The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team opens the 2017-18 season with two events on the road this weekend.  The Mocs visit VMI on Saturday, Nov. 4, for a Southern Conference dual, then participate in the Hokie Open on Sunday, Nov. 5, in Roanoke, Va.

The is the first time the Mocs have opened the season with a conference match since a 46-0 win over Davidson on Nov. 8, 2008.  Match time against the Keydets is set for 1:00 p.m. (E.D.T.) in Cormack Hall in Lexington, Va.  A link for live scoring is available on the wrestling schedule page on GoMocs.com. 

PROBABLE LINEUP VS. VMI
125:  Alonzo Allen – Jr.
133:  Wade Cummings – So. or Colton Landers – Fr.
141:  Michael Pongracz – Sr.
149:  Jake Adcock – Fr. or Roman Boylen – Jr.
157:  Chase Stephens – Fr.
165:  Chad Pyke – Sr.
174:  Justin Lampe – Sr.
184:  No. 12 Bryce Carr – Sr.
197:  Scottie Boykin – Sr.
285:  Connor Tolley – Jr.

UTC is coming off a 7-9 record last season.  The Mocs return five starters to a team that finished 5-2 in SoCon regular season duals and fourth in the league tournament. 

Among the returning starters are juniors Alonzo Allen (125), Chris Debien (133) and Roman Boylen (149) and seniors Justin Lampe (165) and Bryce Carr (184).  Carr and Debien both won SoCon individual titles last season, while Allen and senior Scottie Boykin made the preseason All-SoCon team.

Boykin returns to the lineup at 197 after redshirting last season.  He won the league as a junior in 2016, when he was ranked as high as No. 9 in the country. 

Also coming off a redshirt year is senior Michael Pongracz.  He is a two-time NCAA qualifier who was 22-6 at 141 in 2015-16. 

HEAD COACH HEATH ESLINGER
Head Coach Heath Eslinger is in his ninth year at UTC.  A two-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year, he owns a 93-54 (.633) career dual record, including a 47-4 (.922) tally in league matches.  He has guided the Mocs to six SoCon regular season and six SoCon tournament titles. 

VMI PROBABLE LINEUP
125: Cliff Conway – Fr.
133: Hunter Starner – Sr.
141: Michael Hulcher – Sr. or Brady Biller – Fr.
149: Dolan Walsh – Jr.
157: Rob DuPont – So.
165: Blake Hohman – Jr.
174: Cade Kiely – So. or Gage Levine – Fr.
184: Chris Beck – So.
197: Taylor Thomas – Sr.
285: Sam Bouis – So. or Jake Tomlinson – Sr.

VMI went 2-13 last season and 1-6 in SoCon action.  Head coach Richard Lavorato is in his first season with the Keydets. 

VMI SERIES
UTC is 27-6 all-time against VMI.  The Mocs are on a current 14-match winning streak that dates back to the 2003 season.  Chattanooga won last year's meeting 41-5 on Nov. 10 in Maclellan Gym.
 
ALL-TIME VS. VMI (27-6)
Home: 13-3, Away: 13-3, Neutral 1-0
2-11-84 - Boone, N.C. – W - 20-18
2-4-86 - Lexington, Va. - L - 18-21
2-10-87 – Chattanooga – W - 27-11
2-7-89 – Chattanooga – W - 31-8
2-9-89 - Lexington, Va. – W - 32-8
2-6-90 - Lexington, Va. - W - 32-11
2-3-91 – Chattanooga – W - 26-10
2-15-92 - Lexington, Va. – W - 33-11
2-14-93 – Chattanooga - W - 34-6
2-12-94 - Lexington, Va. - L - 15-27
2-12-95 – Chattanooga - L - 13-20
2-10-96 - Lexington, Va. - L - 13-27
2-9-97 – Chattanooga - L - 9-26
2-17-98 - Lexington, Va. - W - 38-8
2-17-99 – Chattanooga - W
2-16-00 - Lexington, Va. - W - 25-13
2-21-01 – Chattanooga - W - 27-12
2-20-01 - Lexington, Va. - W - 20-16
2-22-03 – Chattanooga - L - 12-26
2-13-04 - Lexington, Va. - W - 25-15
2-20-05 – Chattanooga - W - 50-0
2-10-06 - Lexington, Va. - W - 32-6
2-11-07 – Chattanooga - W - 46-0
2-8-08 - Lexington, Va. - W - 41-3
2-23-09 – Chattanooga - W - 43-3
2-18-10 - Lexington, Va. - W - 33-9
2-20-11 – Chattanooga - W - 31-6
2-20-12 - Lexington, Va. - W - 41-0
2-23-13 – Chattanooga - W - 36-3
2-23-14 - Lexington, Va. - W - 37-3
1-25-15 – Chattanooga - W - 35-3
12-10-15 - Lexington, Va. - W - 31-6
11-10-16 - Chattanooga - W - 41-5
 
LAST TIME VS. VMI – NO. 24 CHATTANOOGA 41 – VMI 5 – NOV. 10, 2016
149: Dylanger Potter (UTC) – Fall 4:09 - Stevan Smith (VMI) – UTC 6-05
157: No. 18 Neal Richards (VMI) – Tech. Fall 20-4 (3:11) - Trey Watson (UTC) – UTC 6-5
165: Justin Lampe (UTC) – MD 16-4 - Cade Kiely (VMI) – UTC 10-5
174: Sean Mappes (UTC) – MD 13-5 - Shabaka Johns (VMI) – 14-5
184: Bryce Carr (UTC) – MD 11-3 - Christopher Beck (VMI) – 18-5
197: Clay Dent (UTC) – Fall 0:31 - Taylor Thomas (VMI) – 24-5
285: No. 11 Jared Johnson (UTC) – Tech. Fall 16-0 (4:04) - Sam Bouis (VMI) – UTC 29-5
125: Alonzo Allen (UTC) – Dec. 12-5 - Dalton Henderson (VMI) – UTC 32-5
133: Chris Debien (UTC) – Dec. 3-2 - Hunter Starner (VMI) – UTC 35-5
141: Roman Boylen (UTC) – Fall 4:58 - Darren Ostrander (VMI) – UTC 41-5
 
MOCS AT THE HOKIE OPEN
The Hokie Open takes place at the Berglund Center in Roanoke, Va., with action beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5.  Tournament brackets for the main draw and the freshman/sophomore division are available through Flo Arena's link on the wrestling schedule page on GoMocs.com. 
 
Carr won the tournament as an unattached wrestler in 2015, the last time UTC went as a team. Boykin was second at 197 in the main draw in that same event.  Lampe and Allen won the Fr./So. brackets at 174 and 125, respectively, while Boylen was runner-up at 141 and Debien third at 133.
 
Fabian Guiterrez (125), Zach Shareef (149), Justin George (157), Dominick Petrucelli (165), Rodney Jones (184) and Ben Stacey (197) are all in the Fr./So. bracket. 
 
Competing in the main draw for the Mocs are Allen (125), Cody Hill (125), Jake Huffine (133), Debien (141), Pongracz (141), Jake Adcox (149), Boylen (149), Trey Watson (157), Chad Pyke (165), Lampe (174), Carr (184), Boykin (197) and Tolley (285).