The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team put two individuals on the 2019-20 Preseason All-Southern Conference team, the league office announced today. The Mocs were represented by sophomore Tanner Smith at 149 and senior Rodney Jones at 197.
Smith was the 2019 SoCon Freshman of the Year after posting a 12-9 record and qualifying for the NCAA Championships. He was also a member of the SoCon All-Freshman team and was runner-up at the SoCon Tournament.
Jones qualified for the NCAAs at 197 pounds last year by taking the SoCon's second automatic bid at that weight. He defeated The Citadel's Sawyer Root on a last second reversal in the second place match to secure his first trip to the national tournament.
"We are very proud that these guys are recognized for their work and accomplishments up to this point," stated UTC head coach Kyle Ruschell. "Tanner and Rod, as well as the rest of our guys, are working hard to achieve this and even more this season."
Campbell received seven first-place votes and 49 points in the 2019-20 preseason poll.
Last season, the Camels went 5-1 in conference matchups, sharing the regular season title with the Mocs and Appalachian State.
The Camels had five wrestlers selected to the preseason All-SoCon squad in Korbin Meink (125 pounds), Josh Heil (141 pounds), Quentin Perez (165 pounds), Andrew Morgan (184 pounds) and Jere Heino (heavyweight).
The Mountaineers edged out UTC for second in the preseason poll with 41 points after a 9-7 record last season, which included a 5-1 mark in conference duals. ASU placed a pair of wrestlers on the preseason squad in Codi Russell (133 pounds) and Matt Zovistoski (149 pounds), with Zovistoski receiving the max number of points possible in the voting.
Chattanooga was picked to finish third with 39 points, including one first-place vote. The Mocs also went 5-1 in the conference last year, finishing with a 7-7 record overall.
The Citadel is slated to finish fourth by the league's coaches after receiving 28 points, with Gardner-Webb close behind in fifth with 26 points. The Bulldogs finished last year at 2-10 overall and 2-4 in conference, while Gardner-Webb went 3-12 overall and 1-5 in conference.
VMI was picked to finish sixth, with Neal Richards (174 pounds) representing the Keydets on the preseason squad, receiving the max number of points possible. Davidson and Presbyterian rounded out the preseason poll, coming in at seventh and eighth, respectively. The Wildcats finished 2-13 overall last season, while the Blue Hose begins their first year of competition in the SoCon.
Season tickets and Southern Scuffle tickets are both on sale now on GoMocs.com. The season begins with the Blue-Gold match on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 4:30 p.m. at McKenzie Arena. It is part of the Ball and Brawl with the men's basketball team who hosts Covenant in an exhibition game at 2:00 p.m.
2019-20 SoCon Wrestling Preseason Coaches Poll
School (First-place votes) Points
1. Campbell (7) 49
2. Appalachian State 41
3. Chattanooga (1) 39
4. The Citadel 28
5. Gardner-Webb 26
6. VMI 20
7. Davidson 14
8. Presbyterian 7
2019-20 SoCon Wrestling Preseason All-Conference Team
125 Korbin Meink, Campbell
133 Codi Russell, Appalachian State
141 Josh Heil, Campbell
149 Tanner Smith, Chattanooga
157 Matt Zovistoski, Appalachian State
165 Quentin Perez, Campbell
174 Neal Richards, VMI
184 Andrew Morgan, Campbell
197 Rodney Jones, Chattanooga
HWT Jere Heino, Campbell