Brackets & Team Standings
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The Chattanooga Mocs jumped out to a big lead and cruised to the team title at the 2012 Southern Conference Wrestling Championships today. The Mocs put eight wrestlers in the finals and had four take home titles on their way to the 26th tournament championship in school history.
UTC all but had the team title wrapped up after the semifinals, with eight individuals advancing and one more in the consolation finals. The Mocs finished with 102 points, almost 30 clear of the field.
2012 SoCon Freshman of the Year Nick Soto got UTC going at 133. Ranked No. 16 in the nation, he was the favorite as the No. 1 seed, but had to work for the crown tonight. He led Campbell’s Joey Rizzolino by only one point at 5-4 with less than a minute remaining, but scored a takedown late to seal the 8-4 decision.
Dean Pavlou was UTC’s second title winner at 149. He defeated The Citadel’s Seth Vernon 4-2. After a scoreless first, Pavlou started the second on the bottom and wet up 2-0 with a reversal. Vernon escaped but Pavlou scored a takedown with 10 seconds left in the period for a 4-1 lead. Vernon escaped quickly in the third, but Pavlou fought him off for his second career SoCon Championship.
Dan Waddell had a buzzer-beater win at 157 for the Mocs. He slammed Campbell’s Nick Rex with two seconds left on the clock for a 4-3 decision and his second career league title.
Brandon Wright was UTC’s fourth winner with a huge upset at 165. He scored an overtime win over Appalachian State’s 15th-ranked Kyle Blevins. With the score tied at one, neither individual was able to get a point in the first extra frame. In the first tiebreaker, Wright posted a reversal to go up 3-1. Blevins escaped in his turn on bottom and tried to get the go-ahead takedown. Wright fought off a strong attack to score his second-straight league trophy.
ASU and The Citadel tied for second with 72.5 points. Both teams had four in the finals and both won at three weights.
Appalachian State started the evening with a big win at 125. That match featured the last two conference winners in the Mountaineers’ Antonio Gravely and UTC’s Manny Ramirez. Gravely won in 2010 while Ramirez was last year’s champ while at UNCG. Gravely scored two near-falls in the second period to take control of the match and win 12-9.
ASU’s second title came at 141 when Mike Kessler scored a 9-4 decision over Chattanooga’s Shawn Greevy. Kessler scored a pair of first period take downs to go up 4-1. Greevy tied it in the second with an escape and a takedown of his own. Kessler went up 5-4 in the third when he quickly escaped. He closed out the match with a takedown and backpoints.
The Mountaineer’s Austin Trotman became a three-time SoCon Champion with a dominating performance at 184. He scored a technical fall (21-6) against UTC’s Robert Prigmore, earning the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler award.
The Citadel’s wins came late in the evening, taking three of the last four weight classes. Turtogtokh Luvsandorj posted a 2-1 win over Campbell’s James Cook. He scored a second period takedown for his second SoCon title.
Kelby Smith also had a one point win for the Bulldogs at 197. He defeated Campbell’s John Weakley 3-2 to punch his ticket to the NCAA Championships. Trailing 1-0 in the third, Smith escaped and immediately attacked Weakley’s legs. The move surprised Weakely and gave Smith a one-point lead. Weakley escaped but could not get the go-ahead score.
Weakley would go on to defeat Gardner-Webb’s Travis Porter with a fall in the second place match to earn the SoCon’s other automatic bid at 197.
The Citadel’s Odie Delany defeated UTC’s Kevin Malone in a 9-0 major decision at heavyweight. It was Delaney’s third win of the season over Malone and his second SoCon championship.
Campbell finished fourth with 65 teams points, followed by VMI with 25.5. Gardner-Webb was sixth with 21 points and Davidson rounded out the team scoring with 6.5 points. The 2012 NCAA Championships are set for March 15-17 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.
TEAM RESULTS
1. Chattanooga 102
2t. Appalachian State 72.5
2t. The Citadel 72.5
4. Campbell 65
5. VMI 25.5
6. Gardner-Webb 21
7. Davidson 6.5
INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
125: No. 2 Antonio Gravely (ASU) – Dec. 12-9 - No. 1 Manny Ramirez (UTC)
133: No. 1 Nick Soto (UTC) – Dec. 8-5 - No. 2 Joey Rizzolino (Campbell)
141: No. 1 Mike Kessler (ASU) – Dec. 9-4 - No. 2 Shawn Greevy (UTC)
149: No. 3 Dean Pavlou (UTC) – Dec. 4-2 - No. 4 Seth Vernon (Citadel)
157: No. 1 Dan Waddell (UTC) - Dec. 4-3 - No. 2 Nick Rex (Campbell)
165: No. 2 Brandon Wright (UTC) – Dec. 3-2 (TB1) - No. 1 Kyle Blevins (ASU)
174: No. 1 Turtogtokh Luvsandorj (Citadel) – Dec. 2-1 - No. 3 James Cook (Campbell)
184: No. 1 Austin Trotman (ASU) – Tech Fall 21-6 (0:00) - No. 2 Robert Prigmore (UTC)
197: No. 1 Kelby Smith (Citadel) – Dec. 3-2 - No. 3 John Weakley (Campbell)
285: No. 1 Odie Delaney (Citadel) – MD 9-0 - No. 2 Kevin Malone (UTC)
SECOND-PLACE MATCH FOR AUTOMATIC NCAA BID
197: John Weakley (Campbell) – Fall 1:20 - Travis Porter (GWU)
MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER
Austin Trotman – Appalachian State
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