandon Sorenson are the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively, at the 149 pounds for the NCAA Championships. The tournament runs from March 15-17 in Cleveland. Phoebe Sheehan Centre Daily Times, file

 

[Sommers]

Union county Alum tragedy...

 

SIUE Athletics Mourns Loss of Bryce Sheffer

Mar 09, 2018

 

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville community is mourning the loss of freshman College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) student , who died from injuries sustained in an ATV accident on Thursday, March 8 near his home in Morganfield, Kentucky. He was 19.

Sheffer was a freshman on the SIUE wrestling team. He was able to wrestle unattached through the 2017-18 season, compiling a 10-6 record, while winning six of his last seven matches in open events at 141 pounds. Sheffer enrolled at SIUE after wrestling for Cougars alum Robert Ervin at Union County High School.   

"It was an honor and a privilege to have Bryce as part of our program," said Jeremy Spates, SIUE wrestling head coach. "We are deeply saddened by his loss and would like to express our heartfelt sympathies to his family and friends. He always will be a part of our team."

Information regarding visitation and services will be made available, as they become known.

Counseling services are available to students by calling 650-2842 or visiting the Counseling Health Services Office in the Student Success Center lower level adjacent to the Morris University Center.