The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team went 1-2 at the Hokie Duals in Salem, Va., today. The Mocs defeated Hofstra, but fell to No. 17 Virginia Tech and Rider in dual match competition.
Junior Corey Mock led the way at 165 pounds. He defeated three ranked opponents in the event and is 5-0 since transferring from North Carolina over the summer.
Chattanooga posted back-to-back wins at 197 and heavyweight to defeat Hofstra (19-14) in the first match of the day. The Pride took a 10-3 lead with wins in three of the first four matches. Junior Nick Soto (Spring Hill, Fla.) had the lone victory for the Mocs at 133 in that run. It was his first of three wins on the day.
Soto was trailing Jamel Hudson 6-2 after two periods, but tied the match with a takedown and two back points early in the final frame. Hudson escaped for a one-point lead, but Soto scored the match-winning (8-7) takedown with 34 seconds left.
Senior Alex Hudson (Marietta, Ga.) closed the team gap to 10-7 with a major decision win over Nick Terdick (11-1) at 157. Mock tied the team score at 10 with his 5-1 decision over No. 11 Joseph Booth. Junior Levi Clemons (Kissimmee, Fla.) gave UTC a 13-10 advantage with his 7-3 decision over Victor Pozsonyi at 174.
Hofstra took the lead one more time with a major decision at 184, but freshman Jared Johnson (Jefferson City, Mo.) and junior Kevin Malone (Carrollton, Ohio) closed the door with wins at 197 and heavyweight.
Chattanooga 19 – Hofstra 14
125: Jamie Franco (Hofstra) – Dec. 6-1 - Zach Bridson (UTC) – Hofstra 3-0
133: Nick Soto (UTC) – Dec. 8-7 - Jamel Hudson (Hofstra) – 3-3
141: No. 14 Luke Vaith (Hofstra) – MD 11-3 - Austin Sams (UTC) – Hofstra 7-3
149: Cody Ruggirello (Hofstra) – Dec. 8-5 - Michael Hooker (UTC) – Hofstra 10-3
157: Alex Hudson (UTC) – MD 11-1 - Nick Terdick (Hofstra) – Hofstra 10-7
165: No. 13 Corey Mock (UTC)- Dec. 5-1 – No. 11 Joseph Booth (Hofstra) – 10-10
174: Levi Clemons (UTC) – Dec. 7-3 - Victor Pozsonyi (Hofstra) – UTC 13-10
184: Dwight Howes (Hofstra) – MD 13-2 - Clay Dent (UTC) – Hofstra 14-13
197: Jared Johnson (UTC) – Dec. 4-1 - David Heitman (Hofstra) – UTC 16-14
285: Kevin Malone (UTC) – Dec. 3-1 - Michael Hughes (Hofstra) – UTC 19-14
For the second time in three matches, UTC competed hard against a ranked team. The Mocs trailed No. 17 Virginia Tech 11-10 with four bouts left before falling 27-10. Soto, Hudson and Mock all scored wins for UTC. Mock was impressive with his 8-0 major decision over No. 16 Chris Moon. The Hokies put the match out of reach at 197, scoring six points when Johnson had to forfeit due to an injury.
No. 17 Virginia Tech 27 – Chattanooga 10
125: No. 20 Joey Dance (Virginia Tech) – Dec. 9-3 - Zach Bridson (UTC) – Virginia Tech 3-0
133: Nick Soto (UTC) – Dec. 4-0 - Erik Spjut (Virginia Tech) – 3-3
141: No. 3 Devin Carter (Virginia Tech) – Tech Fall 23-8 (5:59) - Austin Sams (UTC) – Virginia Tech 8-3
149: No. 12 Zach Neibert (Virginia Tech) – Dec. 4-2 - Michael Hooker (UTC) – Virginia Tech 11-3
157: Alex Hudson (UTC) – Dec. 9-3 - Sal Mastriani (Virginia Tech) – Virginia Tech 11-6
165: No. 13 Corey Mock (UTC) – MD 8-0 – No. 16 Chris Moon (Virginia Tech) – Virginia Tech 11-10
174: Austin Gabel (Virginia Tech) – Dec. 10-4 - Levi Clemons (UTC) – Virginia Tech 14-10
184: Nick Vetterlein (Virginia Tech) – MD 12-2 - Clay Dent (UTC) – Virginia Tech 18-10
197: Chris Penny (Virginia Tech) – Inj. Def. - Jared Johnson (UTC) – Virginia Tech 24-10
285: Ty Walz (Virginia Tech) – Dec. 6-3 - Kevin Malone (UTC) – Virginia Tech 27-10
The final match with Rider was back-and-forth throughout, with the Broncs taking a 19-14 win. UTC won four of the first six matches, with Soto and Hudson scoring bonus points. Hudson also scored his third win of the day. Chattanooga held a 14-9 lead after Mock shut out No. 12 Ramon Santiago 5-0 at 165.
Rider won the next three matches, including a nail-biter at 174. Clemons lead Connor Brennan 1-0 with time winding down. Brennan was able to get a takedown with five seconds left for a 2-1 win. Malone scored a win a heavyweight to close out the match, but he needed a tech fall or pin to close the gap.
Chattanooga is 2-3 on the season and back in action this weekend at Maclellan Gym. UTC hosts Life and Shorter in a tri-meet. It is a full day of Mocs action in Maclellan, beginning with UTC volleyball hosting Furman at 3:00 p.m. (E.S.T.). Wrestling will start immediately following and admission is free. Live scoring and a MocsVision broadcast is available on GoMocs.com.
Rider 19 – Chattanooga 17
125: No. 17 Robert Deutsch (Rider) – Dec. 7-3 - Zach Bridson (UTC) – Rider 3-0
133: Nick Soto (UTC) – MD 13-2 - Chuck Zeisloft (Rider) – UTC 4-3
141: Paul Kirchner (Rider) – Fall 2:39 - Austin Sams (UTC) – Rider 9-4
149: Michael Hooker (UTC) – Dec. 6-0 - Curt Delia (Rider) – Rider 9-7
157: Alex Hudson (UTC) – MD 12-2 - Wayne Stinson (Rider) – UTC 11-9
165: No. 13 Corey Mock (UTC) – Dec. 5-0 – No. 12 Ramon Santiago (Rider) – UTC 14-9
174: Connor Brennan (Rider) – Dec. 2-1 - Levi Clemons (UTC) – UTC 14-12
184: Clint Morrison (Rider) – MD 9-0 - Clay Dent (UTC) – Rider 16-14
197: Donald Mcneil (Rider) – Dec. 14-11 - Scottie Boykin (UTC) – Rider 19-14
285: Kevin Malone (UTC) – Dec. 4-1 - Greg Velasco (Rider) – Rider 19-17