Wrestlers Win 22nd SoCon Crown; Have Nine NCAA Qualifiers

3/2/2007 7:00:00 PM | By: GoMocs.com

RALEIGH, N.C. --- The wrestling team continued one of the most dominating grips a school has on any Southern Conference sport Saturday, winning its 22nd SoCon Championship and its third straight league title.

UTC's 22 conference crowns have come in just 31 years as a member of the Southern Conference

The Mocs placed nine wrestlers in the 10 championship finals and came home with seven individual titles and two runnersup. All seven title-winners receive an automatic berth to the upcoming NCAA Championships. The league's coaches selected four wildcard entrants to represent the SoCon at Nationals, including two from UTC.

"I'm happy,” UTC Head Coach Chris Bono said. “We're taking nine to the NCAA tournament. It might not have been like I had wanted, but taking nine is big for the program. Having nine in the finals, I would like to be taking nine champions. But the bottom line is that nine Mocs are going."

Bono, in his first season at UTC, was voted the SoCon Coach of the Year by his coaching peers.

Javier Maldonado, Matt Keller, Michael Keefe and Jake Yost each claimed their second conference championship.

Maldonado won the 125-pound division with a 6-2 victory over UNC Greensboro's Jeff Hedges. Keller secured the title at 133 with an 18-5 major decision over UNCG's Mitchell Johnson.

Keefe, who finished third last year but earned the trophy as a sophomore in 2005, defeated UNCG's Chris Bencivenga, 15-8 at 141. Yost could have easily won the Most Outstanding Wrestler award, pinning both of his 157-pound opponents in the tournament. He pinned UNCG's Nathan Berryman in the semifinals and won the weight class by pinning Travis Piccard of The Citadel.

First-time SoCon champions for UTC include T.J. Sayers at 165, Josh Edmondson at 184 and Matt Koz at 285. Sayers got past Mark Ring of UNCG, 6-2, Edmondson disposed of The Citadel's John Dickerson, 3-1, and Koz registered a 5-1 win over Scott Buhman of VMI.

Aaron Martin and Lloyd Rogers took second-place finishes. Appalachian State's Scott Ervin edged Martin, 3-2, in the 149 finals in double overtime. Martin, last year's 149-pound champion, was the top seed in this year's bracket.

Rogers, seeded third at 174, suffered a 12-5 defeat to UNCG's Joseph Lowe in the finals. Nick Lorenzano won his first-round match at 197 and his consolation semifinal match but fell in the consolation finals to place fourth.

Martin and Rogers earned wildcard entries to the NCAAs giving UTC nine NCAA Qualifiers. It is Martin's second straight trip to the NCAAs and Rogers' first.

The NCAA Championships will be held March 15-18 in Detroit, Mich.

Team Results
Chattanooga 117.5
UNC Greensboro 75.0
VMI 41.0
The Citadel 38.5
Appalachian State 36.5
Davidson 34.5

125: Semifinals - Javier Maldonado (UTC) maj. dec. Tyler Sim (CIT), 13-3
Finals ? Maldonado dec. Jeff Hedges (UNCG), 6-2

133: Semifinals - Matt Keller (UTC) tech fall Frank Celorrio (ASU, 3:36
Finals ? Keller maj. dec. Mitchell Johnson (UNCG), 18-5

141: Semifinals - Michael Keefe (UTC) dec. Brandon Franklin (VMI), 7-5
Finals ? Keefe dec. Chris Bencivenga (UNCG), 15-8

149: Semifinals - Aaron Martin (UTC) dec. Levi Duyn (CIT), 3-2
Finals ? Scott Ervin (ASU) dec. Martin, 3-2 2ot

157: Semifinals - Jake Yost (UTC) pinned Nathan Berryman (UNCG), 2:27
Finals ? Yost pinned Travis Piccard (CIT), 2:40

165: Semifinals - T.J. Sayers (UTC) maj. dec. Tommy Hutchinson (ASU), 10-2
Finals ? Sayers dec. Mark Ring (UNCG), 6-2

174: First Round - Lloyd Rogers (UTC) pinned Kyle Elgert (VMI), 4:05;
Semifinals - Rogers (UTC) dec. Neal Martin (ASU), 6-2
Finals ? Joseph Lowe (UNCG) dec. Rogers, 12-5

184: Semifinals - Josh Edmondson (UTC) dec. Kane Smith (UNCG), 5-1
Finals ? Edmondson dec. John Dickerson (CIT), 3-1

197: First Round - Nick Lorenzano (UTC) dec. Aaron Barnette (ASU), 6-0
Semifinals - Cornelius Murray (VMI) tech fall Lorenzano (UTC), 5:25
Consolation semifinals ? Lorenzano tech fall Griffen Greene (CIT), 6:30
Consolation finals ? Mike Waters (DAV) maj. dec. Lorenzano, 8-0

285: Semifinals - Matt Koz (UTC) dec. Joe Sheffield (UNCG), 5-2
Finals ? Koz dec. Scott Buhman (VMI), 5-1

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