CHATTANOOGA, TENN. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team began its 2009-10 season with the annual Blue & Gold Match at Maclellan Gym tonight. An excellent crowd showed up to see Gold score a come-from-behind 17-15 win in the match.
The match was a back-and-forth affair for new Mocs head coach Heath Eslinger. No wrestler reached double-figures in scoring in any of the first five matches, an outcome expected in an intrasquad scrimmage.
"It is tough on them because they are teammates and hopefully they have mutual respect for each other," explained Eslinger. "At the same time, there is a lot on the line because there are 38 guys vying for 10 spots. They have done a great job of responding to the challenge that we are here to make each other better."
The opening match pitted two of last year's starters in sophomore Demetrius Johnson and senior Josh Statum. Johnson was a SoCon Champ at 125 while Statum competed at 133. Johnson took the opener 6-3.
The 133 bout saw a pair of newcomers in freshmen Josh Sandoval and Cody Hood. Sandoval, wrestling for the Blue team, evened the match with a 9-5 decision.
Senior Cody Cleveland put the Gold team up with an 8-2 decision over sophomore Ben Johnson, but freshman Dean Pavlou tied it again at 6-6 with a 7-3 decision over freshman Alex Hudson.
Senior Joey Knox won another tough match for the Blue team at 157. He scored a 5-2 win over freshman Josh Condon. The match was evened again at 9-9 with sophomore Brandon Wright's 10-3 win against freshman Mikey Fuller.
Blue seemed to take the upper hand at 174 when junior Mark Rogers scored a tough 7-5 victory over freshman Jake Young. The back and forth match drew the biggest reactions from the crowd of over 600. Rogers' win put the Blue side up 12-9.
Sophomore Jason McCroskey added to that lead with a 6-2 win over sophomore Tyler Roberson at 184. That was another match that paired two starters from last season against each other.
The deciding match came at 197 when freshman Niko Brown scored a technical fall (7:00) for the Gold team against junior Stephen Garrett. That made the match 15-14 in favor of the Blue squad. However, junior Tom Minwell sealed Gold's win with a 3-1 decision over junior Matt Lettner in the heavyweight match.
"This was a great way for us to start the season," added Eslinger. "Getting this many people out to the match and being a part of Blue & Gold Week shows that we have great support in Chattanooga for our program."
The Mocs open the season with a trip to Blacksburg, Va., on Nov. 7-8. UTC will take on Kent State and Virginia Tech on Nov. 7. They will then compete in the Hokie Open hosted by Virginia Tech on Nov. 8. The first home match is set for Saturday, Nov. 14, when UTC hosts Gardner-Webb and Anderson in Maclellan Gym beginning at 10:00 a.m. (E.S.T.).
Results - Gold 17 - Blue 15
125 - Demetrius Johnson (Gold) - Dec. 6-3 - Josh Statum (Blue) - Gold 3-0
133 - Josh Sandoval (Blue) - Dec. 9-5 - Cody Hood (Gold) - Tied 3-3
141 - No. 20 Cody Cleveland (Gold) - Dec. 8-2 - Ben Johnson (Blue) - Gold 6-3
149 - Dean Pavlou (Blue) - Dec. 7-3 - Alex Hudson (Gold) - Tied 6-6
157 - No. 16 Joey Knox (Blue) - Dec. 5-2 - Josh Condon (Gold) - Blue 9-6
165 - Brandon Wright (Gold) - Dec. 10-3 - Mikey Fuller (Blue) - Tied 9-9
174 - Mark Rogers (Blue) - Dec. 7-5 - Jake Young (Gold) - Blue 12-9
184 - Jason McCroskey (Blue) - Dec. 6-2 - Tyler Roberson (Gold) - Blue 15-9
197 - Niko Brown (Gold) - Tech. Fall (7:00, 18-3) - Stephen Garrett (Blue) - Blue 15-14
285 - Tom Minwell (Gold) - Dec. 3-1 - Matt Lettner (Blue) - Gold 17-15
Official Attendance: 617
BLUE & GOLD WEEK
10/26-27-Aldila Scenic City Invitational
10/28-Volleyball vs. Kennesaw State, 7 p.m.
10/29-Soccer vs. Samford, 6 p.m. (Senior Night)
10/30-Wrestling Blue & Gold Match, 7 p.m.
10/31-Blue & Gold Tipoff/First Tenn. Pavilion, Noon
10/31-Football vs. Western Carolina, 2 p.m
