Chattanooga Mocs 174 Sergio Desiante is the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week. The league office announced the award Wednesday afternoon.
Desiante swept matches at Indiana and Bellarmine this past weekend. The triumph in Hoosierland was especially prominent, while the conference W against the Knights continued a trend.
"Sergio is peaking at the right time," Coach Kyle Ruschell smiled. "What Serge did beating a highly-ranked guy and then grinding through a different kind of match on Sunday, it was impressive.
"He controlled his opponents for 14 minutes over the weekend. He had a little hiccup midseason which is common for a freshman, but he's bounced back in a big way and has a great opportunity ahead in Boone."
The redshirt freshman got his second ranked win of the season, and second over a 2023 NCAA Qualifier, with a resound 8-1 decision over 20th-ranked D.J. Washington at Indiana. He recorded first and third period takedowns allowing the talented Hoosiers senior a mere escape on the evening.
That transitioned to 9-6 decision over Cole Nance at Bellarmine in a contentious affair. Desiante once again claimed takedowns in the opening and closing frames along with two escapes and a misconduct penalty for his opponent.
For the week, Desiante earned his 17 points with four takedowns, three escapes, a penalty point and riding time bonus. He added to his team-best takedown total reaching 54.
It’s his first such honor from the league office. He joins Brayden Palmer (Nov. 8) and Blake Boarman (Feb. 14) in capturing the weekly award as well as monthly honoree Kamdyn Munro (Dec.).
Desiante and the Mocs are in preparation for the SoCon Championships on Saturday, March 9. This year’s event is in Boone, N.C.
NEXT UP
Mar. 9: SoCon Championships (Boone, N.C.)
Mar. 21-23: NCAA Championships (Kansas City)