Mocs face uphill battle at wrestling tourney
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga finished third in the Southern Conference wrestling standings behind Appalachian State and Campbell.
Never mind that the Mocs were a single point away from forcing a three- way championship tie after knotting Appalachian at 16, only to lose on a tiebreaker.
It was an uphill battle, very similar to what they’ll face today at the conference tournament in Charleston, S.C.
“I just don’t know,” coach Heath Eslinger responded to a query about the team championship quest. “Fortunately it’s not a math test but a competition. There are people that make predictions, but they also go play the lottery.”
Appalachian was accorded three No. 1 seeds while Campbell, The Citadel and UTC got two each. Southern Illinois-Edwardsville got one.
Campbell is the favorite based on the total seeding package, but Appalachian went 7- 0 in the conference and is ranked 24th nationally. Even The Citadel, which endured a dismal duals season, is getting at least a dark horse nod based on its all-conference selections.
“There are several teams that can compete for it. The good news for me is that I don’t have to worry about any of the other seven,” Eslinger said.
His Mocs’ top seeds are Chris DeBien at 133 pounds and Justin Lampe at 165.
UTC also received three No. 2 seeds: Alonzo Allen ( 125), Chase Zemenak ( 141) and Bryce Carr ( 184). Jared Johnson ( 285) and Sean Mappes (174) are No. 3 seeds.
“We’re wrestling the best we’ve wrestled all year,” Eslinger said. “No cluttered minds; I feel like we have good guys that have the national tournament on their minds.”
Thanks to performances by the Mocs and their peers at Appalachian and Campbell, it is no longer a must for individuals to win the conference tournament to get to the NCAA tournament. The conference was awarded three NCAA qualifiers at 184 pounds and heavyweight and two each in the 125-, 149- and 157pound weight classes. Wrestlers at 141, 165, 174 and 197 will have to win SoCon championships to advance to the national tournament.
“The big thing is getting the right guys to St. Louis,” Eslinger said.
SoCon wrestlers in the Amateur Wrestling News’ latest national rankings include Campbell’s Nathan Kraisser (13th, 125) and Ville Heino ( 14th, 174), Appalachian’s Colby Smith ( 18th, 133), UTC’s Carr (15th, 184) and heavyweights Denzel Dejournette of Appalachian (10th) and Johnson of UTC (12th).
Johnson is the most experienced of the Mocs with a pair of NCAA appearances, but he has yet to win a conference championship, finishing as a runner-up the past two years. In last year’s tournament he fell to Dejournette, whose victory allowed Appalachian to slip past UTC and win the team title by a half-point.
While DeBien was clearly the top pick at 133 because of his unbeaten run through the conference, he had one- point victories over VMI’s Hunter Starner ( 3-2) and Appalachian’s Smith (2-1).
Lampe (6-1) had the most league wins, but Campbell’s Quentin Perez had a 5-0 record and Lampe’s conference loss was by pin to The Citadel’s Jason Carr.
“He could’ve been seeded anywhere from first to fourth,” Eslinger said.
Carr just missed a top seed. He beat Campbell’s Heino by major decision in the Southern Scuffle but lost 3-1 in overtime in the teams’ dual.
Mappes enjoyed extra success in the league this year. Each of his six wins brought UTC bonus points via pin, technical fall or major decision. He lost by major decision to top- seeded Residori, but his setback to Austin Trott at Gardner-Webb was 6-4.
Zemenak’s lone conference loss was to top- seeded Josh Heil of Campbell (7-6).
The tournament begins at 10 a.m. and finals are to start at 7 p.m.