The Chattanooga Mocs wrestling squad is preparing for the 2024-25 season. Practice officially began this week and now, the schedule is in place.
It’s an aggressive ledger for a squad ready to take the next step.
"Last year, we knew we were going to be a really young team," Coach Kyle Ruschell explained. "We didn't have a lot of experience. This year, six of those freshmen are now sophomores. So, we're going to push them a little bit with this schedule. Let them wrestle some of the best teams in the country.
Give them great experiences. You remember those moments forever.
"We have to perform at the same time and go out there go out there and wrestle hard."
Home matches include visits from Princeton, Purdue, Campbell, VMI, Gardner-Webb, Indiana and Bellarmine. Road trips include visits to Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Little Rock, Oklahoma, Presbyterian, The Citadel, Davidson and Appalachian State. The Mocs face Cal State Bakersfield and Buffalo as well at OU.
There are two regular season tournaments. The Southeast Open in Salem, Va., follows the season open against the Hokies. Then the annual Southern Scuffle returns to the Roundhouse to start 2025 with a twist. The dates were moved to the weekend on Jan. 4-5 (Sat.-Sun.).
"We moved the dates which I think is a great plan for not only the fans, but also the teams getting away from the holiday," Ruschell added. "I think more fans will be able to show up, especially on the second day.
"I think it's great for the teams, and we're going to see these teams start to come back and have a great experience while they're here in Chattanooga."
Another change is the annual Blue-Gold Match. It’s on Saturday, Oct. 26, returning to Maclellan Gym. Current plans include 12 matches beginning at Noon before heading to Finley Stadium to tailgate for the Homecoming football matchup against VMI at 4 p.m.
Tickets are on sale. Season tickets start as low as $45 for UTC employees/alumni and $55 for general public. That’s for general admission at Maclellan Gym as well as Gold Circle seating at the Roundhouse for the Southern Scuffle.
OCTOBER
Oct. 26 – Blue vs. Gold Exhibition, Noon (Maclellan Gym)
NOVEMBER
Nov. 1 - @Virginia Tech
Nov. 2 – @Southeast Open (Salem, Va.), All Day
Nov. 14 – @Ohio State
Nov. 23 – Princeton | Purdue (Maclellan Gym)
DECEMBER
Dec. 16 – @Little Rock
Dec. 21 – @Oklahoma | Cal State Bakersfield | Buffalo
JANUARY
Jan. 4-5 – SOUTHERN SCUFFLE (McKenzie Arena), All Day
Jan. 19 – Campbell (Maclellan Gym)
Jan. 25 – VMI (TBA)
Jan. 31 – @Presbyterian
FEBRUARY
Feb. 2 – @The Citadel
Feb. 7 – @Davidson
Feb. 9 – @Appalachian State
Feb. 16 – Gardner-Webb (Maclellan Gym)
Feb. 21 – Indiana (Maclellan Gym)
Feb. 23 – Bellarmine (Maclellan Gym)
MARCH
March 9 – Southern Conference Championships (TBA), All Day
March 20-22– NCAA Championships (Philadelphia, Pa.), All Day