Thursday, March 16
St. Louis, Mo.
All Day
Chattanooga
at
NCAA
Senior Jared Johnson is making his third trip to the NCAA Tournament and is the No. 11 seed at heavyweight.
Photo by: Dale Rutemeyer
Three Mocs Head to St. Louis for the NCAA Championships
3/13/2017 12:22:00 PM | Wrestling
Debien, Carr and Johnson represent Chattanooga at the national tournament this week.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team competes in the 87th NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on March 16-18, 2017. Action takes place in the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., and is covered live by the ESPN family of networks.
UTC posted a 7-9 dual match record and finished third in the Southern Conference regular season race. The Mocs were fourth in the SoCon Tournament and had three individuals qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Historically, UTC has won 16 SoCon regular season titles since the league began recognizing a season champ in 1992. The Mocs have also won 29 SoCon Tournament titles since joining the league in 1978.
The three representing Chattanooga at the NCAA Championships are sophomore Chris Debien (133), junior Bryce Carr (184) and senior Jared Johnson (285). All three earned automatic bids, with Carr and Debien winning SoCon individual titles. Johnson took one of the SoCon's three allocations at heavyweight with a third place showing at the league tournament.
CHATTANOOGA MOCS LINEUP
133: Chris Debien (So. - 17-9)
184: No. 13 Bryce Carr (Jr. - 25-4)
285: No. 11 Jared Johnson (Sr. - 26-7)
(No. = NCAA Tournament Seed)
Head Coach: Heath Eslinger (93-54 - 8th Year)
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Thursday, March 16
Session 1 - 1st Round - ESPNU/ESPN3 - Noon (E.D.T.)
Session 2 - 2nd Round and Consolation Rounds - ESPN/ESPN3 - 7:00 p.m.
Friday, March 17
Session 3 - Quarters and Consolation Rounds - ESPNU/ESPN3 - 11:00 a.m.
Session 4 - Semifinals - ESPN/ESPN3 - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 18
Session 5 - Medal Rounds - ESPNU/ESPN3 - 11:00 a.m.
Session 6 - Finals - ESPN/ESPN3 - 8:00 p.m.
IT'S ALL IN THE NAME
On first reference, it is acceptable to refer to us as the "University of Tennessee at Chattanooga". After that, we prefer to be called "Chattanooga" or "UTC". Our nickname is "Mocs". Please do not use UT-Chattanooga, Tennessee-Chattanooga or the Moccasins.
ALL PRIME-TIME SESSIONS ON ESPN
ESPN's prime-time coverage begins with the second round Thursday, March 16, at 7:00 p.m., the first time a session from the championships' first day has been televised on ESPN (previously has aired on ESPNU). As in years past, the semifinals and finals will air on ESPN on Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18, respectively, beginning at 8 p.m. both nights.
ESPNU will carry all the championships' earlier sessions each day, beginning with the first round on March 16 (noon), continuing with the quarterfinals on March 17 (11:00 a.m.) and the concluding with the medal round on March 18 (11:00 a.m.)
Throughout the entire three days, during all six sessions, ESPN3 streams every single mat and match, allowing fans to follow any wrestler and/or school. During the finals ESPN3 will once again offer Off the Mat -- a combination of live matches, highlights and interviews with newly crowned champions (more details below).
HEAD COACH HEATH ESLINGER
Head Coach Heath Eslinger is in his eighth season at UTC. A two-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year, he owns an 93-54 (.633) career dual record. He has guided the Mocs to six SoCon regular season and six SoCon tournament titles and has a 45-4 record in SoCon duals.
UTC AT THE NCAAS
• The Mocs have been represented at the NCAAs every year since moving to Division I in 1978.
• The best finish was a tie for 14th in 1983.
• The last time the Mocs were in the top-25 was a 21st place showing in 2007.
• Nine individuals have won 12 All-American honors ... most recent was Cody Cleveland at 141 in 2008.
CLOSE LOSSES
Of the Mocs' nine losses this year, four have been by three points or less. This includes a 17-16 defeat at No. 17 Appalachian State that was decided on criteria.
WEIGHT-BY-WEIGHT PREVIEW
A complete breakdown of each individual Moc at the NCAA Championships is available in the .pdf of the notes which are attached to this story.
Chris Debien - Sophomore - 133
• Making his first appearance at the NCAA Championships after winning the SoCon Title at 133 pounds.
• 17-9 overall record ... 26-11 in his career.
• Has won 11 matches in a row.
• 3-3 against the NCAA field ... beat Lock Haven's D.J. Fehlman at the Virginia Duals and had two wins over Appalachian State's Colby Smith in SoCon action.
• Opens against Michigan's No. 5 seed Stevan Micic.
• Off to a 9-2 start as a true freshman in 2015-16 before an injury ended his season in November.
