Tanner Smith & Rodney Jones also qualify for NCAA Championships.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga junior Chris Debien won his second career title at the Southern Conference Championships in Boone, N.C. tonight. He was one of three Mocs to punch their tickets to the NCAA Championships tonight, including freshman Tanner Smith (149) and junior Rodney Jones (197).
Debien scored two wins to capture the trophy at 141 pounds. He opened with a 3-2 win against a determined Blake Mulkey from Gardner-Webb in the semifinals. He battled Irvin Enriquez and the home crowd in the finals. After giving up an opening takedown, Debien turned it on for a 12-7 win.
"I am proud of how Chris competed, especially in his last match," stated UTC head coach Kyle Ruschell. "The game plan was to come out and be offensive, and even though he got taken down first he continued to stay offensive. He stuck with the game plan and separated himself with a 12-7 win."
Smith, the SoCon Freshman of the Year and third seed at 149, also qualified for the NCAAs. Due to a deep field, 149 had two NCAA allocations. Smith secured one with a second place finish, punching his first ticket to the national tournament.
"Tanner battled through injuries all year and did a great job to stay as healthy as possible and wrestle as hard as he could," added Ruschell. He avenged a loss from earlier in the year to get to the finals and earn a bid. He has a bright future if he continues to stay healthy and do the right thing."
Jones also grabbed an allocation with a second-place finish at 197. He lost to Appalachian State's Randall Diabe in the semifinals and had to face runner-up Sawyer Root to determine who would take the second allocation at 197. This one went all the way to the second tiebreaker, with Jones scoring a reversal at the buzzer for the 8-7 win.
"We told him that true second gave him an opportunity and he need to go get it," added Ruschell. "That is what he did and he was on his legs all match. He lost twice to Root during the season, so he made the adjustments, stayed on his feet and got the win."
Senior Alonzo Allen also finished second. He was the top seed at 125, but was upset in the finals by Campbell's Korbin Meink (6-0).
The Mocs had three individuals finish in third place, including junior Jake Huffine (133), freshman Ryan Resnick (157) and junior Dominic Lampe (184). Huffine came into the tournament as the No. 5 seed, while Jones was seeded fourth.
Campbell won the team title with 95.0 points, while Appalachian State was second with 92.5 and the Mocs third at 62.0. Complete brackets and scores are available in the brackets link at the top of the page.
Up next for the Mocs is the NCAA Championships on March 21-23 in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Team Scores
Campbell – 95.0
Appalachian State – 92.5
Chattanooga – 62.0
The Citadel – 42.5
Gardner-Webb – 23.5
Davidson – 22.5
VMI – 17.0
Semifinals - There were only four entrants at 125, so each wrestler earned a bye to the semifinals. Allen opened his match against VMI Derek Shockey with a quick takedown. He scored two back points before Shockey escaped. That set the tone for the rest of the match that saw Allen scored another takedown and took a 6-1 lead after one. Allen chose down in the second and quickly escaped. Another takedown and four back points quickly built a 13-2 advantage. He ended it in a 19-2 tech fall with another takedown and four more back points.
Finals – Allen took on Campbell's No. 2 seed Korbin Meink in the finals at 125. He had a 7-2 decision in the dual on Feb. 10, but had a whole different match tonight. Meink scored a takedown late in the first and held a 2-0 lead going into the second. Meink rode Allen out in the second and was up 2-0 to start the third with 2:16 of riding time. Meink chose down in the third and built a 3-0 lead with an escape. Another takedown by Meink late in the period and riding time resulted in a 6-0 win for the Camels.
Round 1 - Huffine opened action with a 4-2 win over Gardner-Webb's Brandon Bright. He scored on a penalty and an escape after a takedown in the first period. He added another escape in the second and then rode him out in the third. The win avenges a 3-2 loss in the dual on Feb. 1.
Semifinals – Huffine went up against top-seeded Noah Gonser of Campbell in the semis. He lost a 5-2 match in the dual with the Camels on Feb. 10. Gonser scored a takedown and back points in the first for a 6-0 lead. After no score in the second, Gonser added an escape, takedown and riding time in the third for a 10-0 win.
Consolation Semifinals – Huffine opened with a takedown and four backpoints in the first period. Another takedown in the second have him an 8-0 advantage. Kearney scored a takedown early in the third to cut into the 9-1 lead. Huffine battled right back for another takedown. He went on to post a 13-3 win.
