UTC Wrestler Jared Johnson Earns Two Weekly Honors

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga sophomore wrestler Jared Johnson took home two weekly honors from the Southern Conference.  He is the SoCon Wrestler of the Week and the General Shale SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week, the league office announced today.

Johnson won his lone heavyweight match of the week in Maclelland Gym on Sunday.  He defeated No. 11 Ross Larson of Oklahoma 12-11, giving the Mocs a 19-16 team win in the EAS Sports Nutrition/NWCA National Duals match.

With the team score tied at 16 heading to the heavyweight bout, Johnson rushed out to a 7-0 first-period lead with a takedown and five back points.  Larson earned a reversal just before the buzzer, but Johnson accumulated nearly two minutes of riding time.

Johnson led 8-7 after the second period but gave up a takedown early in the third. The sophomore from Jefferson City, Mo., tied it at 9 with an escape and then scored a takedown in the final 30 seconds to take an 11-9 lead. Larson evened the score with a reversal, but Johnson had the crucial riding-time point for the win.

The SoCon Wrestler of the Week is Johnson’s third this season, as he was also the wrestler of the week on Dec. 24 and Jan. 21.  With his win against Oklahoma, Johnson improved to 26-6 overall and has now won 10-straight matches. 

His performance on the mat, and his 3.70 g.p.a. in chemical engineering, earned him his second General Shale Southern Conference Student-Athlete of the Week honor.  The student-athlete of the week is earned throughout the year by top performers with at least a 3.3 g.p.a.  This is the league-leading sixth time a Moc has earned the General Shale SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week recognition.

The Mocs (12-5, 6-0 SoCon), winners of nine straight duals, will now face No. 1 and undefeated Iowa (15-0) in the quarterfinals of the NWCA National Duals in Iowa City, Iowa, on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. (E.S.T.). The quarterfinal field also includes No. 2 Missouri, No. 3 Ohio State, No. 4 Minnesota, No. 5 Cornell, No. 11 Lehigh and No. 12 Illinois.

Chattanooga, which has already locked up at least a share of its third straight SoCon regular-season title, closes out league action Sunday at SIUE (5-17, 2-4 SoCon).  

2014-15 SoCon Wrestlers of the Week
Nov. 5 - Kevin Birmingham, Davidson
Nov. 12 - Dalton Henderson, VMI
Nov. 19 - Denzel Dejournette, Appalachian State
Nov. 26 - Denzel Dejournette, Appalachian State
Dec. 10 - Dominic Parisi, Appalachian State
Dec. 17 - Austin Trott, Gardner-Webb
Dec. 24 - Jared Johnson, Chattanooga
Jan. 7 - Sean Boyle, Chattanooga
Jan. 14 - Matt Frisch, The Citadel
Jan. 21 - Jared Johnson, Chattanooga
Jan. 28 - Jake Residori, SIUE
Feb. 4 - Nick Kee, Appalachian State
Feb. 11 - Juan Adams, VMI
Feb. 18 - Jared Johnson, Chattanooga