The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team hits the road this weekend for a trip through North Carolina.  The Mocs open Southern Conference action on Friday, Nov. 22, at Davidson before heading to No. 23 North Carolina on Sunday. 
 
The Mocs are 1-3 overall after last weekend's trip to No. 2 Iowa.  UTC lost that one 39-0, but enjoyed the experience of competing in front of 10,000 fans, the largest ever for the Mocs in a dual meet.  Chattanooga opened the season with a win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville before falling to Army and Illinois at the Chattanooga Duals.
 
"We have a great weekend ahead of us," stated UTC head coach Kyle Ruschell.  "Davidson is a good team that we need to come out ready to compete hard against.  We need to set the tone for the rest of the year in our conference on Friday night. 
 
"Sunday we have another great opportunity to take on a ranked team.  We need to start capitalizing on these opportunities and winning some big matches.  I am excited to see how our guys respond after last weekend in Iowa." 
 
Friday's match against the Wildcats is set for 6:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) at Belk Arena in Davidson, N.C.  Davidson is 0-2 on the year, with losses to VMI (15-28) and Franklin & Marshall (16-22). Follow the match online via TrackWrestling or watch through the Davidson Wildcats All Access. Links for both are on the wrestling schedule page on GoMocs.com.
 
The dual against North Carolina is set for 2:00 p.m. at Carmichael Auditorium in Chapel Hill, N.C. on Sunday, Nov. 24.  The Tar Heels are No. 19 in the nation in this week's NWCA Coaches Poll with a 1-1 overall record.  UNC defeated Michigan (19-17) in the season opener and lost to Stanford (21-11) last weekend.  Fans can also catch this match on TrackWrestling and the ACC Network Extra.  Links for both are on the wrestling schedule page on GoMocs.com.
 
PROBABLE LINEUP AT DAVIDSON & NO. 19 NORTH CAROLINA
125: Fabian Gutierrez (Jr. - 4-3)
133: Franco Valdes (So. - 2-5) or Wade Cummings (Jr. - 2-3)
141: Aidan Murphy (So. - 0-5)
149: Mason Wallace (So. - 3-3) or Tanner Smith (So. - 4-3)
157: George Carpenter (Sr. - 4-6) or Tyler Shilson (So. - 2-2)
165: Drew Nicholson (So. - 4-5)
174: Hunter Fortner (So. - 2-5)
184: Matthew Waddell (So. - 5-2)
197: Rodney Jones (Sr. - 3-4)
HWT: Grayson Walthall (So. - 2-6)
  
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.
 
HEAD COACH KYLE RUSCHELL
Kyle Ruschell was named head coach of the Mocs on Aug. 10, 2018, and is in his second season guiding the UTC program. He has an 8-10 dual record overall that includes sharing the SoCon Regular Season Title last season with a 7-7 mark and a 5-1 league tally.  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).
 
SCOUTING THE MOCS
UTC returns seven of 10 starters to the lineup from last year's team.  2019 SoCon Freshman of the Year Tanner Smith is back at 149, while junior Fabian Gutierrez takes over as the starter at 125. 
 
Other returning starters include sophomores Drew Nicholson and Hunter Fortner at 165 and 174, and seniors Dominic Lampe and Rodney Jones at 184 and 197.
 
Some new faces in the lineup include a pair of transfers in senior George Carpenter and sophomore Matthew Waddell.  Carpenter is a graduate transfer from Penn State, while Waddell started his career at Oklahoma.  Look for Carpenter to compete at 157, while Waddell is listed at 184. 
 
DAVIDSON PROBABLE LINEUP
125:  Cian Fischer (3-1, 0-0 SoCon) or Anthony Rautmann (0-4, 0-1)
133:  Kyle Gorant (5-1, 1-0)
141:  Dalton Blankenship (5-3, 0-0) or David Loniewski (3-5, 0-1)
149:  Will Baldwin (2-5, 0-1)
157:  Hunter Costa (1-5, 0-1)
165:  Noah Satterfield (3-5, 1-0)
174:  Steven Newell (3-3, 0-1)
184:  Lachlan Rosato (0-7, 0-1)
197:  Conor Fenn (2-0, 1-0)
HWT:  Mitchell Trigg (2-3, 1-0) or Finlay Holston (4-4, 0-0)
 
SCOUTING DAVIDSON
Davidson wrestling enters year three under head coach Andy Lausier.  The Wildcats have just four upper classmen on the roster, three seniors; Hunter Costa, Conor Fenn and Noah Satterfield, and junior Will Baldwin. Davidson looks to build upon their sixth-place finish at the 2019 Southern Conference Championship. The 'Cats jumped 9.5 points from their 2018 Championship total.
 