Consolation Finals (3rd Place Match) – Huffine took on Davidson's Kyle Gorant and was the aggressor from the beginning. He scored two takedowns around two backpoints for a 6-1 lead after one. Gorant scored an escape in the second and Huffine lead 6-2 going into the third. He escaped and scored another takedown for a 9-2 advantage. He closed out the match with riding time for a 10-3 win and a third place finish in the tournament.
Semifinals - Debein earned a first-round bye with the top seed at 141. This one was a tight 9-7 match on by Debien in the dual on Feb. 1. Today was another close one with Debien giving up a takedown late in the first, but managed to escape before the buzzer. Debien chose down and tied it at 2-2 with a quick escape. He rode out Mulkey in the third period for a 3-2 win.
Finals – Debien took on Appalachian State's Irvin Enriquez in the finals. Debein beat him 9-4 in the dual, but this was another battle from the start. Enriquez took Debien down early in the first for a 2-0 lead. Debien escaped 20 seconds later and then scored a takedown of his own. Debein posted another takedown and two backpoints for a 7-3 lead midway through the first. Enriquez escaped for a 7-4 Debien lead after an exciting opening frame. Debien scored a reversal and Enriquez escaped to end the second at 9-5. Enriquez cut the lead to 9-6 with an escape to start the final period. The two went at it for the rest of the third, but Debien put more distance in the score with a takedown with 51 seconds remaining. Add in the riding time point and Debein scored his second career Southern Conference title. Freshman Tanner Smith qualified for the NCAA's with a second-place finish at 149.
149 – Tanner Smith (3rd Seed) – 2nd Place
Chase McKinney (GWU) – W-MD, 12-2
Matt Zovistoski (ASU) – W-D, 3-2
No. 9 Josh Heil (Campbell) – L-D, 2-6
Round 1 - Smith had to fight off a single-leg from Gardner-Webb's Chase McKinney to score his first takedown. He added two back points before the buzzer to take a 4-0 lead. An escape and stalling call in the second increased his lead to 6-0 and a takedown before the horn gave him an 8-0 advantage going into the third. Smith gave up a reversal in the third to make things exciting, but quickly regained contral and eventually won 12-2
Semifinals – Zovistoski won the regular season match 3-1 in the dual on Feb. 3. He came out today and took Smith down late in the first. Smith trailed 2-0 entering the second and chose down. Smith escaped and scored a takedown of his own just before the buzzer. He led 3-2 going into the third, but Zovistoski owned 1:32 of riding time. Smith erased the riding time and kept Zovistoski on the mat. Action moved out of bounds with 12 seconds left, but Smith kept control on the restart for the 3-2 win.
Finals – Smith went against Campbell's ninth-ranked Josh Heil in the finals at 149. Heil scored two wins against Smith this year, including a 9-5 decision at the Hokie Open and a 7-4 win in the dual on Feb. 10. Heil scored a takedown early and rode Smith out for the rest of the first. Smith trailed 2-0 going into the second with Heil owning 2:20 in riding time. Heil chose down to start the second and escaped in the first 30 seconds. That was the only scoring the second as Heil led 3-0 to start the third. Smith chose down in the final frame, allowing Heil to lock in the riding time. Smith scored an escape but Heil added a takedown with a minute left. Another escape from Smith and riding time made the score 6-2 for the final tally.
157 – Ryan Resnick (3rd Seed) – 3rd Place
Tony Palumbo (Davidson) – L-D, 2-5
Darren Ostrander (VMI) – W-Fall (4:48)
Angel Najar (ASU) – W-Fall (5:28)
Rian Burris (Citadel) – W-D, 10-7
Round 1 - Resnick opened against Davidson's Tony Palumbo. Despite carrying the No. 3 seed, Resnick lost twice to Palumbo during the regular season by 4-2 scores at the Wolfpack Open on Nov. 18 and in the dual on Jan. 27. After a scoreless first, Resnick deferred and Palumbo chose down. Palumbo escaped for a 1-0 lead in the second, and Resnick chose down in the third. He tied with with a takedown, but Palumbo posted two takedowns in the last 90 seconds for the 5-2 win.
Consolation Quarterfinals – Resnick took on VMI's Derek Ostrander in the consolation quarterfinals. After a takedown in the first he was leading 2-1 in the second when he put Ostrander on his back in a deep headlock. He scored the pin at 4:48 to advance to the consolation semifinals.