• Majoring in Exercise Science.
• Four-time state champion at Cleveland (Tenn.) High School … high school national champion … No. 18 in the nation at 132 pounds according to Intermat following his senior year of high school.
• Last name is pronounced DEE-be-in.
Bryce Carr - Junior - 184 - 13th Seed
• Making his first appearance at the NCAA Championships after winning the SoCon Title at 184 pounds.
• 25-4 record ... earned the 13th seed.
• Nationally ranked at 184 pounds after a third place finish at the Southern Scuffle
• Went 7-4 against the NCAA field.
• All four losses were either in overtime or by one point ... 2-1 to Virginia Tech's Zach Zavatsky ... 6-4 (SV1) to Northern Iowa's Drew Foster at the Scuffle ... 5-2 (SV1) to ODU's Jack Dechow at the Virginia Duals ... 3-1 (SV1) to Campbell's Ville Heino in the SoCon dual.
• Had three wins against Gardner-Webb's Hunter Gamble ... and two against Heino ... others in the field include 4-0 over Northern Colorado's Dylan Gabel at the Scuffle and 5-2 against Edinboro's Dakota Greer in the Scuffle third place match.
• Opens against Army's Samson Imonode.
• 2015 NJCAA National Champion at Darton State in Albany, Ga.
• Redshirted in 2015-16.
• Father, Gerald, was an All-American (167) at Minnesota in 1996.
• Psychology major
Jared Johnson - Senior - 285 - 11th Seed
• Earned one of three automatic bids given to the Southern Conference at heavyweight with a third-place finish at the SoCon Tournament.
• Making his third appearance at the NCAAs ... looking for his first win.
• No. 11 seed at heavyweight for the second year in a row.
• 26-7 record in 2016-17 ... 83-29 in his career.
• Spent most of the season ranked in the top 15.
• Placed sixth at the Southern Scuffle.
• 4-5 against the field this season ... 11-15 in his career.
• Competed against 16 of the 33 in the bracket in his career.
• Biggest win this season was a 3-2 decision against 12th-seeded William Miller (Edinboro) at the Scuffle.
• Opens against Northwestern's Conan Jennings.
• Posted an 11-7 decision over Duke's No. 4 seed Jacob Kasper at the 2015 Wolfpack Open.
• Scored a 4-2 decision over Stanford's No. 10 seed Nathan Butler on Nov. 17, 2015.
• Came to UTC at 197, but moved up to 285 as a sophomore.
• Two-time Academic All-SoCon and two-time Academic All-NWCA.
• Graduated with honors with a Chemical Engineering degree in May 2016 ... currently working on an M.B.A.
UTC posted a 7-9 dual match record and finished third in the Southern Conference regular season race. The Mocs were fourth in the SoCon Tournament and had three individuals qualify for the NCAA Championships.
Historically, UTC has won 16 SoCon regular season titles since the league began recognizing a season champ in 1992. The Mocs have also won 29 SoCon Tournament titles since joining the league in 1978.
The three representing Chattanooga at the NCAA Championships are sophomore Chris Debien (133), junior Bryce Carr (184) and senior Jared Johnson (285). All three earned automatic bids, with Carr and Debien winning SoCon individual titles. Johnson took one of the SoCon's three allocations at heavyweight with a third place showing at the league tournament.
CHATTANOOGA MOCS LINEUP
133: Chris Debien (So. - 17-9)
184: No. 13 Bryce Carr (Jr. - 25-4)
285: No. 11 Jared Johnson (Sr. - 26-7)
(No. = NCAA Tournament Seed)
Head Coach: Heath Eslinger (93-54 - 8th Year)
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Thursday, March 16
Session 1 - 1st Round - ESPNU/ESPN3 - Noon (E.D.T.)
Session 2 - 2nd Round and Consolation Rounds - ESPN/ESPN3 - 7:00 p.m.
Friday, March 17
Session 3 - Quarters and Consolation Rounds - ESPNU/ESPN3 - 11:00 a.m.
Session 4 - Semifinals - ESPN/ESPN3 - 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 18
Session 5 - Medal Rounds - ESPNU/ESPN3 - 11:00 a.m.
Session 6 - Finals - ESPN/ESPN3 - 8:00 p.m.
IT'S ALL IN THE NAME
On first reference, it is acceptable to refer to us as the "University of Tennessee at Chattanooga". After that, we prefer to be called "Chattanooga" or "UTC". Our nickname is "Mocs". Please do not use UT-Chattanooga, Tennessee-Chattanooga or the Moccasins.
ALL PRIME-TIME SESSIONS ON ESPN
ESPN's prime-time coverage begins with the second round Thursday, March 16, at 7:00 p.m., the first time a session from the championships' first day has been televised on ESPN (previously has aired on ESPNU). As in years past, the semifinals and finals will air on ESPN on Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18, respectively, beginning at 8 p.m. both nights.
