Mocs Sending Three to NCAA Wrestling This Week

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team competes in the 88th NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships on March 15-17, 2018. Action takes place in the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and is covered live by the ESPN family of networks.

UTC posted an 8-7 dual match record and finished second in the Southern Conference regular season race. The Mocs were also runners-up 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 junior Alonzo Allen, senior Bryce Carr (184) and senior Scottie Boykin (197). All three earned automatic bids, with all three winning SoCon individual titles. Carr, the 2018 SoCon Wrestler of the Year, is making his second straight appearance. This is the third trip to the NCAAs for Boykin and the first for Allen.

CHATTANOOGA MOCS LINEUP
125: Alonzo Allen (Jr. - 21-8)
184: No. 12 Bryce Carr (Sr. - 26-5)
197: No. 10 Scottie Boykin (Sr. - 26-6)
(No. = NCAA Tournament Seed)
Head Coach: Heath Eslinger (101-61 - 9th Year)

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Thursday, March 15
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 16
Session 3 - Quarters and Consolation Rounds - ESPNU/ESPN3 - 11:00 a.m.
Session 4 - Semifinals - ESPN/ESPN3 - 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 17
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 PRIMETIME SESSIONS ON ESPN
ESPN's prime-time coverage begins with the second round Thursday, March 15, at 7:00 p.m. As in years past, the semifinals and finals will air on ESPN on Friday, March 16, and Saturday, March 17, 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 15 (noon), continuing with the quarterfinals on March 16 (11:00 a.m.) and the concluding with the medal round on March 17 (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 ninth year at UTC. A two-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year, he owns a 101-61 (.623) career dual record, including a 53-5 (.914) tally in league matches. He has guided the Mocs to six SoCon regular season and six SoCon tournament titles.

ESLINGER EARNED WIN NO. 100 VS. GARDNER-WEBB
Head Coach Heath Eslinger earned his 100th win with a 37-5 victory against Gardner-Webb last weekend. He is currently 101-61 (.623), which is second on the Mocs all-time wins list. Jim Morgan owns the career coaching wins record at UTC with a 209-70-3 (.746) mark in 16 seasons (1969-83).

MOCS IN THE RANKINGS
Senior Bryce Carr is No. 12 at 184, while senior Scottie Boykin is No. 12 at 197 in this week's Intermat rankings.

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.

Alonzo Allen - Junior - 125
• Making his first appearance at the NCAA Championships after winning the SoCon Title at 125 pounds.
• 21-8 overall record ... 50-34 in his career.
• Has won 10 matches in a row.
• Has two wins against the field, including a 6-4 decision against Virginia Tech's Kyle Norstrem at the 2017 Hokie Open and a 6-5 decision against Utah Valley's seventh-seeded Taylor Lamont at the 2017 Southern Scuffle ... 2-7 against the field overall.
• Opens against Cal State-Bakersfield's Sergio Mendez who placed third at the PAC 12 Tournament and is 22-12 overall.
• Former Moc and 2015 SoCon Wrestler of the Year Sean Boyle is an assistant coach at CSUB. Boyle is the last Moc to qualify for the NCAAs at 125.
• Won the Appalachian Open.
• Runner-up at the Black Knight Invite.
• Fouth place finish at the Hokie Open.
• Majoring in Exercise Science ... made the Dean's List in the fall.
• Two-time state champion at Rockdale County High School in Conyers, Ga.

Bryce Carr - Senior - 184 - 12th Seed
• Making his second appearance at the NCAA Championships after winning the SoCon Title at 184 pounds.
• 2018 Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year.
• 26-5 record ... earned the 12th seed.
• Only losses to Virginia Tech's No. 6 Zach Zavatsky (3-1) on Nov. 17, N.C. State's No. 4 Pete Renda (2-1) on Dec. 2, Ohio State's No. 2 Myles Martin (10-4) on Dec. 17 and Northern Iowa's No. 8 Drew Foster in the quarterfinals at the Scuffle and at the Virginia Duals.
• Nationally ranked at 184 pounds throughout the season.
• Went 4-5 against the NCAA field in 2017-18 ... 6-8 in his career.
• Opens against Lock Haven's Corey Hazel ... beat Hazel 12-3 at last year's Virginia Duals.
• Finished third at the Southern Scuffle for the second year in a row, earning SoCon Wrestler of the Week and Wrestler of the Month Honors.
• Won the Hokie Open, earning SoCon Wrestler of the Week honors on Nov. 8 ... also won the Black Knight Invite ... named SoCon Wrestler of the Month for November.
• Both of his losses at the 2017 NCAAs were in overtime.
• 52-11 (.825) all-time record ... eighth-best winning percentage in school history.
• One of five to earn three or more SoCon Wrestler of the Month honors in a career, including January 2017, November 2018 and January 2018.
• 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.
• Graduated with a degree in Psychology in December 2017 and is taking Health & Human Performance classes as a postbaccalaureate.
• Made the Dean's List in the fall.

