On the Eve of the NCAA D-I wrestling championship, Tennessee at Chattanooga head wrestling coach Heath Eslinger sat down with Chattanoogan.com on Thursday to discuss this season and beyond through a question and answer session.

UTC has two wrestlers – redshirt freshman Dean Pavlou (149) and sophomore Jason McCroskey (184) – who will compete in next week’s NCAA tournament, Mar. 18-20 in Omaha, Neb.

Pavlou earned an automatic berth via his Southern Conference title, while McCroskey, who placed second in the Southern Conference – was one of 50 to receive at-large bids.

Chattanoogan.com: What is your summation of the 2009-10 UTC season?
Coach Elsinger: “It’s been a great year.

‘’First, the job change (from high school coach to college coach). I am glad to be sitting in this chair (as head coach) now and we have had a great time this year.

“There are a lot of variables that go into measuring success. UTC was 11-7 in dual meets and outscored our Southern Conference opponents, 161-43.

"We also beat a good Northern Iowa team for the first time and had a true freshman (Jake Young) ranked in the top 20 part of the season.

‘’Looking at the total scope, socially our guys, overall, have done a great job in dealing with college life.

‘‘I suspended three starters for breaking team rules prior to the Southern Conference tournament which hurt us in the short term. But, in the overall big picture, that one incident could propel us beyond where UTC wrestling has been for the past 10-15 years.’’

Chattanoogan.com: What are the two or three important things you learned in your first year as the Mocs head coach?
Coach Eslinger: ‘‘First, It’s about your whole staff and three other guys supporting what I believe is best for the staff and the team.

“And we are open enough and work closely enough so that an assistant can say “what about this idea or let’s re-evaluate that decision.’

“Second, kids are going to be kids. We as coaches cannot expect perfection and hopefully the wrestlers don’t expect perfection from their coaches, because that is not going to happen.

“Third, stick to your guns.

“We are only as good as our weakest link. We need a room full of guys who want to compete at the highest level in college.

“If we only have 10 guys in the room who buy into our philosophy and one of them gets injured, then we as a team are in trouble due to lack of depth and commitment.

“But if 30 guys have bought into our philosophy then an injury to a starter could be a great opportunity for a number two guy to step in and show what he can do and we will feel comfortable knowing the number two and three guys in a weight are prepared and ready to go when called upon.’’

Chattanoogan.com: What are the three of four points that sum up your coaching philosophy.
Coach Eslinger: “I am a life coach.

“I want to prepare our wrestlers for the future, to focus on the process, not the result and to teach them to be unselfish.

“If we can get the factors (academics, social life, social skills, etc.) under control, the wrestling part of the equation will be that much better.

“The coaching staff wants our wrestlers to be successful for the 65 years or so after they walk off the mat for the final time.

“Hopefully we give them the correct tools in the four or five years we have them in the room that will impact their life for good for those next 65 years.’’

Chattanoogan.com: What are the goals for UTC wrestling for the next three to four years?
Coach Eslinger:

Academics: “In the classroom, we want our a 3.0 team GPA. Right now we are at about a 2.7 and can reach that 3.0 goal soon.

All-Americans: “To be a viable player on the big stage at the big dance (NCAA D-I tournament) we need multiple, multi-year All-Americans. UTC has never had that since the Jim Morgan era in NCAA D-II in the 1970s.

Depth: “We want to have two guys at each of the 10 weight classes who can get the job done.

Staff: “To have a solid foundation, our staff needs to stay intact for the next five years. UTC has had six head coaches, plus numerous assistant coaches, in the past 10 years.

Long Term: “I am here at UTC for the long haul and to get the job done. I am not looking at this job as a stepping-stone to get me to another D-I program.

“We must win the Southeast recruiting wise. We have already signed some talented wrestlers from the Southeast for next season and plan to sign more in April.

Chattanoogan.com: “What wrestling program do you use as a model for success?
Coach Eslinger: “We want to be the Central Michigan of the South. They are a strong mid-major program and coach Tom Borelli has that program moving in the right direction.’’

Editor’s Note: Central Michigan will take all 10 wrestlers to the NCAA tournament. Eight wrestlers gained automatic berths and two received at-large bids. CMU is one of only four schools to have all 10 wrestlers in this year’s tournament along with Iowa, Iowa State and Oklahoma.

Five Chippewas earned top 12 seeds in their weight classes.

CMU has had six, multi-year All-Americans since 2003. The program has also produced a pair of NCAA Postgraduate Scholars and two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in the past four years.

Coach Eslinger: “Our kids want stability in the program and they want our expectations to be high.

“The coaching staff is here to get the job done and the future is bright for UTC wrestling.’’

contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net