The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's Brayden Palmer won seven straight matches, including four in overtime to take home third place at the Southern Scuffle, presented by Compound Sportswear, in the 133-pound weight class. Senior 125-pounder Fabian Gutierrez picked up a sixth-place finish.
After dropping his first match of the tournament in overtime, Palmer won seven straight matches, including four in extra time to place third inside McKenzie Arena. Palmer began his competition in the consolation round with a 4-2 decision and followed that up with an 8-6 SV decision. The sophomore continued his success with a 3-1 win in the second tiebreaker over App State's No. 6 Sean Carter.
He faced another tiebreak in his next bout. This time, in the second tiebreak, Palmer cradled for a four-point near fall to move on to the consolation quarterfinals. The Hendersonville, Tenn. native posted a 3-2 and 9-4 DEC to move on to the third-place match. 59 seconds into overtime, he logged a takedown over Iowa's Cullan Schriever to secure his third-place finish.
"Each match was a battle and incredibly hard fought. I faced some really good competition," said Palmer. "Placing third definitely feels great. The first two years of college were a little rough and I'm starting to get a grip on thing. The third-place finish definitely means a lot to me."
After starting the tournament with two wins by fall and then an 8-6 decision over Appalachian State's No. 5 Caleb Smith, Fabian Gutierrez dropped two narrow decisions in the semifinals and consolation semifinals. He medically forfeited his fifth-place match and secured a sixth-place finish.
This marks the fifth consecutive Scuffle that the Mocs have had two medalists. Palmer is the first top-three finisher for the Blue and Gold since Bryce Carr (184) in 2018. It is the fifth time in program history that a Moc has posted a top-three finish. Palmer is the fourth to do so after Carr did it twice.
Missouri took home first place with 175.5 points. NDSU (109.5) and Michigan State (94.5) rounded out the top three. Air Force's Wyatt Henderson took home the Gorrarian Award (most pins in fewest amount of time) and Most Outstanding Wrestler accolades. He is the 285-pound champion and registered four pins in 11:10 throughout his five matches. Chattanooga placed 12th as a team with 45.5 points
2022 Southern Scuffle Champions:
125: Pat McKee – Minnesota
133: Payvon Foley – Michigan State
141: Real Woods – Stanford
149: Josh Finesilver – Duke
157: Jared Franek – North Dakota State
165: Keegan O'Toole – Missouri
174: Cade Devos – South Dakota State
184: Kyle Cochran – Maryland
197: Rocky Elam – Missouri
285: Wyatt Hendrickson – Air Force