ESPNU will carry all the championships' earlier sessions each day, beginning with the first round on March 16 (noon), continuing with the quarterfinals on March 17 (11:00 a.m.) and the concluding with the medal round on March 18 (11:00 a.m.)
Throughout the entire three days, during all six sessions, ESPN3 streams every single mat and match, allowing fans to follow any wrestler and/or school. During the finals ESPN3 will once again offer Off the Mat -- a combination of live matches, highlights and interviews with newly crowned champions (more details below).
HEAD COACH HEATH ESLINGER
Head Coach Heath Eslinger is in his eighth season at UTC. A two-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year, he owns an 93-54 (.633) career dual record. He has guided the Mocs to six SoCon regular season and six SoCon tournament titles and has a 45-4 record in SoCon duals.
UTC AT THE NCAAS
• The Mocs have been represented at the NCAAs every year since moving to Division I in 1978.
• The best finish was a tie for 14th in 1983.
• The last time the Mocs were in the top-25 was a 21st place showing in 2007.
• Nine individuals have won 12 All-American honors ... most recent was Cody Cleveland at 141 in 2008.
CLOSE LOSSES
Of the Mocs' nine losses this year, four have been by three points or less. This includes a 17-16 defeat at No. 17 Appalachian State that was decided on criteria.
WEIGHT-BY-WEIGHT PREVIEW
A complete breakdown of each individual Moc at the NCAA Championships is available in the .pdf of the notes which are attached to this story.
Chris Debien - Sophomore - 133
• Making his first appearance at the NCAA Championships after winning the SoCon Title at 133 pounds.
• 17-9 overall record ... 26-11 in his career.
• Has won 11 matches in a row.
• 3-3 against the NCAA field ... beat Lock Haven's D.J. Fehlman at the Virginia Duals and had two wins over Appalachian State's Colby Smith in SoCon action.
• Opens against Michigan's No. 5 seed Stevan Micic.
• Off to a 9-2 start as a true freshman in 2015-16 before an injury ended his season in November.
• Majoring in Exercise Science.
• Four-time state champion at Cleveland (Tenn.) High School … high school national champion … No. 18 in the nation at 132 pounds according to Intermat following his senior year of high school.
• Last name is pronounced DEE-be-in.
Bryce Carr - Junior - 184 - 13th Seed
• Making his first appearance at the NCAA Championships after winning the SoCon Title at 184 pounds.
• 25-4 record ... earned the 13th seed.
• Nationally ranked at 184 pounds after a third place finish at the Southern Scuffle
• Went 7-4 against the NCAA field.
• All four losses were either in overtime or by one point ... 2-1 to Virginia Tech's Zach Zavatsky ... 6-4 (SV1) to Northern Iowa's Drew Foster at the Scuffle ... 5-2 (SV1) to ODU's Jack Dechow at the Virginia Duals ... 3-1 (SV1) to Campbell's Ville Heino in the SoCon dual.
• Had three wins against Gardner-Webb's Hunter Gamble ... and two against Heino ... others in the field include 4-0 over Northern Colorado's Dylan Gabel at the Scuffle and 5-2 against Edinboro's Dakota Greer in the Scuffle third place match.
• Opens against Army's Samson Imonode.
• 2015 NJCAA National Champion at Darton State in Albany, Ga.
• Redshirted in 2015-16.
• Father, Gerald, was an All-American (167) at Minnesota in 1996.
• Psychology major
Jared Johnson - Senior - 285 - 11th Seed
• Earned one of three automatic bids given to the Southern Conference at heavyweight with a third-place finish at the SoCon Tournament.
• Making his third appearance at the NCAAs ... looking for his first win.
• No. 11 seed at heavyweight for the second year in a row.
• 26-7 record in 2016-17 ... 83-29 in his career.
• Spent most of the season ranked in the top 15.
• Placed sixth at the Southern Scuffle.
• 4-5 against the field this season ... 11-15 in his career.
• Competed against 16 of the 33 in the bracket in his career.
• Biggest win this season was a 3-2 decision against 12th-seeded William Miller (Edinboro) at the Scuffle.
• Opens against Northwestern's Conan Jennings.
• Posted an 11-7 decision over Duke's No. 4 seed Jacob Kasper at the 2015 Wolfpack Open.
• Scored a 4-2 decision over Stanford's No. 10 seed Nathan Butler on Nov. 17, 2015.
• Came to UTC at 197, but moved up to 285 as a sophomore.
• Two-time Academic All-SoCon and two-time Academic All-NWCA.
• Graduated with honors with a Chemical Engineering degree in May 2016 ... currently working on an M.B.A.
Players Mentioned
Tuesday, September 30
Tuesday, August 26
Tuesday, July 15
Thursday, April 17
