The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team dropped a tight 22-19 match at Ohio tonight.  After trailing by as many as seven points twice, the Mocs (1-2) took a six-point lead before giving up the last two matches.

Ohio came out quick with wins at 165 and 174 to take a 7-0 lead.  Junior Dominic Lampe earned six points in a default at 184, but the Bobcats went up 10-6 with a win at 197.  Senior Connor Tolley battled Zach Parker at heavyweight, but could not get a takedown in a 3-1 loss.

Sophomore Fabian Gutierrez took the mat at 125 against junior Shakur Laney, a two-time NCAA qualifier and 2017 MAC Champion.  Gutierrez was down 4-2 heading into the third period when he scored a fall.  He took down Laney on the edge of the mat and got the pin with five seconds left to improve to 12-2 on the year.  That closed the gap in the team score to 13-12.

"Our guys did a great job of pushing the pace," stated Ruschell.  "We are in great shape and it showed in the third period throughout the match."

Junior Jake Huffine had another strong showing with a 13-1 major decision over Trevor Giallombardo.  That gave UTC a 16-13 lead as Huffine moved to 13-4.  Junior Chris Debien extended the Mocs lead to 19-13 with a 4-3 decision over Kyran Hagan at 141.  He is 9-5 after two wins on this road trip.

"I think our guys overall are doing a great job, we just have to fix the details," added Ruschell.  "We are not supposed to be the March version of ourselves in December.  We just need to fix the little things and keep working."

Ohio scored nine points in the next two matches to take the win. A pin at 149 and a decision at 157 ended the match in the Bobcats' favor. 

Tonight's dual was a sign of how the Mocs measure up against the top teams in the Southern Conference.  Ohio lost to Campbell 19-13 on Nov. 10 and defeated Appalachian State 25-16 on Nov. 30.    

"I think it tells us we are right there with two of the best teams in the conference.  They won or lost by a couple of points to Ohio."

Chattanooga closes out the 2018 calendar year at 1-2 overall.  Up next is the 2019 Southern Scuffle, presented by Compound Sportswear.  Tickets are on sale now on GoMocs.com or by calling the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627).  Don't forget about the VIP Room with full meals, TVs and a cash bar. 

Ohio 22, Chattanooga 19
Athens, Ohio
165: Colt Yinger (Ohio) def. Trey Watson (Chattanooga), 12-4 maj. dec. (4-0)
174: Joe Terry (Ohio) def. Hunter Fortner (Chattanooga), 8-5 dec. (7-0)
184: Dominic Lampe (Chattanooga) for. (7-6)
197: Nathan Hall (Ohio) def. Rodney Jones (Chattanooga), 8-3 dec. (10-6)
285: Zach Parker (Ohio) def. Connor Tolley (Chattanooga), 3-1 dec. (13-6)
125: Fabian Gutierrez (Chattanooga) def. Shakur Laney (Ohio), pin, 6:55 (13-12)
133: Jake Huffine (Chattanooga) def. Trevor Giallombardo (Ohio), 13-1 maj. dec. (13-16)
141: Chris Debien (Chattanooga) def. Kyran Hagan (Ohio), 4-3 dec. (13-19)
149: Alec Hagan (Ohio) def. Mason Wallace (Chattanooga), pin, 0:45 (19-19)
157: Zac Carson (Ohio) def. Ryan Resnick (Chattanooga), 10-8 dec. (22-19)