The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga again welcomes some of the top talent in all of collegiate wrestling to the upcoming 2016 Defense Soap and Flips Wrestling Southern Scuffle. What will once again be the top in-season tournament in the nation, the Scuffle takes place Jan. 1-2 at the McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga.
Depending on which preseason poll you follow, there are up to nine teams participating who are in the top-25, highlighted by No. 1 Oklahoma State, No. 2 Penn State and No. 3 Michigan in the NWCA listings.
Other top ten teams making the annual trip to the Scenic City are Lehigh (7), Cornell (8) and North Carolina (10). Minnesota (17), West Virginia (21), Edinboro (24) and Stanford (24) are other attendees who are also ranked in at least one preseason poll.
"I am really very proud of what the Southern Scuffle has become during its short time in Chattanooga," stated head coach Heath Eslinger. "We have put a lot of work into it and our administration and local wrestling community are committed to making this a premier event each year.
"However, it is the commitment from these top teams from around the country to keep coming back that make it such a great event. The competition is second only to the NCAAs and you are going to again see a lot of high-quality wrestling."
Two national champions and 30 All-Americans are in the 2016 field. All totaled, there are 85 wrestlers who were ranked in their class in the preseason who are schedule to compete.
Tickets for the 2016 Southern Scuffle are on sale now. Daily admission is $30 for reserved seats, $20 for general admission and $10 for youth general admission. All-session passes are $55 for reserved, $35 for general admission and $15 for youth. Tickets can be purchased online on GoMocs.com or by calling the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627).
Appalachian State
Army
Boise State
Cal Poly
Campbell
Central Michigan
Chattanooga
The Citadel
Cleveland State
Cornell
Drexel
Duke
Edinboro
Gardner-Webb
Lehigh
Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Navy
North Carolina
Northern Colorado
Oklahoma State
Penn
Penn State
Pittsburgh
Stanford
Utah Valley
Virginia
West Virginia
Wyoming