LAST TIME VS. DAVIDSON
Chattanooga 34 – Davidson 9
Sunday – Jan. 27, 2019 – Maclellan Gym
125: Alonzo Allen (UTC) over (DAV) (For.) – UTC 6-0
133: Kyle Gorant (DAV) over Jake Huffine (UTC) (Dec 8-2) – UTC 6-3
141: Chris Debien (UTC) over Caleb Ziebell (DAV) (Fall 4:25) – UTC 12-3
149: Tanner Smith (UTC) over Aidan Conroy (DAV) (MD 10-2) – UTC 16-3
157: Tony Palumbo (DAV) over Ryan Resnick (UTC) (Dec 4-2) – UTC 16-6
165: Drew Nicholson (UTC) over Erik Eva (DAV) (TF 20-5 6:07) – UTC 21-6
174: Hunter Fortner (UTC) over Noah Satterfield (DAV) (Fall 4:19) – UTC 27-6
184: Conor Fenn (DAVI) over Ben Stacey (UTC) (Dec 10-4) – UTC 27-9
197: Rod Jones (UTC) over Finaly Holston (DAV) (MD 10-0)– UTC 31-9
285: Connor Tolley (UTC) over Mitchell Trigg (DAV) (Dec 5-3) – UTC 34-9
 
ALL-TIME VS. DAVIDSON
The Wildcats have scored nine points twice times in the last five meetings.  Those numbers tie for the most allowed by UTC against Davidson.   
 
All-Time Against Davidson (27-0)
Home: 12-0, Away: 10-0, Neutral 5-0 - last five below
1/27/19 - Chattanooga, Tenn. - 34-9
12-2-17 - Davidson, N.C. - W - 43-3
1-28-17 - Chattanooga - W - 44-3
1-30-15 - Chattanooga - W - 36-3
1-31-16 - Davidson, N.C. - W - 37-9
 
HEAD TO HEAD VS. DAVIDSON
Below are past matchups between wrestlers in the probable linupes.  There are no rematches slated from last year's dual or the SoCon Championships.
• 149 - Mason Wallace has two wins over Davidson's Will Baldwin.  HE scored a 13-1 major decision at the 2018 Wolfpack Open and a 17-4 major at the 2017 Hokie Open.
 
NORTH CAROLINA PROBABLE LINEUP
125: Jeremiah Derby (Fr. – 2-2)
133: Jaime Hernandez (So. – 5-1)
141: Zach Sherman (So. – 5-2)
149: Michael Goldfeder (Fr.- 1-2)
157: A.C. Headlee (Sr. – 4-2) or Josh McClure (Jr. – 10-3)
165: No. 18 Kennedy Monday (Jr. – 4-2) or Sawyer Davidson (Jr. – 9-3)
174: Clay Lautt (So. – 5-2) or Joey Mazzara (Fr. – 9-4)
184: Chasen Blair (So. – 0-2) or Max Shaw (Fr. – 0-0)
197: Brandon Whitman (So. – 2-4)
285: Andrew Gunning (Jr. – 3-2)
 
SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA
The Tar Heels have three wrestlers ranked in the Intermat Top-20 this week.  Sophomore Austin O'Connor holds the top spot in the nation at 149.  Junior Kennedy Monday and senior Devin Kane are both No. 18 at 165 and 174, respectively.  Neither O'Connor or Kane are listed among the probable starters for Sunday's dual. 
 
LAST TIME VS. NORTH CAROLINA
No. 21 North Carolina 23 – Chattanooga 10
Maclallen Gym – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Sunday – Nov. 11, 2018
125: Fabian Gutierrez (UTC) over Joseph Heilmann (UNC) (MD 12-2)
133: Jake Huffine (UTC) over James Szymanski (UNC) (SV-1 8-6)
141: Chris Debien (UTC) over Austin Headlee (UNC) (Dec 10-5)
149: Austin O`Connor (UNC) over Tanner Smith (UTC) (MD 14-4)
157: Kennedy Monday (UNC) over Ryan Resnick (UTC) (Dec 10-4)
165: Joshua McClure (UNC) over Drew Nicholson (UTC) (Dec 9-4)
174: Devin Kane (UNC) over Hunter Fortner (UTC) (Dec 4-1)
184: Chip Ness (UNC) over Dominic Lampe (UTC) (Dec 4-0)
197: Chasen Blair (UNC) over Rod Jones (UTC) (MD 13-4)
285: Cory Gilliland-Daniel (UNC) over Connor Tolley (UTC) (Dec 6-1)

NORTH CAROLINA SERIES
UTC is 2-8 all-time against North Carolina.  The Mocs are winless in five previous trips to Chapel Hill.  The last time was a 21-18 UNC win on Nov. 21, 2010.  These two teams met last season in Chattanooga, with the Tar Heels winning 23-10. 
 