Consolation Semifinals – Resnick took on Appalachian State's Angel Najar, who he pinned in the dual on Feb. 3. Najar built a 6-2 lead with two takedowns and stalling points in the first. Najar extended his lead to 13-2 with another takedown and backpoints to start the second. Resnick chose neutral in the third and got into a scramble with Resnick. That choice paid off when he caught Najar in a scramble and pinned him at the 5:23 mark to advance to the third place match.
Consolation Finals (3rd Place Match) – Resnick went against The Citadel's Rian Burris, the No. 2 seed at 157, in the third place match. Burris beat Resnick twice in the regular season, both high-scoring affairs. Resnick scored first with a takedown, but Burris tied it with a reversal. From then on, Resnick cut Burris loose every time he took him down. Burris went up 3-2 after being cut to start the second. Resnick responded with a takedown for a 4-3 lead. Resnick chose neutral to start the third and scored three takedowns in the final frame for a 10-7 win and a third place finish.
Round 1 - After a scoreless first, Nicholson chose down and scored a reversal at the buzzer. Costa built up 1:58 of riding time in that frame, but Nicholson led 2-0 going into the third. Nicholson was hit with a locking-hands call mid-way through the period, but erased the riding time point. Costa escaped to force overtime. After some early action, Nicholson stumbled back on his heels and Costa quickly took advantage with the winning takedown.
Consolation Quarterfinals – Nicholson took on VMI's Luke Niksic in the consolation quarters. He controlled the entire match, scoring four takedowns in the first period. He added two more for a 14-4 lead after two. Niksic scored a takedown in the third, but Nicholson's riding time left the final score at 15-7.
Consolation Semifinals – Nicholson went against The Citadel's Dazjon Casto in the conso semis. He beat him 8-6 in the dual and was in another battle today. Casto went up 2-0 after winning a long scramble in the first. He rode out Resnick for a 2-0 lead and 1:39 of riding time after the first. Casto chose neutral to start the second and scored a takedown. Nicholson trailed 4-1 going into the third with Casto owning 2:04 of riding time. Casto tacked on two more takedowns in the final period for a 9-3 win.
Round 1 - Fortner dropped his opening match to Davidson's Kyle Homet. Homet scored three takedowns in the first period to take a 6-2 lead into the second. Had added another takedown in the third to go with an escape and penalty in the third.
Consolation Semifinals – Fortner took on App. State's Thomas Flitz in the conso semis, a match he lost 14-3 in the dual on Feb. 3. Fortner fought off a deep single-leg for over 30 seconds at the end of the first period. Flitz chose down and escaped for a 1-0 lead to start the second. Fortner looked to have a takedown in a scramble at the end of the first, but wasn't awarded the call. Head coach Kyle Ruschell threw the challenge block but did not get the points. Fortner trailed 1-0 going into the final frame and escaped to tie it. He fought off multiple single-legs before finally giving up one with one second left. Flits took the match 3-1.
184 – Dominic Lampe (3rd Seed) – 3rd Place
Martin Duane (Citadel) – W-MD, 11-3
Chris Kober (Campbell) – L-D, 6-13
Max Gallahan (VMI) – W-D, 5-2
Connor Fenn (Davidson) – W-D, 4-2
1st Round - Lampe only wrestled in two duals in the regular season, so he had not seen his first round opponent, The Citadel's Martin Duane. Lampe used an inside trip for the first takedown and scored another at the buzzer for a 4-1 lead. Another takedown in the second gave him a 6-2 advantage. An escape and two more takedowns in the third period round rounded out the 11-3 win.
Semifinals – Lampe lost to Campbell's Chris Kober 9-6 in the dual on Feb. 10. Lampe gave up a take down, but escapd and scored one of his own before the first horn. He led 3-2 going into the second and chose down. After an escape, Kober tied it with a takedown. Kober scored another takedown and led grabbed a 6-5 lead after two. Kober chose down to start the third and escaped for a 7-5 advantage. A penalty on Kober made the score 7-6 with just over a mintes left. Lampe slipped on a late scramble and gave up a takedown on and back points. Kober shoved Lampe's head as the buzzer sounded
Consolation Semifinals – Lampe took on VMI's Max Gallahan in the conso semis. There was not much action early, including a scoreless first and an escape by Lampe in the second. Leading 1-0, he posted two takedowns in the final frame for the 5-2 victory.