Scottie Boykin - Senior - 197 - 10th Seed
• 2018 SoCon Champion ... also won in 2016.
• 26-6 overall record ... 95-41 in his career ... No. 8 on the Mocs' all-time wins list.
• No. 10 seed.
• 5-5 against the field this season ... 9-5 in his career.
• Making his third appearance at the NCAAs ... went 1-2 in 2016 and 2-2 in 2015.
• Opens against Lehigh's Chris Weiler, who he beat 11-8 at the Scuffle.
• Won the Hokie Open.
• Won the Black Knight Invite.
• Finished fifth at the Southern Scuffle.
• Sports Administration major who made the Dean's List in the fall.
• He was ranked as high as No. 9 in 2015-16 before redshirting last season and is up to No. 12 this week.

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 3-38 against ranked teams under head coach Heath Eslinger. The other two wins include 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.

UTC has faced five ranked teams this season. The Mocs have faced at least four ranked teams in seven of Eslinger's nine campaigns at UTC.

CARR NAMED SOCON WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
UTC senior 184-pounder Bryce Carr is the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year. This honor was determined by a vote of the conference's eight head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own wrestlers.

Carr, the 2016-17 league champion at 184 pounds, is ranked No. 12 nationally with an overall record of 23-5. He was a perfect 7-0 in SoCon action, is 11-4 in duals and is tied for the league lead with seven pins.

The senior from Dublin, Georgia, was named SoCon Wrestler of the Week twice this season. Carr earned the honor in week one of competition and on Jan. 3 after going 5-1 and finishing third overall in the Southern Scuffle. Carr has six major decisions and three technical falls thus far in the year.

Carr is the eighth Moc to earn Southern Conference Wrestler of the Year honors since the award began in 1993. UTC's eight winners are the most in league history, outpacing Appalachian State with seven and VMI with six.

CARR NAMED SOCON WRESTLER OF THE MONTH (AGAIN)
For the second time this season and the third time in his career, senior Bryce Carr is the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Month (January '18). Posting a January record of 10-2 for Chattanooga, Carr's month included five pins and two technical falls in the 184-pound division. He finished third at the Southern Scuffle, going 5-1 with two pins and a technical fall. His only loss was a 2-0 decision to Northern Iowa's eighth-ranked Drew Foster, while he earned wins over No. 18 Dylan Gabel of Northern Colorado and No. 19 Michael Coleman of Navy. Carr, a senior from Dublin, Georgia, also went 5-1 in the Virginia Duals, with his lone loss coming in overtime, again to Foster, then ranked 11th. Carr finished the month on a streak of three straight pins and holding an overall record of 20-5 (4-0 SoCon). He is currently the 10th-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds according to the NCAA Coaches Panel. This is the second honor this season for Carr, who also took the award in November, and the third of his two-year career with the Mocs. He is tied for second with Matt Keller (2006-07) and one behind Cody Cleveland (2006-11) for most all-time at UTC.

BOYKIN NAMED WRESTLER OF THE WEEK
Senior Scottie Boykin was the Southern Conference Wrestler of the Week for all competition from Jan. 10-16. This is the league-high third Moc to win the honor this season. It is the second career award for Boykin. He went 4-0 in the Virginia Duals. Wrestling at 197 pounds, scored a technical fall over Kent State's Kyle Conel before edging out Northern Iowa's 19th-ranked Jacob Holschlag 8-7. After picking up a win via forfeit, Boykin capped off the weekend with a 17-6 major decision over Old Dominion's Noah Bushman.

MOCS GETTING THE JOB DONE IN THE CLASSROOM
UTC topped the 3.0 mark as a team for the third time with a 3.03 GPA in the Fall of 2017. The Mocs put a program record 17 on the Dean's List, while 21 on the A.D. Honor Roll is second only to the 22 in the Fall of 2015. Allen, Carr and Boykin all made the Dean's List in the fall.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alonzo Allen

Scottie Boykin

Bryce Carr

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Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Wrestling versus Blue-Gold Match on Oct 17, 2026 at 6:30 PM

Upcoming Event: Wrestling versus Southeast Open on Nov 1, 2026 at All Day

Upcoming Event: Wrestling at Princeton on Nov 14, 2026 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Wrestling versus Ohio on Nov 14, 2026 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Wrestling versus Duke on Nov 14, 2026 at TBA

Upcoming Event: Wrestling versus Little Rock on Nov 22, 2026 at 2:00 PM

Upcoming Event: Wrestling versus Central Michigan on Dec 12, 2026 at 10:00 AM

Upcoming Event: Wrestling at Purdue on Dec 12, 2026 at Noon

Results

Completed Event: Wrestling versus NCAA Championships - Day 2 on March 20, 2026 , , T57th (1.0 pts)

Completed Event: Wrestling versus NCAA Championships - Day 1 on March 19, 2026 , , T59 (0.5 pts)

Completed Event: Wrestling versus Southern Conference Championships - Finals on March 7, 2026 , , 2nd (93.0 pts)2 Champs, 7 Podium

Completed Event: Wrestling versus Southern Conference Championships - Day 1 on March 6, 2026 , , 2nd (63.0 points)4 finalists

Completed Event: Wrestling at Bellarmine on February 22, 2026 , Win , 26, to, 9

Completed Event: Wrestling versus Appalachian State on February 15, 2026 , Win , 20, to, 13

Completed Event: Wrestling versus Presbyterian on February 8, 2026 , Win , 52, to, 0

Completed Event: Wrestling at Campbell on February 8, 2026 , Win , 47, to, 0