Fuel by one of the biggest individual wins in school history, Chattanooga (6-4, 1-0 SoCon) posted a 25-13 victory over the Cardinal (8-3, 1-0 Pac-12) in Palo Alto, Calif., tonight. Junior Nick Soto looked like his old self with a dominating 15-8 win over Ryan Mango, the No. 1 ranked 133-pounder in the nation.
“We had one of these coming,” stated head coach Heath Eslinger. “I am not any more proud of our team tonight than I was on Sunday, it just feels better getting the win. We competed hard then and we competed hard tonight. Tonight, things went our way and we were able to get over the hump.”
Soto was a top-10 wrestler at 133 as a freshman, but dropped down to 125 last season. He has been out of the national spotlight since halfway through his sophomore year, but made a statement with tonight’s win.
Chattanooga was down 4-0 after giving up a major decision at 133. Soto came out quickly in the opening three minutes, scoring two takedowns and taking a 5-3 lead. He went up 10-3 after another takedown and back points in the second.
He nearly gave it all away in the third, getting caught on his back and barely avoiding the pin. However, he escaped and scored another takedown before the final horn. This was the third win over a top-5 opponent in his career, but the first since his freshman season.
“When he gets on guys early, he is dangerous,” stated Eslinger. “He was huge for us tonight. It set the tone for the rest of the match.”
That win ignited the Mocs, who went on to take the next six matches. Freshman Michael Pongracz moved up to 141 first his first dual action. He scored a 9-0 major decision over Tommy Pawleski, who was competing up two weight classes, to give Chattanooga a 7-4 lead.
Stanford could only score on escapes and penalties in the next three matches. Junior Shaun Greevy defeated Matt Garelli 7-1 at 149, followed by senior Alex Hudson’s 8-1 decision over Brett Baumbach at 157.
Junior Corey Mock, ranked No. 7 at 165, put his 12-0 record up against No. 14 Jim Wilson and his 15-0 mark. Mock battled an illness throughout the day, but was able to avoid getting taken down for the 12th time this season.
He was up 3-1 late in the third when he was penalized for stalling. Wilson nearly scored a takedown at the buzzer, but Mock fought him off for the 4-2 win. It was Mock’s fourth win over a ranked opponent this season.
Rewind back to Sunday when the Mocs were tied with Purdue 15-15 with just the 174 match left to decide the outcome. Junior Levi Clemons gave up a first period pin and the Boilermakers came away with a 21-15 win.
Tonight, Clemons continued his tear with his second-straight fall since that loss, making the match dormie with a 22-4 lead. Clemons had just given up back points to Kyle Meyer and was trailing 6-0 in the second period when he escaped and went on the offensive. He quickly put Meyer on his back and scored his third pin of the season.
Sophomore John Lampe secured the win with his 7-6 decision over Thomas Kimbrell at 184. Stanford won the last two bouts for the final 25-13 score.
This was the second time in the last three seasons Chattanooga has posted a win over a ranked Stanford team. The Mocs defeated No. 12 Stanford 22-15 in Maclellan Gym on Nov. 20, 2011. This was the biggest road wins for the Mocs since a 28-13 win at No. 13 Ohio State on Dec. 17, 2006.
Chattanooga will now head Reno, Nev., for Sunday’s Reno Tournament of Champions. This is the final action before the holiday break. UTC will again host the 2014 Southern Scuffle, presented by Defense Soap and Flips Wrestling, on Jan. 1-2. Tickets are on sale now on GoMocs.com.
Results:
125: #13 Evan Silver (S) maj. dec. Campbell Lewis (C), 15-3
133: Nick Soto (C) dec. #1 Ryan Mango (S), 15-8
141: Mike Pongracz (C) maj. dec. Tommy Pawelski (S), 9-0
149: Shawn Greevy (C) dec. Matt Garelli (S), 7-1
157: Alex Hudson (C) dec. Bret Baumbach (S), 8-1
165: #7 Corey Mock (C) dec. #14 Jim Wilson (S), 4-2
174: Levi Clemons (C) fall Kyle Meyer (S), 4:27
184: John Lampe (C) dec. Thomas Kimbrell (S), 7-6
197: Dan Scherer (S) dec. Scottie Boykin (C), 6-0
285: Josh Marchok (S) fall Kevin Malone (C), 3:54
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