Consolation Finals – Lampe went up against Davidson's Connor Fenn in the third place match at 184. Lampe beat Finn 8-7 at the Wolfpack Open, but they did not meet in the dual. After a scoreless first, Lampe chose neutral to start the second, but it remained locked at 0-0 after two. Fenn chose down in the third and he escaped for a 1-0 lead. Lampe earned a stalling call against Fenn, and in the ensuing scramble, it looked like Fenn grabbed Lampe's singlet for an advantage. Head coach Kyle Ruschell challenged the no-call and won the point to tie the match at 1-1. Lampe went up 2-1 on another stalling call. He clinched the win Junior Rodney Jones qualified for the NCAAs with a second-place finish at 197.
Round 1 - Jones opened with Campbell's Austin McNeil, a rematch of a tight 6-5 affair won by Jones in the Feb. 10 dual. Jones scored an early takedown for a 2-0 lead, with McNeil escaping quickly. Jones carried a 2-1 lead into the second and chose down. He escaped, but was hit with a stall warning. Leading 3-2, Jones got another stalling call and the lead was cut to 3-2. McNeil tied it with an escape with a minute left. Jones got the crowd going with a takedown with 30 seconds left and would hold on for a 5-4 win.
Semifinals – Jones came into the match 0-3 against Diabe in collegiate action and was not able to get a win today. Diabe quickly took him down and rode him out for the first period. Diabe added two back points at the buzzer to take a 4-0 lead into the second. Diabe escaped and scored a takedown with two seconds left on the clock for a 7-0 deficit entering the third. Stalling and riding time completed the scoring in a 9-0 loss for Jones.
Consolation Semifinals – Jones took on VMI's Chris Beck in the consolation semifinals. There wasn't much scoring in this one, including a 0-0 tie after one. Jones put his points on the board in the second with an escape and a stalling point. He fought off Beck in the third for a 2-1 win.
Consolation Finals – This was a rematch of the first round against Campbell's Austin McNeil. Jones came out firing, scoring two takedowns and earning a stalling call in the first period. He added an escape, takedown and another stalling call for an 8-2 lead after two. Jones added a takedown and riding time for an 11-5 win and a third place finish in the tournament.
2nd Place Match – With two bids up for grabs, Jones had a true-second place match against The Citadel's Sawyer Root, who lost in the finals to App. State's Randall Diabe. Root had two very close wins over Jones earlier in the year, including a 3-2 decision at the Hokie Open and a 2-0 win in the dual on Feb. 8. Root opened the scoring with a takedown with 41 seconds left in the first. He rode him out to keep the 2-0 lead going into the second. Root chose down in the second and escaped for a 3-0 lead. Jones closed the gap with a takedown midway through the second. Root escaped for a 4-2 lead to start the third. Jones chose neutral in the final frame and tied it with a takedown as Root fell out of bounds. Jones cut him loose, and then posted another score for a 6-5 lead. Root tied it with an escape with 30 seconds left and the match went to overtime. Jones got in on a double, but could not finish it and it went to two 30-second tiebreaker periods. Root quickly escaped in the first 30-second period. In the final tiebreaker, it looked like Jones would not get out, but he posted a reversal with no time on the clock. The call was challenged, and after a few seconds of drama, it was upheld for an 8-7 win.
Semifinals – After earning a bye as the No. 2 seed in a six-wrestler field, Tolley took on Campbell's Odgerel Batkhishig in the semis. The last time these two met, Tolley scored a 7-4 win on Feb. 10 to clinch a share of the SoCon regular season title for the Mocs. Tolley was hit with hands to the face in the beginning of a lot of action. Batkhishig scored a takedown and two back points at the end of the first for a 5-0 lead. Another takedown in the second extended Batkhishig's lead to 8-3. Tolley went on the offensive in the third, but every time he scored a takedown, Batkhishig responded with one of his own. The final score was 20-9 in favor of Batkhishig.
Consolation Semifinals – Tolley took on VMI's Trey Momom in the consolation semifinals. Tolley opened with a takedown for a 2-0 lead. He scored an escape and a takedown in the second to build a 5-0 advantage. Two more takedowns and an escape in the third gave him a 10-2 major decision.
Consolation Finals – Tolley went against The Citadel's Micael McAleavey in the third place match. There was no score after one, but McAleavey caught Tolley in a cradle in the second and pinned him at the 3:20 mark.