ALL-TIME VS. NORTH CAROLINA (2-8)
Home: 0-2, Away: 0-5, Neutral 2-1
11-11-18 – Chattanooga, Tenn. – L, 10-23
12-14-14 - Atlanta, Ga. - L - 17-18
11-21-10 - Chapel Hill, N.C. - L - 18-21
1-14-06 - Hampton, Va. - W - 24-13
1-13-06 - Hampton, Va. - W - 17-15
11-13-05 - Boone, N.C. - L - 15-24
2-4-95 - Chapel Hill, N.C. - L - 12-34
1-14-94 - Chapel Hill, N.C. - L - 7-34
1-23-93 - Chattanooga - L - 13-19
1-25-92 - Chapel Hill, N.C. - L - 17-23
11-14-86 - Chapel Hill, N.C. - L - 15-26
 
HEAD TO HEAD VS. NORTH CAROLINA
Below are past matchups between wrestlers in the probable lineups. There are no rematches on tap from last year's dual.
• 133 – UNC's Jaime Hernandez scored two major decisions over Wade Cummings at the Southeast Open on Nov. 3. 
• 141 – UNC's Zach Sherman scored a 10-2 major decision over Aidan Murphy at the Southeast Open on Nov. 3. 
• 157 – UNC's A.C. Headlee pinned Tyler Shilson at the Southeast Open on Nov. 3.  Shilson posted a 7-2 win over Josh McClure at the Southeast Open.  George Carpenter also pinned McClure at the Southeast Open.
• 165 – UNC's No. 18 Kennedy Monday had a 14-4 major decision over Drew Nicholson at the Southeast Open on Nov. 3.  Nicholson posted a 5-2 win over Sawyer Davidson at the Southeast Open. 
• 174 – UNC's Clay Lautt pinned Hunter Fortner at last year'
• 285- UNC's Andrew Gunning scored a 3-2 decision over Grayson Walthall at the Hokie Open on Nov. 3.
 
MOCS HAVE A BRUTAL NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
UTC has definitely scheduled up in non-conference action this season. The Mocs have already taken on Army (L, 18-12) and Illinois (L, 22-10). The Black Knights are off to a 3-1 start and have climbed into the rankings at No. 23 this week.  UTC also traveled to No. 2 Iowa (L, 39-0) and have the No. 19 Tar Heels on Sunday.  Other ranked teams on the schedule include at No. 11 Iowa State on Dec.14, at No. 4 Virginia Tech on Dec. 21 and at No. 23 Virginia on Jan. 17.  UTC closes out the season with its third Big 10 opponent on Feb. 21. 
 
MOCS PICKED THIRD IN THE SOCON PRESEASON
Chattanooga was picked to finish third in the Southern Conference race with 39 points, including one first-place vote. The Mocs also went 5-1 in the conference last year, finishing with a 7-7 record overall. Campbell received seven first-place votes and 49 points to top the 2019-20 preseason poll. Last season, the Camels went 5-1 in conference matchups, sharing the regular season title with the Mocs and Appalachian State.  The Mountaineers were second with 41 votes.  The Citadel (28), Gardner-Webb (26), VMI (20), Davidson (14) and Presbyterian (7) rounded out the listings. 
 
SMITH & JONES MAKE PRESEASON ALL-SOCON TEAM
The Mocs were represented by sophomore Tanner Smith at 149 and senior Rodney Jones at 197 on the preseason All-SoCon team.  Smith was the 2019 SoCon Freshman of the Year after posting a 12-9 record and qualifying for the NCAA Championships.  He was also a member of the SoCon All-Freshman team and was runner-up at the SoCon Tournament.  Jones qualified for the NCAAs at 197 pounds last year by taking the SoCon's second automatic bid at that weight.  He defeated The Citadel's Sawyer Root on a last second reversal in the second place match to secure his first trip to the national tournament.
 
MOCS GETTING THE JOB DONE IN THE CLASSROOM
UTC topped the 3.0 mark as a team for the fourth and fifth times in 2018-19.  The Mocs had a 3.02 GPA in the fall and a 3.1 in the spring.  The Mocs put 13 on the Dean's List and 16 on the A.D. Honor Roll in the fall.  There were 14 on the Dean's List and 17 on the A.D. Honor Roll in the spring.  Huffine, Jacob Murphy and Chris Debien all had 4.0s in the spring.
 
ATTENTION ALL WRESTLING ALUMNI
We need all UTC wrestling alumni to take the C Club Challenge for $100.  Joining the C Club directly benefits Mocs wrestling, and the program with the highest percentage of alumni who join get an extra $5,000 added to their budget.  Visit www.gomocs.com/cclub to join.
 
UTC ATHLETICS DRIVE FOR 25
The Mocs Club is kicking off its second annual Drive for 25 campaign on Saturday, Nov. 9.  The goal of this initiative is to raise $25,000 in unrestricted gifts to the Mocs Club to help support the 300 student-athletes at UTC.  Your participation enhances the academic and athletic success of all our programs and is vital to the continued growth of Chattanooga Athletics.  Any gift is helpful, so be sure to visit utc.edu/Drivefor25 and help support the Chattanooga Mocs.