The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team fought off a tough Gardner-Webb squad for a 24-13 Southern Conference win in Maclellan Gym tonight.  The Mocs trailed 10-9 through five matches, but won four of the last five for the team victory.

Gardner-Webb brought an experienced lineup that included two seniors and six juniors.  The Bulldogs had a pair of senior-freshman matchups to start the night, but UTC battled hard in both losses.  The 25^th-ranked Mocs improved to 9-3 overall and 4-0 in SoCon matches.  GWU fell to 3-4 and 2-1 in league action.

"They're a tough team," stated head coach Heath Eslinger. "I knew that this was a dual where we were going to have to win some close matches. We didn't early, but I'm happy to come away with a win, and I'm super proud with our guys based on their performance."
 
Freshman Alonzo Allen opened against GWU senior Cortez Starkes at 125.  Allen got to Starkes' leg a number of times, but had a hard time finishing the shot.  Starkes posted a late takedown for the 6-5 decision.
 
Freshman Cody Hill matched up against Bulldog senior Tyler Ziegler at 133.  This one also went down to the wire, with Ziegler's late score giving him a 3-2 win. 
 
Trailing 6-0 the Mocs sent their hottest wrestler out at 141 in junior Michael Pongracz.  He came into the night with a 16-2 record and quickly took control of his match with Ryan Hull.  Leading 10-0 in the second period, Pongracz tied the team scored with a pin with two seconds on the clock. 
 
Gardner-Webb responded in a big way at 149 when junior Ryan Mosley scored a major decision over sophomore Chase Zemenak.  UTC freshman Kamaal Shakur came back with a win over Christopher Vassar to close the gap to 10-9. 
 
The Mocs were in trouble at 165 when Dominic Lampe gave up back points and was nearly pinned in the first period against Kyle Ash.  Trailing 4-0 heading into the second period, Lampe went on the attack.  He scored five takedowns the rest of the way for the 10-9 victory.   That put the Mocs up 12-10, a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way.
 
"Dominic Lampe has no fear," added Eslinger. "Sometimes with him, it's coaching him out of chaos. He'll go on to his back in the start, but you would rather tame a lion than beat a lamb. We have to figure out how to get some of that roar out of some our guys."
 
Senior Sean Mappes had a statement win at 174 with his major decision over Brett Stein.  The Bulldogs tried to start a run when Hunter Gamble followed with a decision over McCoy Newberg at 184.  That shrunk the Mocs' lead to 16-13 with two matches left.
 
Junior Scottie Boykin clinched the team win with an impressive first period tech fall against Gray Jones at 197.  Boykin scored a pair of takedowns, then posted 12-straight back points for the win. 
 
No. 11-ranked junior Jared Johnson rounded out the scoring with his 4-0 decision over Boyce Cornwell at heavyweight. 
 
UTC gets a break for the next week before traveling to Davidson on Jan. 31.  The final home match of the season is against No. 25 Appalachian State on Feb. 5.  Tickets are on sale now on GoMocs.com.
 
No. 25 Chattanooga 24 – Gardner-Webb 13
125: Cortez Starkes (GWU) – Dec. 6-5 - Alonzo Allen (UTC) – GWU 3-0
133: Tyler Ziegler (GWU) – Dec. 3-2 - Cody Hill (UTC) – GWU 6-0
141: Michael Pongracz (UTC) – Fall 4:58 - Ryan Hull (GWU) – Tied 6-6
149: Ryan Mosley (GWU) – MD 10-2 - Chase Zemenak (UTC) – GWU 10-6
157: Kamaal Shakur (UTC) – Dec. 9-4 - Christopher Vassar (GWU) – GWU 10-9
165: Dominic Lampe (UTC) – Dec. 10-9 - Kyle Ash (GWU) – UTC 12-10
174: Sean Mappes (UTC) – MD 10-2 - Brett Stein (GWU) – UTC 16-10
184: Hunter Gamble (GWU) – Dec. 7-4 - McCoy Newberg (UTC) – UTC 16-13
197: Scottie Boykin (UTC) – Tech Fall 17-1 (3:00) - Gray Jones (GWU) – UTC 21-13
285: No. 11 Jared Johnson (UTC) – Dec. 4-0 - Boyce Cornwell (GWU) – UTC 24-13