CHARLESTON, S.C. --- Despite giving up a forfeit and a pin, the 19th-ranked wrestling team dominated The Citadel 33-12 Tuesday in the Mocs' Southern Conference opener.
Wrestling in their sixth-straight dual away from the Chattanooga campus, the Mocs used two technical falls and five major decisions to move to 1-0 in the SoCon and halt a five-match losing skid.
Senior Javier Maldonado began the parade of bonus-point victories in the 125-pound opening match, scoring a 12-3 major decision over Tyler Sim.
Sophomore Cody Cleveland recorded a second-period tech fall over Kirby Thompson at 141, and senior Seth Garvin was an 11-1 major winner over Keith Koziel at 157 pounds.
The Mocs, 6-5 overall, earned three major decisions in the last half of the dual. Junior Nick Davis defeated Brendan Prince, 12-4 at 165, senior Josh Edmondson beat Darius Caldwell, 10-1 at 184, and senior Matt Koz notched a 14-5 win over John Buck at 197.
Senior Lloyd Rogers outpointed Derek Sickel at 174 with a 24-9 tech fall, and freshman Matt Lettner closed out the scoring with a 3-2 victory over Aaron Brown at 285.
The Citadel, 2-3 and 0-1 in the SoCon, led twice in the match. Chattanooga Head Coach Chris Bono forfeited the 133-pound match because of injuries to senior Steve Hromada and junior Shawn Cordell, allowing the Bulldogs a 6-4 lead. In the 149-pound division, Mocs' freshman Carlos Baron filled in for sophomore Joey Knox and was pinned by Derek Royster in the third period, allowing The Citadel a 12-9 lead.
Garvin's major in the fifth match pushed the Mocs ahead for good, 13-12 and started the string of wins.
Chattanooga returns home Sunday to host Appalachian State at 2 p.m. in a SoCon dual.
No. 19 CHATTANOOGA 33, THE CITADEL 12
125: Javier Maldonado (UTC) maj. dec. Tyler Sim (Citadel), 12-3 4-0
133 ? Anthony Easter (Citadel) won by forfeit 4-6
141 ? Cody Cleveland (UTC) tech fall Kirby Thompson (Citadel), 15-0 (4:07) 9-6
149 ? Derek Royster (Citadel) pinned Carlos Baron (UTC), 6:10 9-12
157 ? Seth Garvin (UTC) maj. dec. Keith Koziel (Citadel), 11-1 13-12
165 ? Nick Davis (UTC) maj. dec. Brendan Prince (Citadel), 12-4 17-12
174 ? Lloyd Rogers (UTC) tech fall Derek Sickel (Citadel), 24-9 (7:00) 22-12
184 ? Josh Edmondson (UTC) maj. dec. Darius Caldwell (Citadel), 10-1 26-12
197 ? Matt Koz (UTC) maj. dec. John Buck (Citadel), 14-5 30-12
285 ? Matt Lettner (UTC) dec. Aaron Brown (Citadel), 3-2 33-12
