The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team opens the 2018-19 dual season at home against No. 21 North Carolina on Sunday, Nov. 11.  Match time is set for 2:00 p.m. in Maclellan Gym. 
 
This is the second year in a row the Mocs open the home slate against a ranked opponent.  UTC welcomed No. 8 Virginia Tech on Nov. 17 in last year's first home dual. 
 
Season tickets are still available on GoMocs.com or by calling the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627). 
 
Fans can also purchase at the door when they open on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.   Matside seating upgrades can also be purchased on Sunday while they last. 
 
A link for live scoring and the free MocsVision broadcast are available on the wrestling schedule page on GoMocs.com.
 
Due to construction on Vine Street, Maclellan entrances will be limited to the Mabel Street door by the coaches office and the handicap accessible entrance directly across from the University Center.
 
PROBABLE LINEUP VS. NORTH CAROLINA
125: Alonzo Allen (Sr. – 3-1) or Fabian Gutierrez (So. – 4-0)
133: Jake Huffine (Jr. – 3-2)
141: Chris Debien (Jr. – 2-2) or Davion Fairley (Fr. – 5-1)
149: Tanner Smith (Fr. – 2-1) or Zach Shareef (Sr. – 0-2)
157: Ryan Resnick (Fr. – 3-1)
165: Drew Nicholson (Fr. – 1-2)
174: Hunter Fortner (Fr. – 0-0)
184: Dominic Lampe (Jr. – 2-1)
197: Rodney Jones (Sr. – 3-2)
HWT: Connor Tolley (Sr. – 2-2)
 
UTC is coming off an 8-7 record last season.  The Mocs return three starters to a team that finished 6-1 in SoCon regular season duals and second in the league tournament. 
 
Among the returning starters are seniors Alonzo Allen (125) and Connor Tolley (285) and junior Chris Debien who is moving up to 141.  Allen won the SoCon individual title last season and represented the Mocs at the NCAAs.  He is the lone UTC representative on the preseason All-SoCon team.
 
Tolley returns to the lineup at heavyweight where he was 11-8 last year.  He won four of his last six matches and finished third at the SoCon Tournament.  Debien was the Southern Conference Champion at 133 pounds in 2017.  He finished with a 15-13 mark last year. 
 
HEAD COACH KYLE RUSCHELL
Kyle Ruschell was named head coach of the Mocs on Aug. 10, 2018.  He replaced Heath Eslinger, who stepped down to pursue other interests on July 19.  Ruschell joined the Mocs staff in June as assistant coach.  He spent the previous eight seasons as an assistant coach at Wisconsin.  A former member of the U.S. National Team (2014-15), he was a two-time All-American for the Badgers (2007-10).
 
NORTH CAROLINA PROBABLE LINEUP
125: Joe Heilmann (Fr. - 4-1)
133: James Szymanski (RJr. - 2-2)
141: A.C. Headlee (RJr. - 4-1)
149: No. 16 Austin O'Connor (RFr. - 4-1) or Gino Esposito (RFr. - 1-2)
157: No. 7 Kennedy Monday (RSo. - 4-1)
165: Josh McClure (So. - 5-1) or Will MacDonald (RSo. - 0-2)
174: Devin Kane (RSo. - 2-1)
184: No. 7 Chip Ness (RSr. - 3-1)
197: Hunter Queen (RFr. - 0-2) or Mark Chaid (Fr. - 1-2)
285: No. 15 Cory Daniel (RSr. - 3-1)
 
The Tar Heels opened the season at the Hokie Open last weekend.  The had eight individuals in their probable lineup place in the Open Division, including Headlee (141), Kane (174), Monday (157), Daniel (285) in second, Heilmann (125), Ness (184), O'Connor (149) in third and McClure (165) in fifth.   
 
UNC went 9-11 last year and 3-2 in ACC action.  They finished 20th at the NCAAs and return five starters. 
 
NORTH CAROLINA SERIES
UTC is 2-7 all-time against North Carolina.  UNC has been a frequent visitor to Chattanooga for the Southern Scuffle, but this is its first time back in the Scenic City for a dual meet since 1992.  The last time these two teams faced off was an 18-17 UNC win on Dec. 14, 2014.
 
