CHATTANOOGA - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team opens the 2021-22 season against NAIA Cumberland University this weekend.  Match time is set for 5:00 p.m. (E.S.T.) on Saturday, Nov. 6, in Maclellan Gym.
The Mocs are coming off an 8-4 record in 2021 and a third-place Southern Conference finish after going 6-2 in league action. The Mocs return four NCAA qualifiers from last year including SoCon Champion Drew Nicholson (165).
 
MOCS WITH A SIDE OF CUMBERLAND
Early fans at the match on Saturday will receive free Taziki's chicken roll-ups with a side of cucumber salad!
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Mocs and the Pheonix have met nine times, all since 2004, with UTC winning every match. The two teams last met on Nov. 14, 2015 in Maclellan Gym where the Mocs defeated the Pheonix 49-0.
 
PROBABLE LINEUP VS. CUMBERLAND
125: No. 24 Fabian Gutierrez (Sr.)
133: Brayden Palmer (Jr.)
141: Franco Valdes (Jr.)
     or Colton Landers (Jr.)
149: Noah Castillo (Jr.)
157: Grant Lundy (Fr.)
165: Caleb Waddell (Fr.)
174: Carial Tarter (So.)
184: No. 28 Matthew Waddell (Jr.)
197: Thomas Sell (So.)
285: Grayson Walthall (Jr.)
      or Matthias Ervin (Fr.)
* Rankings are InterMat (Oct. 27, 2021)
 
SCOUTING THE MOCS
UTC returns nine of its 10 starters from last year's squad. All four NCAA Qualifiers return to the Blue and Gold including Fabian Gutierrez who is back for his sixth year. Gutierrez went 13-5 last season at 125 and holds a 53-26 career record at Chattanooga. Last season, Gutierrez posted a third-place finish at the SoCon Tournament.
 
Franco Valdes, the only Moc with an undefeated dual record last season, is back at 141 pounds. He went 9-0 last season in dual action and holds an even .500 career record (20-20). He fell in the first round of last year's SoCon Tournament to Campell's Shannon Hanna for his only loss of the season.
 
Drew Nicholson and Carial Tarter both shine at the 165 weight class. Nicholson, the reigning SoCon Champion at 165 posted a 13-5 overall record last season and is 39-32 in his career. Tarter saw limited action in 2020-21 at 165, but went 2-0. He was the primary starter at 174 where he went 5-7 last year.
 
HEAD COACH KYLE RUSCHELL
Kyle Ruschell is in his fourth season as head coach of the Mocs and owns a 22-20 dual meet record. The Mocs were 8-4 last season and 6-2 in the Southern Conference. UTC sent four participants to the 2021 NCAA Championships (Fabian Gutierrez -125, Drew Nicholson - 165, Matthew Waddel - 184 and Logan Andrew - 194). Ruschell has posted a thrd-place finish at the SoCon Tournament in each of his three seasons at UTC and finished T-1st in the 2018-19 regular season. He holds a 15-5 career record in SoCon Duals.
 
EMMANUEL PROBABLE LINEUP
125: No. 4 Carter Cox (Sr.)
133: No. 17 Keyshawn Laws (Sr.)
      or Hayden Lemmons (Fr.)
141: Isaiah Wortham (Fr.)
149: Joseph Frye (Fr.)
      or Eli Clemmons (Fr.)
157: No. 5 Anthony Maia (Sr.)
165: No. 2 Cole Smith (So.)
174: Matthew Sells (Sr.)
184: Austin Antcliffe (So.)
197: River Henry (So.)
285: No. 3 Patrick Depiazza (Sr.)
* Rankings are NAIA (Oct. 27, 2021)
 
SCOUTING CUMBERLAND
The Pheonix went 9-5 in dual action last season including a 5-3 mark in Mid-South Conference action. Cumberland sent eight wrestlers to the NAIA Championships in 2021 and posted a program-best fifth-place finish. The team is ranked No. 8 in the NAIA Preseason Poll. Cumberland returns four All-Americans, all ranked in the top-five (Carter Vox, Anthony Maia, Cole Smith and Patrick Depiazza).
 
HEAD TO HEAD
There are no head-to-head results available for this dual.
 
MOCS PICKED THIRD IN THE SOCON PRESEASON
Chattanooga was picked to finish third in the Southern Conference race with 50 points. The Mocs went 6-2 in the conference last year, finishing with an 8-4 record overall. Appalachian State received six first-place votes and 61 points to top the 2020-21 preseason poll. Campbell was second with 59 votes.  Gardner-Webb (39), The Citadel (38), VMI (27), Davidson (24), Bellarmine (13) and Presbyterian (12) rounded out the listings.
 
NICHOLSON NAMED PRESEASON ALL-SOCON
After winning the SoCon Tournament as the No. 3 seed at 165 pounds last season, Drew Nicholson was named to the Preseason All-SoCon team in 2021. The Memphis native went 13-5 last season, 9-3 in dual action and 6-2 in SoCon matches. He is the reigning SoCon Tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.
 
MOCS GETTING THE JOB DONE IN THE CLASSROOM
UTC topped the 3.0 mark as a team for the eighth time in the fall of 2020.  The Mocs had a 3.094 GPA in the fall and had a program-record 22 on the A.D. Honor Roll with a 3.0 GPA.  UTC has posted a 3.0 in each of the last five semesters. 

To purchase Chattanooga Wrestling season tickets, click here.