The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team posted a huge comeback win at No. 19 Virginia this afternoon. The Mocs were down 18-7 before winning the last three matches, including a pin at heavyweight, to cap a furious charge in Charlottesville, Va.
Action was only tied once and the Mocs did not lead until the final whistle, but UTC still managed to improve to 12-4 overall. The Cavaliers fell to 6-6 with the loss.
“These are the days you train for,” stated head coach Heath Eslinger.
“There are highs and lows throughout the year, and then something like this happens. Our backs were against the wall and most everyone had counted us out, but once again the guys found a way to get it done.”
This one felt a lot like last year’s win over Oklahoma, with the Mocs needing three wins late to secure the victory. UVA went up 18-7 after Tyler Askey beat junior Sean Mappes 7-3 at 174.
UTC knew it would need a bit of a miracle in the last three matches to make a comeback, and senior John Lampe got them started. He posted a 5-2 decision over Will Schanya to cut the team deficit to 18-10.
“Lampe just went out and does what he does,” added Eslinger. “He wrestles hard and good things happen to him because of that.”
That set up a tough 197 match between junior Scottie Boykin and No. 11 Zachary Nye. These two had met once before, with Nye posting a 7-1 win in the 2014 Virginia Duals.
Boykin is no stranger to taking down tough talent, so that did not factor in his approach today. He already had four wins in his career over ranked opponents, and looked to add another to keep the team alive.
After a scoreless first period, Nye chose down and escaped in the second for a 1-0 lead. That set up a furious third frame that started with Boykin tying it up with an escape. He then went on the attack, posting three takedowns in the final 90 seconds for the 7-3 decision.
“Not only was it a big win for Scottie today, but it was a big weekend for him,” said Eslinger. “He knocked off two guys who had beaten him before.
“I kept saying that Scottie hasn’t gotten hot this year and we need him to be hot at the right time. Hopefully, this is the right time.”
The two wins by the Mocs were strong, but since both were without bonus points, the team score still stood 18-13 in favor of the Cavs. Junior Jared Johnson needed at least a tech fall to tie the match.
He got that, plus one more, with his second period pin over Patrick Gillen. Following a scoreless first, Gillen chose down. Johnson turned him once for four points before pinning him at the 4:38 mark.
“Jared has weapons and his weapons are on top,” explained Eslinger. “They chose down and capitalized on the opportunity.
“Jared just keeps being Jared. Just like last year against Oklahoma, he put the team on his back and carried us to the win.”
Although the excitement was definitely at the end of the meet, there was a lot of drama early on. Chattanooga got in a hole, dropping a major decision at 125 and losing at 133. Freshman Alonzo Allen was down just 4-3 at the end of the second at 125 before losing in the third.
Junior Michael Pongracz struck back with a 10-0 shutout at 141. That drew UTC to within 7-4 in the team score. Sophomore Chase Zemenak tied it with an 8-5 win at 149.
“Those were huge wins for those guys and they were not easy wins,” said Eslinger. “Each one had to work for them, but it did breathe some life back into us and put us back into a spot where we had some hope.”
UVA followed with a three-match run, beginning with a tech fall at 157. Andrew Webb was in the lineup for starter Kamaal Shakur, who was out with an injury from Friday’s match. Freshman Dominic Lampe dropped a high-scoring 19-13 affair with Garrett Peppelman at 165.
“The thing I am proud of most is that we did not hang our heads after we lost to Appalachian State,” said Eslinger. “We got back in the room and worked hard. We are just very consistent and that paid off today.”
The Mocs already had a win over Arizona State at the Virginia Duals, making it three years in a row with a victory against a team from a Power 5 conference. It is also the second time in three years UTC has knocked off two teams from a Power 5 Conference in one season.
Chattanooga now waits to hear if it makes the 16-team field for the NWCA National Duals next weekend. If not, the next action is the Southern Conference Tournament on Saturday, March 5, in Asheville, N.C. Be sure to check back to GoMocs.com for complete details.
Chattanooga 19 – No. 19 Virginia 18
Charlottesville, Va.
125: Nick Herrmann (UVA) – MD 11-3 - Alonzo Allen (UTC) – UVA 4-0
133: Joseph Martinez (UVA) – Dec. 7-0 - Cody Hill (UTC) – UVA 7-0
141: Michael Pongracz (UTC) – MD 10-0 - Emilio Martinez (UVA) – UVA 7-4
149: Chase Zemenak (UTC) – Dec. 8-5 - Christopher Yankowich (UVA) – Tied 7-7
157: Andrew Atkinson (UVA) – TF 18-2 (4:32) - Andrew Webb (UTC) – UVA 12-7
165: Garrett Peppelman (UVA) – Dec. 19-13 - Dominic Lampe (UTC) – UVA 15-7
174: Tyler Askey (UVA) – Dec. 7-3 - Sean Mappes (UTC) – UVA 18-7
184: John Lampe (UTC) – Dec. 5-2 - Will Schany (UVA) – UVA 18-10
197: Scottie Boykin (UTC) – Dec. 7-3 – No. 11 Zachary Nye (UVA) – UVA 18-13
285: No. 11 Jared Johnson (UTC) – Fall 4:38) - Patrick Gillen (UVA) – UTC 19-18