ALL-TIME VS. NORTH CAROLINA (2-7)
Home: 0-1, Away: 0-5, Neutral 2-1
11-14-86 - Chapel Hill, N.C. - L - 15-26
1-25-92 - Chapel Hill, N.C. - L - 17-23
1-23-93 - Chattanooga - L - 13-19
1-14-94 - Chapel Hill, N.C. - L - 7-34
2-4-95 - Chapel Hill, N.C. - L - 12-34
11-13-05 - Boone, N.C. - L - 15-24
1-13-06 - Hampton, Va. - W - 17-15
1-14-06 - Hampton, Va. - W - 24-13
11-21-10 - Chapel Hill, N.C. - L - 18-21
12-14-14 - Atlanta, Ga. - L - 17-18
 
LAST TIME VS. UNC – NORTH CAROLINA 18 - CHATTANOOGA 17  – DEC. 14, 2014
197: Scottie Boykin (UTC) – Dec. 6-4 - Chip Ness (UNC) – UTC 3-0
285: Jared Johnson (UTC) – Dec. 2-0 - Frank Abbondanza (UNC) – UTC 6-0
125: No. 19 Sean Boyle (UTC) – TF 21-5 (6:13) - Cody Karns (UNC) – UTC 11-0
133: Troy Heilmann (UNC) – Dec. 7-5 - No. 14 Nick Soto (UTC) – UTC 11-3
141: No. 14 Joey Ward (UNC) – Dec. 10-4 - Michael Pongracz (UTC) – UTC 11-6
149: Shawn Greevy (UTC) – Dec. 6-5 - Christian Barber (UNC) – UTC 14-6
157: Austin Sams (UTC) – Dec. 5-2 – Chris Mears (UNC) – UTC 17-6
165: Ethan Ramos (UNC) – TF 24-8 (6:54) - Garrett Alexander (UTC) – UTC 17-11
174: John Michael Staudenmayer (UNC) – Dec. 6-1 - Levi Clemons (UTC) – UTC 17-14
184: Alex Utley (UNC) – MD 11-0 - Sean Mappes (UTC) – UNC 18-17
 
GUTIERREZ NAMED SOCON WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
UTC sophomore Fabian Gutierrez is the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week for the first weekend of competition.  Gutierrez opened the season by winning the 125-pound Open Division at the Hokie Open this weekend.  The Commerce City, Colorado, product picked up four victories on the way to his first open division title.  He earned a 6-4 decision win over Campbell's Korbin Meink, a 6-1 decision win over Elijah Oliver of Indiana University and a pin against Joey Melendez of North Carolina.  He then went on to beat teammate and preseason All-SoCon selection, Alonzo Allen by a pin to win the 125-weight class.  
 
MOCS VS. RANKED TEAMS
The last time the Mocs beat a ranked team was a 19-18 win at No. 19 Virginia on Feb. 14, 2016.  Chattanooga is 3-40 against ranked teams under former head coach Heath Eslinger.  The other two wins included a 23-15 victory against No. 25 Kent State in Ypsilanti, Mich., on Nov. 15, 2014 and 22-15 over No. 12 Stanford in Maclellan Gym on Nov. 20, 2011.
 
WEIGHT-BY-WEIGHT NOTES
125: Senior Alonzo Allen is the returning starter and defending SoCon Champion at 125, but he lost in the finals of the Hokie Open last week to sophomore teammate Fabian Gutierrez.  Allen lost to UNC's Joe Heilmann 4-1 at the Hokie Open. 
 
133: Junior Jake Huffine went 3-2 at the Hokie Open.  He is looking for his first career win in dual action (0-3).
 
141:  Junior Chris Debien or freshman Davion Fairley will go at 141.  Debien was 2-2 in the Open division where he lost to UNC's Headlee (8-3).  He also lost to Headlee at last year's Hokie Open (4-3).  Fairley was 5-1 last weekend with a fifth place showing in the Fr/So bracket. 
 
149:  Senior Zach Shareef and freshman Tanner Smith are listed as the probables.  Shareef lost to UNC's Gino Esposito (5-4) at the Hokie Open.  Smith transferred to UTC from Eastern Michigan where he was 17-0 as an unattached redshirt last year. 
 
157:  Freshman Ryan Resnick went 3-1 for a third place showing at 157 in the Hokie Open Fr/So bracket. 
 
165:  Freshman Drew Nicholson is coming off a 1-2 mark at the Hokie Open Fr/So tournament. 
 
174:  Freshman Hunter Fortner is competing for the first time this weekend against UNC.  Fortner was pinned by UNC's Devin Kane at the Wolfpack Open last season.
 
184:  Dominic Lampe is back in the lineup after missing the last two seasons of competition.  He redshirted in 2016-17 and missed last season with an injury.  He lost to UNC's seventh-ranked Chip Ness (12-4) last weekend, but still managed a 2-1 mark.  
 
197:  Senior Rodney Jones was solid in his first weekend, placing sixth at the Hokie Open with a 3-2 mark. 
 
285: Junior Connor Tolley was sixth at the Hokie Open last weekend, going 2-2 overall.  He faces UNC's 15th ranked Cory Daniel, who beat him at the Hokie Open (8-3).  These two split their other two meetings, with Daniel winning (8-0) at last year's Hokie Open and Tolley taking a 5-2 decision at the Roadrunner Open on Nov. 16, 2014.